We had rested up in Lugo and Shelley’s knee was feeling better. We headed out early and restarted our journey along the camino. It was a beautiful morning and one of the first sites we came to was the Roman bridge at the outskirts of Lugo. At the foot of the bridge was a statue of a Roman standing guard.
Statue of Roman guarding the Roman bridgeRoman bridge at the outskirts of Lugo
We took our time and enjoyed a slow pace and scenery as we progressed.
After a while Shelley’s knee began to hurt. We stopped along the way a few times but her knee continued to get worse. We walked along the camino for approximately 7 kms when Shelley’s knee was inflamed and very painful. We were afraid that it could cause some permanent damage to her knee. We decided that I should continue the camino alone and that she would take at taxi the remaining way to Santiago. There was a camino marker where we stopped so Shelley placed her stone on the marker. We contacted a taxi and she went ahead via taxi to Santiago de Compostela.
It was a sad time for us but we knew that it was the right choice. At this point I began the remainder of the camino solo. I continued along the camino until I reached a small shrine along the side of the trail. It was quite peaceful and a perfect spot for me to stop and enjoy a snack.
I continued along the camino which was ascending over time, I came to some beautiful views and trails in that area of the camino..
I even met some of the local animals along the camino.
I walked another 20 some kilometres before stopping for the night. It was a day of mixed emotions I was sad not having Shelley with me on this section of the camino. I knew it was only 70 kilometres or so to go and I was excited to finish the last few days to arrive in Santiago.
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 OviedoAt 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.
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.
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 shoesComfortable 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.
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.
We took a day trip to Benissa Spain. This small town is located approximately an hour drive from the city of Alicante. It is one of the oldest towns located on the Costa Blanca. It was originally established in 987 by the Moores. The name Benissa comes from the Arabic tribal name Beni-Hisa or Beni-Eyce, which means (sons of Christ).
Marble monument commemorating the establishment of the town of Benissa
We explored the old medieval town centre and came across some beautiful narrow streets, with decorative tiles, flowers and cast iron railings.
One of the narrow streets in Benissa SpainStreet in the medieval town centre of Benissa
There was a bakery and other cafe shops and pubs in and around the main square of the town . We found a nice pub and enjoyed a refreshment while enjoying the beautiful views.
It was a great little town with a medieval city centre, that was well worth exploring.
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