Category Archives: Camino de Santiago

Camino de Santiago, Spain

Grado to Salas on the Camino Primitivo

We walked from the town of Grado to Salas on the Camino Primitivo. The trail was more enjoyable than our first day because the rain had finally stopped.  We started the day around 8am with a coffee and tea to go. It was a nice way to start the camino.  Soon this section of the camino began to ascend upwards to the pass of Alto del Fresno.  It was not too long of an ascend but it was fairly steep. We stopped several times along the climb to catch our breath and to enjoy some of the beautiful views.

A view part way up the ascend from Grado towards Salas.

As we reached the top, Ray took a photo with his Valerie flutter key chain, which he carries with him when he travels. This is in honour of Valerie Goneau his second cousin.  (see previous post)  https://wp.me/p6PTzi-1zS  

Once we reached the top, it was not long before we then began walking downwards. The walk down was challenging because of the strain is was causing on our knees and feet.  

Shelley walking down the incline after reaching the pass of Alto del Fresno.

The trail was not always easy going, there was a fair amount of mud because of the heavy rain the day before. There were times that the terrain was quite slippery and uneven. We were glad we had our walking sticks to help navigate through the muddy areas.

 

The mud and water on the trails of the camino Primitivo

We walked a total of 26 kilometers this day and the trail and views were quite enjoyable. Here is a video and a few pictures from that day.

Shelley on the Camino Primitivo

Shelley taking a well deserved rest along the Camino

Some of the Camino trail brought us close to farms and at times we walked through the cow trails between the barns.

Selfie with one of the local cows
One of the cow trails along the Camino Primitivo

We arrived finally at our next stop in Salas. Our feet and bodies were glad that we had reached our destination for the day.

We rested and enjoyed some down time before starting our next day.

¨Buen Camino¨

 

Camino de Santiago, Spain

The start of the Camino Primitivo

We started our camino de Santiago by taking a train from Alicante to the town of Oviedo in Asturias. We stayed the night in Oviedo before starting our camino the next morning.

The cathedral of St. Saviour  in Oviedo which is the starting point of the Camino Primitivo

Oviedo is the starting point for the Camino Primitivo and was the starting point of Alfonso II the Chaste King of Asturias who took this route in the 9th century to see the recently discovered tomb of St James the Apostle. 

We began the camino in the pouring rain from Oviedo. Our spirits were high with excitement and determination.

We set out at 7:30 in the morning from the Cathedral. We walked for a short while and before long we were in the countryside.

Park on the edge of Oviedo
At the outskirts of Oviedo,

There was lush greenery everywhere and the camino soon began to narrow into a trail. 

We walked through the rain into some steep declines and inclines along the rail. Some of the trail was very rough and required that we walk slowly and carefully to avoid slipping or falling. 

Part of the trail along camino Primitivo between Oviedo and Grado.

Although it was raining the entire day, along our journey we came across some beautiful small communities, sites and views. 

Our first day was a challenge, we walked the entire day in the rain.

Rain water flowing down the road like a small river.

Although it was difficult at times, our enthusiasm and spirits remained high. 

Shelley and Ray on the Camino Primitivo between Oviedo and Grado

We walked around 28 kilometers and finished our day in a town called Grado. We were tired but content for completing day one of our camino.

We settled into our room and although we had ponchos and rain jackets we were partly soaked. Our waterproof hiking boots had been exposed to rain, mud and water the entire time.  It turned out that the hiking boots were not quite waterproof. 

Feet wrinkled by walking in wet shoes

We cleaned up, changed into dry clothes and enjoyed a well deserved refreshment.

We enjoyed a well deserved refreshment and celebrated our achievement of day one.

¨Buen Camino¨

Camino de Santiago, Spain

Packing list for the Camino de Santiago

Packing for the Camino de Santiago is  a critical aspect of the enjoyment and experience of the Camino. The journey is long and you will want to carry as little extra weight as possible but still have all the items you need. We have packed with that in mind. We are not staying anywhere that requires a sleeping bag or sleeping liner. 

Below is our packing list which we believe is the essentials for us. That is not to say that someone else would pack differently.

Ray´s pack is an Osprey Farpoint 55 litre. This pack is a little bigger than needed but he has had this pack for many years. It has been very reliable and functional over the years. The pack comes with a smaller day pack that can be removed from the main pack.

Osprey 55 ltr Farpoint pack
Osprey Farpoint 55 ltr. Pack

The packing was separated into three packing cubes, which makes it easy to unload and load your pack. You also know where an item is quickly without going through all your stuff. 

The largest packing cube contains the following items

  • 1 -pair hiking pants with zip off legs
  • 2 -quick dry T-Shirts
  • 1-Long sleeve quick dry shirt

Smaller packing cube contains

  • 1 -quick dry towel
  • 2 -pair underwear
  • 2 -pair of hiking socks (Smartwool heavy duty socks)
  • small garbage bag (for dirty clothes)

The other packing cube contains 3 ziplock bags with the following:

1-ziplock bag – Toiletries, toothpaste toothbrush deoderant, some toilet paper and tissues,  phone charger and 4 clothes pins. 

2- ziplock bag – bug spray, suntan lotion and soap packet  for cleaning laundry in the sink.

3-ziplockbag – pain pills, small first aid kit with bandaids and anti blister pack,  nail clippers

Additional items include two pair of footwear. One pair of hiking shoes and a pair of sandals for the evening. This will give my feet a break from wearing the same shoes all the time.

Columbia hiking shoes
Comfortable sandals for the evenings

In addition, there are 2 walking sticks, a lightweight brimmed hat, sunglasses and personal Identification ,money, credit card etc.

The complete packing for the Camino de Santiago

The total weight of the pack is 14.2 lbs or 6.44 kilos.

We also have our Camino credentials (Camino passport) and the shell which almost everyone on the camino carries. It is a symbol and identifies you as a pilgrim on the camino.  

It is a small paper book with your name and the route you plan on taking etc. In the camino passport you will collect your stamps from the different locations you go to over your camino. Once you reach Santiago de Compostela you can present your camino passport and get your Compostela. 

Shelley´s pack is a Deuter 34 Ltr Futura Pro woman´s backpack. 

Her packing list is fundamentally the same as Ray´s except for a few minor differences. She also used packing cubes to help keep items separated and easy to pack or find.

Packing list includes:

  • 1- Yoga pants
  • 1- long pants
  • 2- pair of hiking shorts
  • 2- Qucik dry T-Shirts
  • 2- pair underwear
  • 2- pair of hiking socks
  • 1- long sleeve shirt
  • 1- windbreaker jacket
  • 1- Quick dry towel and quick dry face cloth
  • 1- pair of sandals
  • 1- Rain poncho
  • 2- walking sticks
  • 1- Small nylon day pack
  • light weight brimmed hat
  • Sunglasses, 
  • Assorted toiletries items   
  • ID, Money and camino credentials

Her pack total weight is 14 lbs or 6.35 kilos.

In regards to water, we do not use a water bladder or a metal water container. Water is safe in Spain and we simply buy a bottle of water at our starting point and use that throughout the camino refilling it as needed.

Buen Camino.

Camino de Santiago, Spain

Preparing for the Camino de Santiago Primitivo

We are preparing for the Camino de Santiago Primitivo which is listed as World Heritage. This particular way of the camino is the route that Alfonso II King of Asturias followed to make his pilgrimage. He took this route to go to the tomb of the Apostle James in the 9th century.

The Primitivo is considered one of the most difficult routes in part because of the elevations and declines walking through some of the mountains. This is possibly one of the hardest routes of the existing Camino de Santiago. The route begins in Oviedo at the Cathedral of St Saviour. 

The Cathedral of Oviedo Spain. Starting point of the Camino Primitivo.

We have been preparing for the start of our camino by walking nearly every day. We began approximately a month and half prior to our planned camino. At the beginning we walked around 7 kilometres each day and slowly increased our daily distance to approximately 20 kilometres. We then began to carry our pack which was loaded with all our weight for the trip, it was around 5.5 Kilos. This was a challenge at first but was soon easier than expected. We then began walking up a steep incline route with our packs to help condition us for the Primitivo. This has helped to prepare us for the upcoming adventure.

Map of the Camino de Santiago Primitivo route

Packing for the Camino

We have been trying to ensure we bring only the items we will need on the Camino. Our goal is to carry our pack throughout the trip. 

If your interested in a detailed list of our gear and packsack check out this link  Our packing list

So we have our camino credentials,  planned our daily route and booked our rooms for each stage of the Camino.

The route has been broken down into fourteen days.

We will average around 23 kilometres each day, however the reality is some days we will walk almost 40 kms while others are only 15 kms. The terrain will be a challenge with steep inclines and declines over the mountains. We are excited and looking forward to start the adventure.  

¨Buen Camino¨

Camino de Santiago, Spain

On the Camino de Sanitago

We began walking early every day at around 8 am or earlier.

Mark and Ray on the Camino de Santiago

Heading out early to beat the heat and enjoy the peaceful walk on the camino. The trails are well marked and easy to follow.

Typical marker along the camino trail.

We began our camino journey by walking along the streets of the camino leading through the town of Sarria and then along country paths.

Walking through the streets of Sarria on the Camino

Church in Sarria

We soon reached the countryside and began walking into some fields and walking upwards on some hills. The vistas were beautiful all along our way.

View of the roaming hills on the trail of the camino.

One of the many trails along the camino.

During the eight days we walked the camino, we came across some unique and interesting people and buildings. We walked through old Spanish hamlets and towns admiring some of the buildings and churches.

Old buildings along the camino de Santiago

One of the many churches along the camino

Old ruins of a building on the camino

There were religious crosses and other symbols along with some interesting animals.

One of the crosses along the camino.

Ray with a donkey along the camino

We would walk along with other pilgrims on the trail and chat with them about different aspects of the camino. Finally saying good  bye with the common phrase of “Buen Camino”.

Some of the many people we encountered on the Camino.

All along the camino we came across areas which had makeshift shrines. These shrines small stones, images of people and notes written to loved ones who had passed away.

One of the many shrines along the camino de Santiago.

We stopped to look at the shrines and read some of the notes left there by loved ones. It was a very moving experience to see so many along the camino trail.  Below are just a few of the camino memorials or shrines along the way.

One of the ad hoc shrines along the camino

One of the many signs along the camino.

We walked a total of 115 kilometres on the Camino from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. Over that distance we saw many beautiful vistas and towns. Here are just some of the interesting things and vistas along our 8 day trek on the camino.

We arrived at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela around noon on the eight day.

Ray and Mark at the Cathedral of Santiago

It was a very rewarding and emotional adventure. The Camino de Santiago is an emotional, spiritual and physical adventure. You have to experience the camino to truly understand and appreciate the adventure.

Buen Camino!

“La vida es una aventura, vive tu aventura”