Wayfaring once more

Each road is a chapter of a great book.

Which road should one take? Which adventure?

Fredric Gros

We're about to pack poles and hitch packs for another adventure on Spanish roads.

  In mid August we hope to take our first steps on the ancient pilgrim route known as the Camino Primitivo in the northwestern corner of Spain.

El Camino Primitivo (the Original Way) is the oldest route to Santiago de Compostela, a path first taken by King Alfonso II of Asturias. As the story goes, Alfonso, nicknamed 'the Chaste' (el Casto), left his capital Oviedo in the year 814 CE to travel to the place known at the time as Mount Libredón. He embarked on this journey to commemorate the recent discovery in this place of the remains of the Apostle St James (the son of Zebedee) which, according to tradition, had been carried to Spain after James was killed by King Herod Agrippa. 

The cathedral in Oviedo

 Upon his arrival, Alfonso built a shrine to the apostle in the field where these remains were discovered and the rest is history. Today, they lie in an elaborate casket in the crypt of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. 

People have journeyed to this place mostly on foot (along various routes) ever since. Pilgrim numbers flourished during the Middle Ages, and then dwindled for centuries. More recently, they have increased markedly. We walked the Camino Frances from St.Jean-Pied-de-Port (2013), the Caminho Português from Lisbon + the Cluny Way in France (2016), and the Camino Levanté from Valencia (2018). In different ways, each of these pilgrimages have been profound and we feel grateful for the opportunity to set forth again.

The Camino Primitivo is 321 km long and we hope to traverse it in thirteen days. 

The path leads through the moist, mountainous provinces of Asturias and Galicia (where recently fires raged). 

Asturias is particularly 'bumpy' and en route pilgrims must negotiate a number of steep ascents and descents!! 

From Santiago we plan to continue on to the Atlantic coast.

Three solid days of walking should bring us to the old fishing town of Muxia.

From Muxia we travel by bus to A Coruña or Ferrol to commence the Camino Inglés. 

Four or five more days should bring us back to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. 

The total walking distance is 520 kms and should take three weeks. Wifi permitting we hope to blog each day and we'd welcome you following along, and also sharing your thoughts in the Comments bar below each blog.

The region of Asturias

Buen Camino, amigos.