Camino Gratitude Primitivo

After walking the Camino Francés in 2024 (lots of baguettes, lots of blisters) and the Camino Portugués in 2025 (seafood and more blisters), a new adventure is calling: the Camino Primitivo – the Original Camino, the oldest route to Santiago de Compostela.

Legend has it that King Alfonso II of Asturias was the first to walk this Camino in the 9th century, hiking from Oviedo to Santiago to confirm that the newly discovered remains were those of St. James the Apostle. Oviedo was the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias, and Alfonso’s journey started a trend as pilgrims from Spain and northern Europe hopped off boats along the northern coast before continuing their pilgrimage on foot.

When the capital later moved to León, the Camino Francés took over as the “main highway” to Santiago. Yet, Oviedo’s San Salvador Cathedral remains a hot stop for pilgrims. It houses a relic believed to be the cloth that wrapped Christ’s head after his death on the Cross.

Fast-forward to today, and fewer than 5% of pilgrims choose the Camino Primitivo as the route has steep climbs, rugged paths, and mountain weather that can switch from sunny to soggy faster than you can say “Buen Camino.” But research shows epic scenery, quiet trails, and bragging rights that outshine the more crowded routes.

So here we go again: new boots, new blisters, new stories waiting on the Camino Primitivo.

Colleen, Susan and Steve join my first Camino Practice