LIVE from the Camino Camino Primitivo in December

[JamesPaulG]

Camino Primitivo is usually less busy. I had time only in December and decided to do it anyways. Thanks to the tips from the members of the forum, I planned my accommodation in advance - called and checked if the accommodation is open during December.

I also want to report here my experience so that it could benefit others who want to do the Camino during the winter.

 

[JamesPaulG]

Day 0 03-Dec:
Flew in to Oviedo. From the airport there is a direct bus (9 Euros, can pay by card) to Oviedo centre. The cathedral San Salvador is 20 mins walk from the bus station.
You can buy your pilgrim credential in the cathedral. As a pilgrim you pay only 3 euros entrance fee (normally it is 8 euros) to take a cathedral self guided tour.

The municipal hostel is a 20 mins walking distance from the cathedral. I am the only person staying tonight. The place is clean and the host is really friendly, spoke English and guided me to the near by shops and cafes.

The interesting part of being in Oviedo during December is the Christmas markets! The square in front of the cathedral is busy with lots of little shops.

 

[peregrina2000]

Buen camino, @JamesPaulG . I’ve added the “live from the Camino” prefix, because a December Primitivo is not terribly common on the forum. I’m sure others will be eager to follow along if you are planning to post.

Lovely pictures!

 

[MinnehonkTom]

Day 0 03-Dec:
Flew in to Oviedo. From the airport there is a direct bus (9 Euros, can pay by card) to Oviedo centre. The cathedral San Salvador is 20 mins walk from the bus station.
You can buy your pilgrim credential in the cathedral. As a pilgrim you pay only 3 euros entrance fee (normally it is 8 euros) to take a cathedral self guided tour.

The municipal hostel is a 20 mins walking distance from the cathedral. I am the only person staying tonight. The place is clean and the host is really friendly, spoke English and guided me to the near by shops and cafes.

The interesting part of being in Oviedo during December is the Christmas markets! The square in front of the cathedral is busy with lots of little shops.

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Love the shots of the Christmas market! If you get to Grado before today’s street market ends, I wonder if it will be similarly seasonal?

 

[Grahammac]

Bonjour Camino.

 

[Tom Conklin]

I'm really looking forward to hearing about this! All the best.

 

[JamesPaulG]

Day 1 04-Dec:
Turns out that I am not the only one. Another Spanish pilgrim reached Albergue late and we hiked together towards Grado. It was really nice to walk together. He could hardly speak English and I couldn’t communicate in Spanish, but with Google translate and sign language we managed

We had great weather, no rain and clear blue sky. The first half was easy, being the first day we had lot of enthusiasm and covered it quite quickly of course stopping on and off to enjoy the beautiful views. On the way we had a good sumptuous lunch(Fabada Asturiaina) at Penaflor, Bar Casa Aurina.

One thing we need to watch out for at this year, late autumn, the unpacked paths were quite slippery with all the fallen leaves and the rain from the previous days.

Finally we reached the Albergue in San Juan de Villapanada to find another Spanish Pilgrim, who had already done Primitivo twice We will continue further to Salas!

 

[Grahammac]

Great update. Apart from your progress, your story telling is super. Thanks. Buon Camino.

 

[JamesPaulG]

Love the shots of the Christmas market! If you get to Grado before today’s street market ends, I wonder if it will be similarly seasonal?

I saw some lights on the streets but didn’t see a market. It could be because I didn’t visit the village center. We continued further to San Juan de Villapanada.

 

[MinnehonkTom]

I saw some lights on the streets but didn’t see a market. It could be because I didn’t visit the village center. We continued further to San Juan de Villapanada.

Yes, the square in which the Wednesday market is held is a block or two off of the main way thru Grado. Also, closes up around 2 pm.

 

[davejsy]

Just a heads up, I know there is some bad weather forecast this weekend with temperatures dropping rapidly from around Sunday with snow down to under 800 meters and strong winds (and with it potential blizzard conditions). This forecast is for the place I normally go just South of the Picos de Europa, but would imagine it is going to be very similar on the Primitivo route as it's not a million miles away.

 

[Grahammac]

Just a heads up, I know there is some bad weather forecast this weekend with temperatures dropping rapidly from around Sunday with snow down to under 800 meters and strong winds (and with it potential blizzard conditions). This forecast is for the place I normally go just South of the Picos de Europa, but would imagine it is going to be very similar on the Primitivo route as it's not a million miles away.

Hospitals could be a challenge. Please take care.

 

[JamesPaulG]

Just a heads up, I know there is some bad weather forecast this weekend with temperatures dropping rapidly from around Sunday with snow down to under 800 meters and strong winds (and with it potential blizzard conditions). This forecast is for the place I normally go just South of the Picos de Europa, but would imagine it is going to be very similar on the Primitivo route as it's not a million miles away.

Thanks for the heads-up

 

[JamesPaulG]

Day 2 05-Dec: We were lucky again today with the weather. Another fantastic day with temperatures around the 15 and no rain.

The three of us started this morning after breakfast towards Salas. After the descent from San Juan de Villapanada to join the Camino route, we had a steep uphill climb. We met another Spanish pilgrim, now we were four in total, and had nice chat along the way.

We took a coffee break in Mesón Dany, Cornellana. Before this point there wasn’t any cafes, so stock up enough food beforehand. There is a 1000 year old monastery in Cornellana, which you will see along the way.

After walking through several small villages we finally reached Salas a medieval town. There were Christmas lights around the city center.

The municipal albergue is closed during this period, so we stayed in a private albergue Villa De Salas Alojamientos nice and clean.

Tomorrow off to Tineo, another 20km. The weather looks good for now, let’s see.

 

[MinnehonkTom]

Day 2 05-Dec: We were lucky again today with the weather. Another fantastic day with temperatures around the 15 and no rain.

The three of us started this morning after breakfast towards Salas. After the descent from San Juan de Villapanada to join the Camino route, we had a steep uphill climb. We met another Spanish pilgrim, now we were four in total, and had nice chat along the way.

We took a coffee break in Mesón Dany, Cornellana. Before this point there wasn’t any cafes, so stock up enough food beforehand. There is a 1000 year old monastery in Cornellana, which you will see along the way.

After walking through several small villages we finally reached Salas a medieval town. There were Christmas lights around the city center.

The municipal albergue is closed during this period, so we stayed in a private albergue Villa De Salas Alojamientos nice and clean.

Tomorrow off to Tineo, another 20km. The weather looks good for now, let’s see.

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Great photos. Love the last one.

 

[Grahammac]

Superb. Thanks

 

[RobinK*]

Love to read about your adventure! Thanks so much, keep us posted please.

Buen Camino!

 

[David Tallan]

Day 2 05-Dec: We were lucky again today with the weather. Another fantastic day with temperatures around the 15 and no rain.

The three of us started this morning after breakfast towards Salas. After the descent from San Juan de Villapanada to join the Camino route, we had a steep uphill climb. We met another Spanish pilgrim, now we were four in total, and had nice chat along the way.

We took a coffee break in Mesón Dany, Cornellana. Before this point there wasn’t any cafes, so stock up enough food beforehand. There is a 1000 year old monastery in Cornellana, which you will see along the way.

After walking through several small villages we finally reached Salas a medieval town. There were Christmas lights around the city center.

The municipal albergue is closed during this period, so we stayed in a private albergue Villa De Salas Alojamientos nice and clean.

Tomorrow off to Tineo, another 20km. The weather looks good for now, let’s see.

View attachment 181773View attachment 181774View attachment 181775View attachment 181776View attachment 181777View attachment 181778

Is that third photo of the stream the Camino route, or a stream that you crossed or passed by while on the Camino route? I'm having flashbacks to my recent CGA.

 

[JamesPaulG]

Is that third photo of the stream the Camino route, or a stream that you crossed or passed by while on the Camino route? I'm having flashbacks to my recent CGA.

It was in the Camino route. I didn’t have the location ON in my photo, but I think it was somewhere La Rodrigo and Salas

 

[JamesPaulG]

Day 3 06-Dec: We were lucky to have yet another day of fantastic weather, no rain!

Started the day from Salas and it was relatively an easy walk today, 20kms but walking three days in a row on the mountains takes its toll on your knees and heels.

Around 4kms from Salas along the Camino route, with a slight detour of 300m is Nonaya waterfalls, which deserves a visit (especially in good weather) https://maps.app.goo.gl/1ZcURyygXJ6g19rMA

A couple of km’s before reaching Bodenaya, you reach a high open place and suddenly we had cold winds. Finally I got to use my winter jacket!

In Bodenaya, the municipal albergue is closed for the low season. No cafes were open.

Half way through the route you have La Espina. As it was constitution day in Spain, most of the shops were closed. Only a cafe and supermarket were open. This is the last place to stock up before reaching Tineo.

After La Espina there is a steep ascent, but it was well worth the effort for you will be rewarded with a nice view of the mountains. You get to enjoy this view all the way till you reach El Pedegral, absolutely beautiful.

We finally made our way to Tineo. My Spanish friends who accompanied me introduced me to Cachappo

The municipal albergue in Tineo is open all year round and has a great view of the mountains.
Tomorrow we are proceeding further to Borres. The weather forecast until Wednesday doesn’t look good, rain and cold weather predicted. Let’s see how it goes.

 

[peregrina2000]

My Spanish friends who accompanied me introduced me to Cachappo

I think you mean cachopo. You are a brave man.

 

[Tom Conklin]

From what I have heard, the albergue in Borres is horrible. So much so that I walked past a few kms to Colinas de Ariba on the southern route towards Pola De Allende last year. It is not on the Hospitales route but if you do want to go that way, there is an easy path to the Hospitales from the albergue. Whichever way you go, all the best.

 

[WalkingLester]

Highly recommend the albergue in Colinas. The path to the Hospitales from the albergue is pretty steep, more so than the way from Borres. But it is also 1-2 km shorter (I am just guesstimating here).

 

[Tincatinker]

From what I have heard, the albergue in Borres is horrible. So much so that I walked past a few kms to Colinas de Ariba on the southern route towards Pola De Allende last year. It is not on the Hospitales route but if you do want to go that way, there is an easy path to the Hospitales from the albergue. Whichever way you go, all the best.

Ah, poor old Borres. I stopped there briefly in 2014. Decided I’d rather spend a night in the woods than there. But that was 10 years ago. Last time I was there it was clean, warm and the volunteer Hospi was desperate to convince everyone that Borres “wasn’t like that anymore”. But that was 5 years ago. It’s amazing how the world changes innit.

Me, I’d not pay much attention to internet or Ubend reviews though recent/current reviews on Gronze are sometimes helpful. Mostly I like to stop, look, and make up my own mind.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I think you mean cachopo. You are a brave man.

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Why Brave? When I've had it I thought it was pretty much just Cordon Bleu.
What did I miss?

 

[Tincatinker]

There is something perfect about a dish that loads that many calories: so much fat, so many complex and simple carbohydrates into one mouthful let alone several. It was designed to meet the needs of those who laboured hard in pursuit of a living. That it can power a pilgrim on the road to Santiago is a double blessing

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I think you mean cachopo. You are a brave man.

View attachment 181866

I had this in Oviedo a year+ ago. I'd seen a man sitting alone eating it and pointed to it when the waiter came to our table. It was humongous and thankfully I was sharing.
Thanks, Laurie, I never knew the name for it until now when I googled Cachopo ingredients. I think ours had two layers of veal with cheese in the middle although the outside crust was dark.

 

[peregrina2000]

Why Brave? When I've had it I thought it was pretty much just Cordon Bleu.

Cordon Bleu sounds oh so much fancier than cachopo. I just remember a huge piece of something fried with tons of french fries and gooey cheese coming out of it and it seemed impenetrable. I am not a foodie, so I’m not being snooty, but in comparison to the other famed Asturian dish, fabada, and the amazing range of cheeses I’ve devoured in Asturias, I just couldn’t figure out why it was so popular.

I had the same reaction to the francesinha, which is similar and also hugely popular in the neighboring country to the west, so maybe it’s just me.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

so maybe it’s just me.

No it's not just you. I felt the same way about both of those dishes. Too gooey, rich, and heavy. A little goes a long way.

 

[JamesPaulG]

It was raining while we left the albergue towards Borres. Not too hard but a drizzle for the first hour or so. The temperature was around 10 degrees and with some cold winds. Coming from Netherlands I am used to being in the rain and the cold weather, so it didn’t bother me much.

Once in a while we had good sun shine. Met two other pilgrims in the way, who were headed to Pola de Allande. One of them was from Barcelona, he had covered Grado to Tineo in 1 day, and another one was from Canary Islands, he had walked Camino Frances and the longest he had walked is 1250km from Canary Islands (of course taking the ship to the mainland). Respect!

Despite the rain the walk was relatively easy. On the way the only place you have a cafe and supermarket is at Campiello. This is the place to stock up your food supply. After a good 17kms from Tineo we reached Borres.

Thanks for the suggestions on where to stay, but I looked at it only now after settling down at the municipal albergue here in Borres. It’s not that bad. It is clean, good beds, hot water and clean toilets and bathroom. It is indeed small, 16 beds and no WiFi. You need to get the keys from the bar El Barin which is 500m away from the albergue.

The place has a nice view of the mountains, shared some pics here.

Where next? We are literally and figuratively at crossroads. To Hospitales or not. It all depends on the weather!

 

[Suzanne A]

Be safe

 

[Grahammac]

Wonderful

 

[Tom Conklin]

Great to hear that Borres was better than I had heard. Hopefully the weather is nice because the Hospitales stage is supposedly one of the most beautiful of all of the Caminos. Unfortunately I had a lot of rain, wind and cloud. There were very short cloud clearings that let me know it must be nice in better weather! Best of luck.

 

[RobinK*]

Again, beautiful pictures
If it's safe enough, go for the Hospitales route tomorrow, but be wise please pilgrim.
I really think you're brave undertaking this camino in December.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

If you can get up and over the crest before lunchtime, go for it. But the weather turns really fast up there, and the forecast is pretty scary. Check with the locals before you set out. If the wind is already high, don't do it. You won't be able to enjoy the views if the wind is flattening you. There is no cover up there.

 

[wabana]

Dittos on the words of caution…. if you’re walking in a cloud (niebla) such you can’t see 10 feet in front of you. It could be a dangerous passage. In spite of the fact that the markers are very close together for this reason. Check with locals for validation- if the weather is clear the whole time for the crossing, it’s an epic ruta.

 

[JamesPaulG]

Day 5 08-Dec
Thanks for all the concerns and suggestions.

The caretaker(hospitalera) lady of the Borres Albergue, who also runs the El Barin cafe offered to make us a delicious dinner yesterday. She made hot vegetables soup, tortillas de patatas and tomato salad. We walked from the Albergue to the cafe in the dark to have the dinner, with the hiking headlights to guide us in the road - a couple of cars passed us and gladly they noticed us and slowed down.

We enquired about the Hospitales route, and got to know that at two points along the route we could take a taxi if the weather got worse - Puerto de la marta and Puerto del Palo.

This morning we started off from Borres, around 5 degrees and drizzling. By the time we reached the point where we needed to take the Hospitales, the rain had stopped and there was no fog and some sunshine. We decided to go ahead. Among the three of us hiking together, there is an expert hiker. Had I been alone definitely I wouldn’t have gone, not that brave.

The weather was okay and we got to see the beautiful surroundings as we climbed up. Once we reached the 1st ruin Paradiella, the weather got worse. But the fog wasn’t that dense, we could still clearly see at least 100metres ahead of us. It is just an open area, as someone had already mentioned here. No trees and nothing to the stop the howling wind, so fast trying to blow you off. Later in the route, we had wet snow and rain as well. Things were getting better when we reached Puerto del Palo.

From there on it was a descent to Lago and finally we reached Berducedo, municipal Albergue. The two pilgrims we met yesterday were already there, they had come from Pola de Allande.
The one hotel and supermarket is closed for the winter! Pedro, the hospitalero of the Albergue brought us dinner - soup and meatballs, we had a nice meal.

Tomorrow to Grandas de Salime!

 

[RobinK*]

Well done! Glad to see you made it safely

 

[peregrina2000]

The last picture you’ve posted is beautiful and very evocative — you are so lucky to be there!

 

[jackinatent]

Bringing back lovely memories on the Primitivo last year. I also thought Borres was fine. Not luxury but nothing really wrong with it. The one in the old schoolhouse on the Camino Finisterre, on the other hand...

 

[Grahammac]

Great description and great pics. Definitely inspired to have a go in June 2025!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

So glad it turned out so well! We got zero storm down here on the Meseta, but I though of you during the day and hoped for your safe travels.

 

[JamesPaulG]

So glad it turned out so well! We got zero storm down here on the Meseta, but I though of you during the day and hoped for your safe travels.

Thank you, it’s the thoughts from the community, my family and friends that help keep up my spirit and to keep moving. Thank you!

 

[RobinK*]

But the news says Code Red today in the mountains of the northern regions
What about? Got caught by the snow? Got away with sunny weather?

 

[JamesPaulG]

Day 06 Dec-09

What a day it was! Snow, rain, fog and a bit of sunshine. It had snowed yesterday night in Berducedo and La Mesa. The five of us started towards La Mesa, walking through the wet snow. It was an easy walk till we reached Albergue Miguelin in La Mesa, where we stopped briefly to have our coffee. I started sneezing from yesterday so took a fresh orange juice instead to load up my Vitamin C.

It was quite a descent to Embalse de Salime(dam), I could really feel the pain on my knees. It stopped snowing, but was drizzling all the way, and once in a while foggy. Had a nice view of the dam from a viewpoint, just before you cross the dam.

After the dam starts a steady ascent. What comes down has to go up. It was on the motorway, almost all the way through Granda de Salime except for the last 1.5 km’s which was through the woods.

We had a good lunch at the village and went to the Albergue. There is a nice church in the middle of the village, but unlike Salas I didn’t see any Christmas market or any lighting.

Got a kneebrace(Rodillera) from the pharmacy here, just in case if my knee pain gets worse in the coming days.

Tomorrow we proceed to A Fonsograda, the weather forecast says no rain.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Thanks for the daily updates (and the photos) James, really enjoying following you.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

The contrast of colors between your first and second picture is amazing. Are you sure you were on the same trail!
I remember that snaking downhill on a sunny day to the dam. We had a drink on the terrace of the hotel and loved it so much that we ended up staying the night; a favorite memory on the Primitivo.

 

[JamesPaulG]

The contrast of colors between your first and second picture is amazing. Are you sure you were on the same trail!
I remember that snaking downhill on a sunny day to the dam. We had a drink on the terrace of the hotel and loved it so much that we ended up staying the night; a favorite memory on the Primitivo.

I think you are referring to the hotel, a yellow building with a nice view of the dam. We saw the sign of a restaurant and eagerly walked towards it to just find that it’s closed for vacation. That’s probably a downside of walking in the low season.

 

[JamesPaulG]

Day 7 Dec 09

Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada

We started off from the hostel and made a brief stop at Cafe de Jaime to get our breakfast and then proceeded to walk the Camino.

The weather was perfect for hiking, no rain and no fog. It was relatively easy on the knees today. Today we crossed from Asturias into Galicia. In Galicia, the mojones (Camino way markings) were clear with all the distance to Santiago Compostela mentioned.

The Albergue in Castro was open. There wasn’t any other cafe open until we reached Fonsagrada.

Objects in mountains are farther than they appear
We could actually see Fonsagrada in front of us. But we had to walk another 8kms for nearly 2 hours before we actually set our foot there. The last 1 km was a steep climb and testing our will power. We were all hungry and the motivation to eat kept us going. We had a good lunch at Cantabrico. The waiter was kind enough to show a back door shorter route to the municipal Albergue.

The Albergue is well located, close to supermarkets, restaurants and pharmacy. There is also a laundromat around the corner.

Tomorrow to O Cádavo, the weather forecast looks good!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I think you are referring to the hotel, a yellow building with a nice view of the dam. We saw the sign of a restaurant and eagerly walked towards it to just find that it’s closed for vacation. That’s probably a downside of walking in the low season.

Yes, it was not officially the end of the stage in my guidebook, but the sun came out so we stopped for a drink around 2:00pm and decided to "call it a day".

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Day 7 Dec 09

Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada

Fantastic photos and so nice you had some sunshine, too!

 

[J Willhaus]

I also think it is great that you are walking with other pilgrims at this time of year!

 

[davejsy]

Day 7 Dec 09

Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada

We started off from the hostel and made a brief stop at Cafe de Jaime to get our breakfast and then proceeded to walk the Camino.

The weather was perfect for hiking, no rain and no fog. It was relatively easy on the knees today. Today we crossed from Asturias into Galicia. In Galicia, the mojones (Camino way markings) were clear with all the distance to Santiago Compostela mentioned.

The Albergue in Castro was open. There wasn’t any other cafe open until we reached Fonsagrada.

Objects in mountains are farther than they appear
We could actually see Fonsagrada in front of us. But we had to walk another 8kms for nearly 2 hours before we actually set our foot there. The last 1 km was a steep climb and testing our will power. We were all hungry and the motivation to eat kept us going. We had a good lunch at Cantabrico. The waiter was kind enough to show a back door shorter route to the municipal Albergue.

The Albergue is well located, close to supermarkets, restaurants and pharmacy. There is also a laundromat around the corner.

Tomorrow to O Cádavo, the weather forecast looks good!

The first photo with the snow on the mountains looks beautiful - must be looking back towards the Picos?

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I think you are referring to the hotel, a yellow building with a nice view of the dam. We saw the sign of a restaurant and eagerly walked towards it to just find that it’s closed for vacation. That’s probably a downside of walking in the low season.

Definitely a downside of walking in the low season, that hotel served one of the best tortillas I've ever had, and you could have a grande cafe con leche - that and a fresh O.J made for an excellent second breakfast! (My stages were slightly different, I'd stopped at La Mesa) Combined with the view from the terrace it was a memorable stop.
It's great that you're reporting on the open facilities, it'll be really useful for anybody else looking to do this next year.

But it sounds like you're definitely having an great camino nonetheless. Neat that you've found other pilgrims to walk with/ enjoy dinner with of an evening. I like Solitude, but a little company at the right time can make a major difference to a Camino. Frankly I'm surprised that there's so many walking at the same time as yourself this late in the year. And judging from your comments and photos (which are excellent!) you're experiencing fairly good weather for this time of year too.

 

[JamesPaulG]

Definitely a downside of walking in the low season, that hotel served one of the best tortillas I've ever had, and you could have a grande cafe con leche - that and a fresh O.J made for an excellent second breakfast! (My stages were slightly different, I'd stopped at La Mesa) Combined with the view from the terrace it was a memorable stop.
It's great that you're reporting on the open facilities, it'll be really useful for anybody else looking to do this next year.

But it sounds like you're definitely having a great camino nonetheless. Neat that you've found other pilgrims to walk with/ enjoy dinner with of an evening. I like Solitude, but a little company at the right time can make a major difference to a Camino. Frankly I'm surprised that there's so many walking at the same time as yourself this late in the year. And judging from your comments and photos (which are excellent!) you're experiencing fairly good weather for this time of year too.

Good to know about the hotel, definitely on my plan for the next time.


I like solitude but once in a while it would be nice to have some good chat and particularly enjoy food together. I am really grateful for this company. We walk together (may be few metres apart sometimes) yet you have your own space to enjoy your walk in silence. At times we stop to check on others. All of them are Spanish, they introduce me to Spanish food and culture. Make some jokes and using Google translate and broken English we communicate and have fun. Best combination I could have I think in this Camino.