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Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias

bagi11. 10. 2016 15:07:19

There is no hillier path to Santiago de Compostela, and hardly a more solitary one zmeden

. On the whole trail I met only one single peregrino or, domestically speaking, hiker. Only the starting albergue in Leon was packed due to Camino Francés which passes through here, in all others I was alone nasmeh

. This of course has its advantages, just company was scarcer if I subtract those few bored spiders and flies whose peace I disturbed velik nasmeh

. All-day hike, hot shower and warm bed luckily always did their thing and there wasn't much idleness nasmeh

.

The Camino del Salvador trail is hilly by Slovenian standards, mountainous by Spanish ones zavijanje z očmi

. Water this time as much as you want, both from the sky and under your feet velik nasmeh

. There due to soil composition water doesn't sink, but drains directly across the surface. From hills after all-day rain and snowing numerous streams flow, over which you wade like through a marsh. Full praise to Hanwag Belorado shoes thanks to which I kept my feet completely dry nasmeh

.

Trail is well marked throughout and not too strenuous. Albergues are nicely set up, good to carry food and water stock at least for first two days. Best variant is to combine Camino del Salvador with Camino Primitivo, which is its logical continuation.

For more detailed first-hand info as always on ZS or via mail (located in profile)

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Arrival on a rainy day, something I'm used to in Spain. Nothing special

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Overcrowded albergue in León. All pilgrims were on the Camino Francés

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias First aid for wet footwear. Newspaper is the best remedy for this kind of wetness

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias No way around it, today will also be cold and rainy. Once you accept it, everything goes easier

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias First marker for Camino del Salvador in the suburbs of León

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Most houses look old and somewhat neglected. Spaniards don't invest much in village exteriors

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Water takes its toll. Before my arrival there was a week of rain and floods in many places

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Even these can be path continuation markers :)

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The path initially runs partly through inhabited areas, partly along forest trails

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias After the storm

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Abandoned homes built from local materials are found in many places. Without a roof, water erodes and washes them away

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The whole lowland area on the left side of the photo was flooded due to prolonged rains

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Occasionally the sun also paid a visit

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Everywhere the paths were torn up by the water

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Here the water washed away part of the slope. Luckily my path ran higher

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Sign for Camino del Salvador

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The first village on the path

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias There are no shops in these villages and they deliver bread to their homes by vans. Luckily I managed to catch one of them too

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The marking for continuing the path is sufficient and it is hard to get lost

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Sympathetic embellishment

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias With this bull we negotiated for quite some time who would move aside :)

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Pleasant village, again after the storm

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Snapshot. Benches for afternoon siesta are at almost every house

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias This time it poured very strongly and I had to seek shelter in an abandoned house

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Purebred mongrel :)

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The path joins the road here and begins to ascend

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Rocky masses are becoming more frequent

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Apparently you can cross-country ski here

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias A stork and that in a village at 1200 m altitude.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias First albergo on Camino del Salvador

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The choice of bed was unlimited this time. I was alone indeed

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Morning continuation

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Goal of Camino del Salvador - Oviedo. From there onwards leads to Santiago the Camino Primitivo

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Everywhere around the path are horses, some curious, others shy

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Along the path huge amounts of water flow due to rain. At times you feel like you're walking through a marsh

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias One of the saddles through which the path passes

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Descent into the valley

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The yellow arrow or shell is the symbol of all Caminos in Spain and Slovenia

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias This time a yellow shell

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Some snow has remained and is waiting for the sun to warm it

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Typical albergue for pilgrims. Most are refurbished schools from General Franco's times

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Mountain village that survives almost exclusively by livestock farming

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Occasionally the surrounding peaks emerge from the mist

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias View to the other side. Peaks are mostly covered with greenery, occasionally rocky

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Pilgrim marker at the highest pass of this path

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Macadam path, still occasionally under snow

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias This time a somewhat larger village, unfortunately without a store

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Reversible plough from bygone eras

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias From here the path only descends further. Mountain passes are at an end

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias This kind of marker (shell on a pole) I haven't seen anywhere else in Spain

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias After long hours of hiking, civilization again :)

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias This time again a larger village. Maybe they even have a tienda (shop).

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The village has been fully renovated.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Locals at work :) This village has a shop and a tavern all in the same space.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Curious ones.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias We will have to come here.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias No more frost, the path runs much lower than at the start.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Panorama. The path often goes along hillsides, far above the traffic routes.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Snapshot. Ornament on one of the renovated buildings.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias There are plenty of such clustered hamlets everywhere.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias I was alone in this albergue too.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Morning treat. Café Americano and a croissant.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Typical marking for the Camino or Compostela, as Spaniards call it.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias There is quite a bit of asphalt on the path.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Camino del Salvador shares several sections with European long-distance paths.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Oops, wetness in sight again. I put on rain gear again, as so many times before.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Best friends. Versatile poncho, which is not worn only in the rain, and good shoes.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The final goal of Camino del Salvador is approaching. Oviedo suburb.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The yellow markers in Oviedo turn into stylish, uniform ones throughout the narrower part of the city.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias The last stamp for Salvadoriano (pilgrim credential for cheap accommodations) is available in this albergue.

Camino del Salvador – path through the mountains of Asturias Still a view of the otranjost of the famous cathedral in Oviedo and then back on the path.

(+23)

zlatica12. 10. 2016 07:49:21

A real report, interesting! That was a lot of time for conversation with oneself... eek

(+5)

rajko002812. 10. 2016 08:48:26

Bravo, great ..... .
Can you add more? When did you start, how much time did it take, how much did it all cost, how did you organize (did you reserve anything ....) What do you recommend from experience: the French or this variant or some third for a beginner thinking about Camino and setting off on pilgrimage in spring?
Thanks in advance.

(+4)

ločanka12. 10. 2016 14:34:30

Rajko, write him private message or mail, that's what he says in the description

(+4)

bagi12. 10. 2016 19:43:45

@rajko0028 ... If you have just under a month, I definitely recommend the Camino of all Caminos ... Camino Francés. Not because it's the most beautiful, longest or shortest, but because it's the most known in the world. Exceptional challenge, 790 km long, which around 150,000 peregrinos from all over the world walk annually. If you'll feel the spirit of peregrinos somewhere, it'll be here velik nasmeh

. I would choose this one again as the first.

Link ... http://www.hribi.net/trenutnerazmere.asp?ostalo=1&gorovjeid=10007&id=4576&stran=1

If you have only about 14 days, choose the mountainous Camino Primitivo ...

Link ... http://www.hribi.net/trenutnerazmere.asp?ostalo=1&gorovjeid=10007&id=5294&stran=1

... or more relaxed and crowded Camino Portugués ...

Link ... http://www.hribi.net/trenutnerazmere.asp?spa=1&gorovjeid=10016&id=6563&stran=1

For even less time I recommend Camino Inglés ...

Link ... http://www.hribi.net/trenutnerazmere.asp?spa=1&gorovjeid=10016&id=6026&stran=1

I always organize transport myself (GoOpti, Ryanair, Vueling ...), so total costs round trip about 150 to 200€ max.

No need for albergue reservations, except maybe in high season (July, August). Daily costs will be 20 to 30€ including lodging, depending of course what you treat yourself to. Some manage with 15 €/day.

I like to go on Camino best in spring, when it's still winter brown here, there it's already all green nasmeh

.

And as always ... the most important is gear. Rainy days will be less wet with proper gear. Being dry is worth gold velik nasmeh

More on ZS or my E-mail

(+9)

Kigeot28. 04. 2019 12:24:56

Bagi, thanks for your reports, especially for San Salvador. There are few first-hand infos about this trail... Pity you did it in rain, but that gives me hope that even rain is no obstacle...

(+3)

Mcgiver28. 04. 2019 19:04:59

bagi, nice reports with excellent photos. Kigeot, yours too... Especially the February Camino appealed to me. On such a barren, rainy day it gives a lot of energy and motivation. Good luck

(+1)

bagi9. 07. 2019 21:26:41

Camino del Salvador was the third and most mountainous of four that we connected into a whole this year. To top it off, unusually cold weather for the season took care of breaking stereotypes about hot Spain nasmeh

. The sky also wept abundantly and we were a bit in doubt about crossing mountain passes. Road far around didn't appeal to us, so we boldly bit into the steepness and whiteness. Weather gave up on us and soon stopped threatening velik nasmeh

. Without special problems we broke through to lower areas and contentedly mulled over the experience. Afterwards no problems anymore and heat returned too quickly.

Camino del Salvador is still as it was. Solitary, not quite easy, but far from the mad world and with nice landscape nasmeh

. We met one single peregrino. We started in Leon, where we just finished Camino Vadiniense ( … Klik ), continued to Oviedo, where we switched to Camino Primitivo ( … Klik ). On the whole trail enough markings. Pay attention to regularly replenishing food stocks in rare shops and inns. Sometimes a bit off path and for that we diligently used Google Maps.

More info added to photo comments, additional explanations available via ZS or mail (located in profile).

We started the morning in León with slight sky weeping.

No, the thermometer didn't break, just unusually low temperatures for the season troubled us.

To the left the Camino Francés continues, we went right to Camino Salvador towards Oviedo.

Interesting roundabout at the exit from León.

We could hardly believe it. Rain gradually turned to snow and all rain gear came out of the backpacks.

Otherwise nice gravel road soon turned into a skating rink.

The road base is some sort of clay that grips shoes excellently and slides even better :)

In places we were forced into detours because the depth of the puddles was dubious in many spots :)

This I saw only on Camino del Salvador. The cabinets on poles contain the logbook and basic aids for treating blisters.

Personal markers are also a feature of this path. They are placed along its entire length.

Only one small section of the path goes through an industrial area. Elsewhere it avoids them widely.

Passage for pilgrims in the middle of the industrial zone. Who knows what story lies behind it.

Pleasant village La Pola de Gordon, which has a shop about 100 m off the path. Thanks Google Maps :)

Our albergue in Buiza with the somewhat special host Angel. Whoever meets him will immediately understand what I mean :)

The morning start was not promising. Rain and cold were forecast, but we had to cross the mountain passes.

Huh, we really hadn't expected anything like that :)

The path is excellently marked all the way and we had no problems with orientation.

Towards the highest point of Camino del Salvador, the around 1600 m high pass.

We're already across, below it's pleasantly green.

Rotary plough from some bygone era at the road pass.

The rain has also eased off, only the ponchos needed drying.

For drying, a wind so strong it took your breath away took care of it.

Look, look, the classic Camino signs have also appeared.

One of the rare villages where you could refresh your soul. That was usually only where some road passed.

Typical village scene. Church in the center of the village, a small square and nothing to buy.

One of the most interesting albergues and we had it all to ourselves :)

Same albergue, very clean, fully stocked with food and drink. The hostess even brought us freshly cooked dinner at 9 p.m.

Some kašče are used in a very special way :)

Spaniards are lovers of strong colors. They are even more tasteless than some of ours.

Sidrerías follow one another here. Sidra is fermented apple cider, poured into the glass from about a meter height. For us it's Tat or Cider.

Practical Spaniards. If there is no space for a gas cylinder in the apartment, it can be solved like this too :)

Short and succinct warning about cyclists

There are many roadside hamlets with only a few houses. Almost each one has a bus stop.

Hórreo or granary in Slovenian is a Spanish specialty. They come in various sizes, shapes and materials, all sharing effective protection against rodents.

Oviedo, end of Camino del Salvador and start of Camino Primitivo

In the town center, there are no other path markers than ground-embedded shells and a few signs on poles.

The famous cathedral in Oviedo, second in importance only to that in Santiago de Compostela.

Floor slab in front of the cathedral, where two routes split: left for Camino Primitivo, right for Camino del Norte.

GPS track. The blue line is Camino del Salvador, 132 km long, the third part of the entire route walked.

(+6)

Kigeot25. 07. 2019 21:44:10

Bagi, don't know if we were in the same period, probably you were earlier in spring, snow is quite a surprise. I only got to Camino Salvador beginning of June and it was gorgeous (thanks for pics and info!!). Just right or too warm temperatures, exactly right pilgrims and lodgings, too few hills mežikanje