Primitivo - Day 9: A Codava to Lugo (30.5km on 7/8/18)

Left albergue at 7am and anticipating a long day of ~30km.  First ~3km was uphill then mostly downhill and undulating. Some on asphalt but more was on gravel and dirt forest tracks.  The morning fog lifted fairly soon and it was sunny. Fortunately much of the way was in the woods or shaded. Still there was much more sun than we wanted.  We stopped for cafe and tortilla along the way in Castroverde but that was the only bar today. The other stop was in a village that had a shaded area with vending machines and not too bad considering.  We made fairly good time and arrived Lugo after 30.5km and 7.5 hours walking. Checked in to Hostal Cross not far from Plaza Mayor and in the old city. There’s a 2km diameter city wall dating back to the third century and the city is over 2000 years old and founded by the Romans.  The hostel is cramped and hot so a change from our usual rural albergues. We had a partial menu del dia and a few beers with snacks. Our street has several tapas bars so that’s interesting.

Lugo is 100km from Santiago so pilgrims can start here and get their compostela certificate in Santiago. Thus, the way will be much more crowded from here.

Stone near the city marking distance from Santiago.  The kilometers are getting smaller and smaller

Typically early path - uphill for the first bit

Nice view of the countryside in the morning.

Pleasant path

Ditto

Berza (Collard greens) in a garden

Roadside walking - not so fun

Cathedral in Lugo

Bar scene in front of our hostel

Primitivo - Day 8: A Fonsagrada to A Cadavo (25km on 7/7/18)

We left the albergue in A Fonsagrada at 7am and walked in comfortable conditions, cool and foggy at first and the with low clouds until mid-day.  The path was often of compressed gravel, sometimes on grass or dirt and in forests, not too much along the highway. There were several climbs that topped out above 1000m. We stopped once for coffee and another time for coffee and tortilla, arriving in A Cadavo (Galician) or O Cadavo (Spanish).  We stayed in Albergue San Mateo, a private family owned albergue next door to their bar. We cleaned up and had a nice menu del dia lunch in the restaurant attached to the bar. Especially delicious was a berza (collards), portato and ham dish but the entree of tender beef and potatoes was also tasty.  Of course, accompanied by a bottle of wine. The owners of the bar/albergue are very nice.

Morning path in the forest

Fog as the sun comes over the hilltop

Village with fogg

More forest trails

View of the countryside from our highest elevation for the day 1000m (3300')

Primitivo - Day 7: Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada (26.8km on 7/6/18)

Note: The Blogger program lost most of today's activity. Not sure what happed as I had a dozen or so photos and only the one below was saved. Sorry!

Got up and had a bit of fruit and coffee in the albergue then we left around 7:30 and grabbed a coffee and juice in a bar.  The first 40% of the day was a steady climb and a bit on the highway. After reaching the summit, we entered Galicia near the summit and began a gradual descent.  Most of the day was spent on one lane tracks with a portion along a two lane paved road. The downhill was more gradual than I had expected and weather was nice. The bad news was that the length of the day was ~3km more than we had expected.  The last kilometer was a climb up into the town and a bit more than we wanted. The weather was cool but sunny and that sapped our energy. We’re staying at a nice private place - Albergue Pension Cantabrico.

View of the sitting room of our albergue in Grandas de Salime

Primitivo - Day 6: Berducedo to Grandas de Salime (23.4km on 7/5/18)

Had a leisurely breakfast and left albergue ~7:30am.  First section was on one lane paved road and climbed. Stopped at La Mesa after 4km and had coffee then continued climbing.  Topped out and then descended on paved and then gravel forest road. We encountered a detour to avoid a 2017 wildfire burned area that added nearly 4km to our day.  The route descended into a steep walled valley mostly on one lane forest track and then after rejoining the camino route on a smaller track and then forest path until reaching the AS-14 two lane (quiet) highway near the Grandas de Salime reservoir and crossed over on the dam.  The AS-14 climbed steeply out of the valley for 6km where we entered the village of Grandas de Salime. Although it’s supposed to be larger than Tineo it seems much smaller. We checked in to Albergue Casa Sanchez, a small private albergue with a nice garden and common area, did laundry, had a simple lunch and relaxed.  

Doing my "homework" (diary, blog, etc.) with a very nice glass of Ramon Bilbao Rioja

Dormitory in Berucedo's Albergue Camino Primitivo

Countryside near Berducedo

Climbing on country lane

Nice piece of tortilla and cafe con leche

The marking for our detour - opposite side of river valley in the distance

View of Asturian's rugged terrain

The dam of the Grandas de Selime reservoir

After crossing on the dam we continued up out of the valley on the AS-14 highway.  We descended into the valley from the top of the ridge in the distance

Highway was quiet and a nice way to climb

We left the highway and entered the village on a quiet forest trail.

The albergue's garden.  Tall plants are "berza" (collards) and are a common ingredient in Asturian and Galician soups.

Primitivo - Day 5: Campiello to Berducedo (28km on 7/4/18)

A very big day on the Primitivo entering perhaps the most challenging stage.  We left at 7am with hopes for good weather.  Weather forecast seemed okay with some morning rain and “partly cloudy” later.  We started walking in fog and mist but this turned into rain after ~3km and was raining steadily at the “decision point” where we needed to choose between the high altitude, traditional Hospitales route or the longer valley route via Pola de Allande.  Although it was raining we hoped for clear weather and continued on the Hospitales route. Rain stopped after an hour or so but the fog and mist continued. We climbed steadily on reasonably good surfaces until ~1100 meters (peaking out above 1200m) where we were above the treeline.  Unfortunately, the fog never completely cleared. The good news was that the visibility was usually several hundred meters although at times it was less than 100 meters. The route reached was well marked and we usually could normally see at least two route markers ahead. Obviously, a whiteout would have been dangerous.  We passed the ruins of three pilgrim “hospitals” (thus the name of hospitales) dating back as far as the 13th century. We stopped for a quick snack and continued when the weather worsened. After a total of ~15km we crossed a highway at a pass and descended steeply for a few kilometers on a difficult stony path.  Fortunately the path improved, although the rains returned for awhile and we continued on to Berducedo, reaching it after 28km and 8 hours en route. The albergue was a pleasant refuge and after showers and a nice menu del dia we napped and then worked on our diaries, etc.

Morning mist and fog as we left Campiello

Countryside in the morning

Marker pointing to "La Pola" or "Hospitales" routes

Climbing in the mists

Comfortable walking between showers but it would have been nice to see the views

Walking along the ridge

One of the hospital ruins

We could get some views but it would have been amazing on a clear day

Descending along a stony, steep path

Primitivo - Day 4: Tineo to Campiello (13km on 7/3/18)

We left the hotel, had cafe and pastry at a small bar on the city square and then hit the camino at 7:30am.  Tineo is perched on a hillside and the camino angles uphill along the hillside away from town. It was a long steady climb with beautiful views of the fog-filled valleys.  Walking was mostly along a farm track and not muddy. After ~6km we reached the summit of the ridge and then proceeded downhill through forests and and followed a paved road for a few kilometers to the village of Campiello.  Not too much here except for two albergues, a bar and a hotel/bar. We’re staying at the Albergue Casa Ricardo that’s owned by the same family as the bar across the street. The bar has been run by the family for 3 generations.  After a menu del dia at the hotel including two soup courses, main course, dessert and a bottle of wine we had a nap in the dormitory. We’re keeping a close eye on the weather as tomorrow’s stage should not be attempted if visibility is limited as there’s a long stretch along an exposed ridge at ~1200 meters.   

Garden scarecrow costumed as a pilgrim

View of Tineo and the fog-filled valleys below

Uphill on gravel track for 6km - no mud!

View from the top of the ridge

The descent towards Campiello

Fortunately not too much along the roads

Descended through the forests on an old road

An Asturian style horreo (granary) with strings of corn hanging outside.  These traditional structures sit on pillars topped with stone slabs to prevent access by pests.

One of the sleeping dormitories in our Albergue

Primitivo - Day 3: Salas to Tineo (20.4km on 7/2/18)

We slept in a bit and left the albergue before 8am.  Walking was steadily uphill along a small stream on a forest track.  Some sections were steep but we eventually came out on top and resumed the steady climb.  Weather was pleasant and a bit cooler than yesterday. We stopped to chat with Alex, the host of the small and very interesting Albergue in Bodenaya.  We had a nice snack at a bar in La Espina and continued on. Quite a bit of walking was on forested dirt tracks with muddy spots. Fortunately we could use stones to avoid the deepest spots but still ended with muddy shoes.  Tineo is a bit larger than Grado and we found Albergue Palacio de Menras that’s on the lower level of a 4 star hotel. At 12 euros a bit more expensive than usual but a good value. We had a mid-afternoon menu del dia at a bar/restaurant, rested a bit and wandered the town.  

Dormitory in Salas Albergue - there were ~10 bunks with a nice kitchen/laundry/toilet area

A steady climb for much of the day with a few steep spots

Countryside view

Albergue Bodenaya - a small place with an excellent reputation.

Neil with Alex - the host of the Albergue of Bodenaya

More pretty countryside

Typical farm track.  Some were paved but most were not.

Only a bit of road walking

Typical muddy spot on a dirt track.  Fortunately we were able to keep from getting over the tops of our shoes, albeit with some difficulty

City square of Tineo.  Our albergue is in basement of a nice hotel that faces the square.