Primitive Way from Oviedo to Lugo

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the best time to do the Primitive Way?

  The best time to do the Primitive Way is between spring and autumn. During these months, the climate is milder and more pleasant, avoiding the intense cold of winter. In winter it is likely to find rain and, given the altitude of some mountain levels, snow, so the cold season is not recommended.

• What is on-the-road telephone assistance?

  In your travel documents, you'll find an emergency telephone number where we're accessible while you're on the road. This ensures you'll journey with peace of mind, knowin our team members will assist you with any problems, incidents, or questions you encounter along your Camino de Santiago.

• Which Camino is harder: the Primitive or the Northern Way?

  The Primitive Way is harder than the Northern Way because of its short but intense stages, with steep slopes and mountainous terrain. Although the Camino del Norte also presents challenges, it alternates mountainous sections with flatter stages along the coast.

• What is luggage transport and how does it work?

  Luggage transport is included in group trips, trips with a dog and VIP trips; on all other trips it is an optional service you can add when booking. With it you can enjoy the Camino de Santiago without the burden of carrying your luggage on your back, knowing that your suitcase will be waiting for you at your next accommodation upon your arrival.   Along with your credential, you'll also receive stickers. Cover these stickers with the requested information and stick them in a visible place on your suitcase.   Upon arrival at your accommodation, we suggest asking at the reception where you can leave your luggage. You'll need to leave your luggage at the designated spot early in the morning for our carrier to pick it up. This ensures that when you arrive at your next accommodation, your luggage will already be waiting for you.

• Does the Camino Primitivo from Oviedo to Lugo qualify you for the Compostela?

  Not on its own. For the Compostela you must walk at least the last 100 km to Santiago, and this trip ends in Lugo after 218 km. That said, the pilgrim passport you stamp on this trip lets you carry on another year.

  If you want the Compostela, you can complete the Camino later with the stretch from Lugo to Santiago (100 km in 5 stages) or do the whole Primitivo from Oviedo in one go.

• Which is the hardest stage of the Camino Primitivo from Oviedo to Lugo?

  Pola de Allande to La Mesa, the queen stage: a long climb to the Puerto del Palo, the highest point of the Camino Primitivo, which can be done by road or on a dirt track. At the top you are rewarded with stunning scenery and the traces of Roman gold mining, followed by Montefurado and Berducedo. Take water with you: there are few fountains.

  A close second is A Fonsagrada–O Cádavo, with the Cuesta del Sapo, the Fontaneira climb and the descent from Montouto, which is hard on the knees.

• Can the Tineo to Pola de Allande stage be split?

  It is 28.2 km of relentless ups and downs, and many pilgrims split it at Borres, past Campiello. Then comes the fork with the Ruta de los Hospitales and, on the main route, the Alto de Lavadoira before the descent to Pola de Allande.

  If you prefer shorter stages, we can tailor your trip, always depending on accommodation availability at the end of each stage.

• What is there to see at the Salime dam?

  The stage from La Mesa to Grandas de Salime is short, but it drops 760 metres to the reservoir, through chestnut groves and with spectacular views. At the dam, don't miss the hanging viewpoint called Boca de la Ballena («the whale's mouth»), overlooking its 128-metre wall.

  Once in Grandas, visit the ethnographic museum in the old rectory and the church of San Salvador. If it rains, watch your footing on the descent.

• How do the Camino Primitivo waymarks change when you enter Galicia?

  The opposite way round from before. On the stage from Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada you cross from Asturias into Galicia after the Alto del Acebo. In Asturias, the scallop shell shows the direction with its narrow end; in Galicia, with its open end.

  Keep this in mind from the first Galician waymarker so you don't hesitate at junctions. The yellow arrow, on the other hand, means the same everywhere.

• What should I see in Grado and Salas on the Camino Primitivo?

  Grado has a historic centre with 18th- and 19th-century buildings and «indiano» mansions built by emigrants who made their fortune in the Americas, and if you arrive on a Wednesday or Sunday you will see its market, the oldest in Asturias. On the way to Salas, stop in Cornellana to see the monastery of San Salvador.

  Salas is a medieval town with its tower, the Valdés Salas Palace and the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, and you leave it under the arch that joins the palace and the tower.