CSJ Pilgrim Guides to Spain #4 F, Los Caminos del Norte:
Camino Primitivo, Villaviciosa - Oviedo - Lugo, 2010 ed. - Updates 2011
Received August 2011 - thanks to Gavin Robinson:
Page 17. line 28 onwards. Albergue closed about ten years, according to Official in Grado.
P.19. line 18. Albergue. Agree very good facilities.
p.20. line 3. Now possible to turn R at river.
line 14. Due to the general upheaval from then onwards can be difficult to find route. However eventually reach a good track to Llamas.
p.24 Tineo: Albergue, about 50 beds.
p.26. line 11. Bar now a hairdressers.
p.28. Borres. ref Albergue. More than 12 places ? 18. Now has Microwave oven, and sellos. Actually very enjoyable, although just six staying this night, and good weather to sit outside by table.
p.29, line 11. Agree that this is a easy to navigate route. Wild horses and cows, although did not cause problems. All cautions advised in case of poor conditions. Generally thought by stories we heard this is much preferred route.
p.34. line 22 Lago, must be more than 2.2k from Montefurado? Others concurred. Bar closed as it was a Sunday!
p.34. line 33. Alberque has 10 beds.
p.36. Presa de Embalse.
Now has re-opened hotel, with restaurant and bar, overlooking the dam. Some of the best value and tasty food on the whole of the Primitivo in a great location.
p.36/37 . Grandas de Salime. NEW albergue, about 40 beds. excellent facilities, large lounge and cooking area, including washing machine.
p.39. Cabreira. Bar closed, now a house it seems.
p.41. New Bar, first of the bars on route, had good food at about 12.30, i.e. outside usual Spanish eating times.
p.43. Castroverde. No alberque. however good but basic pension 18 euros, quite a few rooms, with bar. Pension Cortes, Rua de Teira 46, Castroverde. Tel: +34 982 312 166
p.45. Carballido. Must be less than 4km from Bascuas!
From Tom Barton -October 2011
Albergues - some good options between Lugo and Melide
The 2010 CSJ guide (the only one in English?) says that there is only one albergue between Lugo and Melide at the 20k point at San Roman de Retorta and it has only 12 beds. When I walked this way at the end of September 2011 there were more than 30 people staying at the albergue in Lugo . A couple of us had seen a flyer in Cadavo for a new albergue at Ponte Ferreira at the 27k point. Alongside the tiny albergue municipal in San Roman there is a new private one which friends said was fine and also offered an evening meal.
The new albergue at Ponte Ferreira is great and has 30 places. It is brand new and finished to a very high standard. In particular the barn has been nicely restored as a dining area with long tables with a fantastic ceiling of old beams. Ramon the hospitalero (a former pilgrim) was charging 10euros to stay and about the same for the evening meal, which was very good. He also offers breakfast. It is open March to November and the flyer gives the phone number 696 631 743. NB It’s easy to be side-tracked by the guesthouse which comes first in the hamlet. There is also a small albergue municipal a further 5k on at Seixas and I heard that it was OK.
One significant error noticed in the CSJ guide on page 42. The guide omits to state the distance to Grandas de Salime, which is 6k after the wall of the reservoir dam. NB It also says the hotel close to the dam was closed in 2005 but it was very much open this September 2011, looking freshly renovated and serving coffee and snacks (on a Sunday morning) with a grand view out over the reservoir and dam.
Also note that after Berducedo and around La Mesa there are some signs for the Camino Naturale GR-109. These are of a completely different style and have the french style GR markings on them. However one pilgrim we met was misled by them and had a nightmare stage, having made the steep 700m descent to the reservoir on a hot day, arriving at a solitary jetty, with no other way to go except back.
The two caminos join up on the other side of the reservoir, a few Ks before reaching Grandas.
Options after Lugo (part 2)
Some people are keen to change routes after Lugo and join the Camino del Norte so they can visit and stay at the monastery at Sobrado walking via Friol. I think the German Rother guide sets the stages in detail. But it’s not necessary to have guide. Evidently the waymarking is much better now. When you come out of Lugo, you cross the river. After a short distance on the other side this alternative route is marked with green arrows (both here and all the way) and goes off to the right.
The Northern Ways to Santiago
Main book
Primitive Way
A nice introduction to the history and character of the areas that the Primitivo passes through. It would make a really good read for either helping to decide which camino to do or else understand some of the background to the area that your camino will take. But it is not a guide for walkers, with no assistance on waymarking or particular walking options or challenges.
I guess that it’s written as a broader tourist guide to the Northern Ways. Having said that the book describes on stage 9 (p120) an alternative path around A Fonsagrada via A Pobra de Buron, which is not mentioned in the CSJ guide.
Also it’s small enough that some might want to take it with them. If I had known about it before I walked the Primitivo I would have taken the Primitivo pages with me.
There is a separate accommodation booklet attached but a quick check showed that it didn’t include the private albergues which are so good and well located on the Primitivo and therefore of little assistance to walkers.