Camino Primitivo, part 1: Oviedo to Grado
I am not, by any reasonable definition, a pilgrim (the only exception being those times when the nine-year old me would be adressed by John Wayne in my imagination… so whaddya say, pilgrim?) but nevertheless we started the long trek to Santiago de Compostela on Sunday. It was, as may have been guessed, Julio’s idea.
We’re doing the camino primitivo (the primitive path), also known as the camino interior. It was, apparently, one of the earlier pilgrim routes after one of the early Asturian kings did it (and of course, he set off from his house in Oviedo, much as we did). Liz had met up with Julio a few days earlier to get the official papers and to register as pilgrims (I don’t really mind about that but apparently it’s easier to use the hostels if you have this bit of paper). The hostel in Oviedo stamped the papers and we were official.
It’s somewhere between 300 and 340km to Santiago, depending who you listen to, it’s not hard walking, at least this first stage… mostly flat or on rolling hills. We were lucky with the weather because rain was forecast for most of the day but it took a while to arrive.
Julio had baited his hook by saying that we would be passing a place that did some of the best beans in Asturias, no small claim that. As the first drops of rain began to fall and the temperature plummeted we reached La Florinda, the small restaurant he’d tempted us with. It was full and people who arrived after us were told it’d be an hour’s wait. They all waited which suggests the quality of the food. We just had fabada and pudding… no need for more, and the beans were as good as Julio had promised, soft and buttery.
We enjoyed the change of pace that this walkin gives, strolling along through villages and orchards, saying hello to folk all dressed in sunday best for their ‘all saints day’ traditional cemetary visit, asking farmers if we could scrounge a few apples and going away with a dozen or so. The official papers come in handy because you can get them stamped in bars en route (for which you have to enter the bar, and once you’re there… well it would be rude not to). We’ll be doing the next stage in a few weeks… one down and 13 to go…
Tags: camino primitivo, oviedo, walking
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Whenever you think the primitive path is a little tough, just thank your lucky stars you don't have a donkey in tow. :)
Am going to be following the route with great interest.Sam