Camino Primitivo: Stages and Map from Oviedo to Santiago

The Camino Primitivo starts hard: this first stage is no stroll, so set off well rested. You leave Oviedo from the Cathedral of San Salvador following the bronze scallop shells set in the pavement; the walk out of the city feels long, but the reward soon comes: dirt tracks below the Sierra del Naranco, the medieval bridge of Gallegos and chestnut and oak woods along the Nalón River. Through river meadows, fields and small hamlets of riverside Asturias, with frequent ups and downs, you reach Grado, the end of the stage, with all services.

Today the climbs give you no respite. You leave Grado with a long, steady climb via San Juan de Villapañada to the Alto del Fresno, whose chapel is worth the short detour, followed by a steep, demanding descent into the Narcea valley. In Cornellana you must stop to see the monastery of San Salvador; then comes the most beautiful stretch of the day, through a lovely forest. Past dovecotes, churches and tree-lined paths you enter Salas, a welcoming town with all services. Watch out if it has rained: some stretches are slippery.

You say goodbye to Salas beneath the arch that joins the Valdés Palace to the medieval tower and follow a pleasant path along the river, among oaks and chestnut trees. This is a land of pastures, manor houses, quintanas (traditional farmsteads), water mills, wayside crosses and old hermitages, with beech woods and centuries-old oaks steeped in legend. After a demanding climb to La Espina, the final stretch offers lovely rural views all the way to Tineo, a charming town of traditional houses spread between the lower town and the hilltop. If it has rained, waterproof footwear is best: there’s mud.

A long mountain day through the remote west of Asturias, dotted with chapels devoted to Saint James and with hórreos and paneras (raised granaries) bearing old carvings. Leaving Tineo, through deciduous woods, you can detour to the monumental monastery of Santa María Real de Obona. You pass through Campiello and Borres, where many pilgrims split the stage, to the fork with the legendary Hospitales route. On the main path you climb and descend relentlessly to the Alto de Lavadoira and then drop down to Pola de Allande, with all services. It’s a land of mist, dolmens and legends: keep an eye on the Camino’s own waymarking.

The hardest stage of the Camino Primitivo, the one that demands the most physical effort, and also one of the most beautiful. From Pola de Allande you tackle the long climb to the Puerto del Palo (1,146 m), rewarded with stunning scenery: the Nisón River valley, the scars of ancient Roman gold mining and, in the distance, the mountains of Lugo, heralding Galicia. You cross Montefurado, a slate village with its chapel of Santiago, and continue via Berducedo to La Mesa. Stock up on water before you set off: there are few fountains along the way.

Short compared with the previous one, but intense: it’s 760 meters of continuous descent to the Salime Reservoir, on the Navia River, with tricky stretches when it rains. Through chestnut groves and lush woodland, with amazing views, you reach the impressive dam; don’t miss the Boca de la Ballena hanging viewpoint, overlooking its 128-meter wall. After crossing the reservoir, a wooded path uphill brings you to Grandas de Salime, the last stage end in Asturias. Watch your footing if it rains.

Today you cross from Asturias into Galicia. You leave Grandas de Salime, pass the Chao Samartín hillfort and Bustelo del Camín, the last Asturian village, and tackle the long climb to the Alto del Acebo among the turbines of a large wind farm. It’s pure, tough mountain walking, with great scenic value, although the route often follows the road, alternating with well-marked paths. On the way down from the pass, Galicia begins: careful, here the scallop shells point the other way, with their open end showing the direction. A path full of holly, gently downhill, takes you to A Fonsagrada.

The first full stage in Galicia and one of the hardest on the Primitivo, on dirt tracks with constant ups and downs. You leave A Fonsagrada on forest tracks that follow the line of the road to Montouto, with the ruins of its pilgrim hospital, founded in the 14th century, and a Neolithic dolmen. Then comes the punishment: the dreaded Cuesta del Sapo and the long Fontaneira climb, a real leg-breaker. Take it easy and enjoy the nature until you drop down to O Cádavo, the main town of the green municipality of Baleira.

The longest stage of the route, but a piece of cake compared with what lies behind you: the big changes in elevation are over. From O Cádavo you climb to the Alto da Vacaloura and descend to Castroverde, with its medieval tower; then wide tracks through hamlets, woods and archaeological remains of inland Galicia bring you easily to Lugo, which you enter through the Porta de San Pedro. The city is surrounded by the only Roman walls in the world preserved in their entirety, a World Heritage Site, with more than two kilometers of wall walk you can follow on foot. Inside, the cathedral and the free tapa with your drink.

A flat stage, apart from a short climb between housing developments after leaving the Miño behind. You leave Lugo opposite its cathedral, pass through the walls at the Puerta de Santiago and go down to the Roman bridge over the Miño, the Ponte Vella. Then comes a quiet stretch on local roads and through rural hamlets: it mostly follows the provincial road and, although traffic isn’t heavy, take care. Halfway, you can detour to the unique church of Santa Eulalia de Bóveda. You finish in Ferreira, with its small single-arched Roman bridge.

You cross the Roman bridge of Ferreira and continue along tracks and through hamlets, mostly on asphalt and gravel, to the challenge of the day: the climb to the Sierra del Careón, at 710 meters, which separates the province of Lugo from A Coruña, with lovely views. It’s a pretty stage of small hamlets and green pastures. Crossing the Furelos River you enter Melide, where your Camino Primitivo merges with the crowded Camino Francés: the solitude of the first days is over. Here it would be sacrilege not to try pulpo á feira at one of its famous pulperías (octopus houses).

A short, pleasant stage, now on the Camino Francés, which merged with the Primitivo in Melide on the way to Santiago. Before you leave, it’s worth visiting the oldest cruceiro in Galicia, next to the church of San Roque, and the Terra de Melide Museum, built on the site of the 1375 pilgrim hospital. With the odd moderate climb, the path runs through hamlets and extraordinary Atlantic woodland to Ribadiso de Abaixo, one of the loveliest spots on the Camino: if the weather’s good, take a dip in the Iso River. You finish in Arzúa, home of Arzúa-Ulloa D.O. cheese.

Your second day on the Camino Francés, now in the company of many more pilgrims than in the days in Asturias. A gentle stage through hamlets and pine and eucalyptus woods, on easy, mostly flat ground, with plenty of bars and restaurants so you can take your time. Salceda marks the halfway point and is a good place to recharge; in Santa Irene, there’s the fountain said to have healing powers. O Pedrouzo, the main town of the municipality of O Pino, is the last classic overnight stop before Santiago: it has the neoclassical church of Santa Eulalia de Arca, with its curious scallop-shaped altar.

Last stage! The earlier you leave O Pedrouzo, the sooner you’ll set foot in Compostela. The Camino crosses eucalyptus woods and skirts Lavacolla airport, next to the stream where medieval pilgrims washed before entering the city. From Monte do Gozo (380 m) you see the cathedral towers for the first time: a perfect view to savor the last kilometers. Five more kilometers and you reach the old town, the Praza do Obradoiro, the embrace of the Apostle and, at the Pilgrim’s Reception Office, the Compostela. You’ve completed the Camino Primitivo.