Some paths are walked to reach a destination. Others bring you back to yourself along the way. For me, the Camino Primitivo was both.

In October 2026, I set off once again for Santiago de Compostela. It was my fourth Camino. This time I had chosen the Camino Primitivo: the ancient route from Oviedo through the mountains of Asturias and onward across Galicia. A journey of climbs and descents, small villages, forests, pilgrim hostels and unexpected encounters.

The Departure: Oviedo and the First Steps

Every journey begins with the same simple moment: the backpack on your shoulders, your boots laced up, and a road ahead whose surprises you cannot yet imagine. My new Camino began in Oviedo. Not everything needed to be planned. What mattered was taking that first step.

 

Asturias: Mountains, Open Horizons and Silence

The Primitivo is no leisurely stroll. You climb, descend, and sometimes begin climbing again almost immediately. Yet that effort is part of what makes the experience so intense. Again and again the landscape opens up: green hillsides, deep valleys, quiet roads and paths where, for long stretches, the only sound is your own footsteps.

 

The Hospitales Route – One of the Toughest Stages

One section that has stayed with me is the Hospitales Route, the demanding high-level alternative on the Camino Primitivo. The trail rises from around 600 metres above sea level to roughly 1,200 metres. And it is not simply one long climb: the terrain keeps rising and falling. Over a route of nearly 27 kilometres, this stage challenges both body and mind.

What makes this stage so remarkable is its isolation. Along the way there are no villages where you can casually stop, no cafés for a welcome break, and no reliably accessible accommodation if you need to cut the day short. You depend on your preparation, your own resilience and the weather. Whether it brings sunshine, wind, mist or rain, up in the mountains you have to deal with the conditions as they come.

For me, it was an exhausting stage. At the same time, the sweeping views over the Asturian mountains were extraordinary. It is the kind of day that explains why the Camino Primitivo has a reputation as one of the more demanding Camino routes.

 

There were days when the scenery seemed almost unreal. After Berducedo and La Mesa came a short climb, followed by an exceptionally long, steep descent. I estimated the drop at almost 900 vertical metres. Far below, I could make out a river. I stopped, took photographs and tried to hold on to the moment.

 

What Starts to Matter Along the Way

On the Camino, your perspective shifts. Suddenly the simplest things become important: a morning coffee, a dry bed, a kind word, a break with a view. You meet people whose names you may never even learn, yet they remain in your memory.

My thoughts changed, too. Walking gave me time to let go of things. I reflected on how, despite our differences, we are all made of much the same stuff. On how we are more than our bodies or our thoughts. And on how freedom can sometimes mean something as simple as continuing to walk.

 

Galicia: Familiar Places, New Encounters

As Santiago drew closer, parts of the journey began to feel familiar. I had walked these final kilometres before, on the Camino Francés. In that sense, the Primitivo also became a journey through old memories.

On 18 October, a demanding stage of around 27 kilometres took me to Melide. I had set out early, while it was still dark, walking through the woods by torchlight. The day was windy and cold, though dry. I needed plenty of breaks, and I could feel that I might be coming down with something.

In Melide, I recognised the hostel where I had stayed four years earlier on my Camino Francés. That small reunion with a place felt unexpectedly wonderful. It is here that the Camino Primitivo joins the Camino Francés. Suddenly there were many pilgrims I had never seen before.

 

Ribadiso – A Memory Returns

On 19 October, I reached Ribadiso, near Arzúa. As I descended towards the little medieval bridge, I immediately recognised the public pilgrim hostel. I had stayed here before, too. This time I was given a different bed: a quiet spot in a corner beside the window.

That evening, I felt very unwell. An American pilgrim gave me some paracetamol. I slept for roughly twelve or thirteen hours. The next morning I carried on, with one very simple wish to start the day: a cup of coffee.

On 20 October, after around 19.5 kilometres, I reached O Pedrouzo. At the Albergue Porta de Santiago, I was given bed number 18 again – the very same bed I had slept in four years earlier. Little coincidences like that can make you smile on the road.

 

21 October: Santiago de Compostela

The final stage was another 19 kilometres or so. On the way to Santiago, I walked through eucalyptus forests and past signs that made the destination feel ever closer. The trees towered above me. I looked up and took photographs.

 

And then I was there. Santiago de Compostela. Once again, I stood before the cathedral. For the fourth time, a Camino had brought me here. It was more than a destination on a map. It was the culmination of days filled with movement, effort, impressions and reflection.

 

„So langsam mag ich mein Alter. Ich werde älter, und es ist schön.“

In Santiago, I also met people who made this Camino special. An older Turkish fellow pilgrim, who spoke a little German, gave me a guidebook to Santiago. And Eduardo from Chile spoke about his homeland so vividly that I began thinking about travelling to Chile myself.

 

22 October: The Journey Home

The next morning, I had one last coffee in Santiago. Then I took bus 6A to the airport. The fare was one euro and the journey took about half an hour. From Santiago, I flew back to Mallorca.

I brought home more than photographs and memories. After those days on the trail, I felt calmer, clearer and full of fresh energy. Something had shifted, physically and mentally. I wanted to discover, once I was home, how much of that feeling would stay with me in everyday life.

Perhaps that is what makes a Camino special: it ends in Santiago, but what you experience along the way travels on with you.

My journey has come to an end, but the experiences I gained along the way will stay with me for a long time.

 

 

THE WANDERERS REUNION · CAMINO PRIMITIVO 2026

Draft note: This travel story is based on my Camino diary and a selection of my own photographs. It is written as a continuous account rather than a daily log. The exact distances for individual stages are still being checked against my Google Timeline records. The text and photo selection may be updated.