Walkingman

The stage from Salas to Campiello is a long one, 33km, and involves more ascent than any stage so far. I was up early because I had an extra 2km to go even to get to the town of Salas. Taking all of that into account, I breakfasted early, and was on my way at…

I left Grado as the dawn was breaking. The lights were still on, and the town was quiet in the early morning. The route immediately starts to go uphill, and looking back, I had a good view of the town. As the day brightened, I could see more of the surrounding countryside. The trail stays…

From the earliest days of this trip, I had been wrestling with the decision of what route to take from Oviedo to Santiago. The Camino del Norte continues along the coast before turning inland to get to Santiago, while the Camino Primitivo takes a more direct route over the mountains. Everyone that I spoke to…

I have not written here for several days because of some computer problems. But now, I am going to fill in the gaps. Leaving Pola de Siero, it was still early morning. Although the distance is not far to my next stop, Oviedo, I wanted to get there early. So with the mist still rising…

Once again, I started out early, leaving Villaviciosa early in the morning. The albergue offered free coffee, but not a proper breakfast, so after just two cups of sugary coffee, I was on my way. At Casquita, the church was open, and I even picked up a stamp on my pilgrim’s passport. The route passes…

Once again, I was up and awake early, and I was on the road by 07:45. It was a cloudy morning, and cooler than many recent days, so I wasted no time. I left La Isla ahead of many of my fellow pilgrims, just as the dawn was fully breaking. The first kilometers are easy…

I was up early and on the trail by 07:30. I had been lucky enough to have a dormitory with me as the only occupant, so I did not have to worry about disturbing anyone. Also, the deal on the Albergue did not include breakfast, so I did not delay. In the cool of morning,…

The albergue at Buelna has its good and bad points. It was clean, comfortable and quiet, which was exactly what I needed. No church bells disturbed my sleep, and I slept well. But the internet was not working well, and there was no one around to let me out when I wanted to leave, and…

I left Sn Vicente as early as I could, which was perhaps not as early as I might have liked. I waited for breakfast, but was on my way shortly after 08:00. I headed straight out on the road, going up and over the hill, and the little village of La Acebosa came into view.…

I stayed in Cobreces last night. According to the guide book, there should be three albergues in Cobreces, but in practice there is only one, the Viejo Lucas. One of the others was in the local monastery, and I had hoped to stay there last night, but the proprietor at Viejo Lucas explained that there…