Stage 01 Oviedo-Grado

Description of stage 1 Oviedo - Grado of the Primitive Way

From Oviedo to Loriana 8.2 Km

The cathedral of Oviedo (0h 00min) gives us the starting flag on the Primitive Way.

Leaving its imposing main door to our right we begin the route finding us with the plate that indicates us the division between the Primitive Way and the union with the Way of the Coast.

A few metres further on we say goodbye definitively to this Coastal Way to continue along the street on our left. In front, a long and tortuous route of city in which we will have to be attentive to follow the correct itinerary.

Almost at the moment we find another intersection in it that we will divert again to advance by the street San Juan that descends from the square of the cathedral.

This street quickly ends forcing us to go, after crossing the other side of the street that blocked our way, a few meters to our left in search of Luna street where the route continues.

Once again this street takes us directly to a new crossroads where in front of us we will see two streets that seem to continue the way we were going, being the option on the left, Covadonga street the one we should follow, looking for the pedestrian crossings that allow us to cross to it. A long crossing awaits us crossing a good number of streets without diverting us in any of them.

Shortly after leaving behind us the beautiful parish of San Juan el Real we arrive at a new crossing in which once again we must look for the best way to cross it to continue with our straight run.

A few metres further on there is the option of taking a small detour to our right that will take us along a street partly pedestrianised to surpass the old national road, now Avenida de Santander and reach a well-cared for boulevard.

Those who choose this option should continue along this avenue known as Avenida Fundación Príncipe de Asturias until they come together again with the traditional way a little later. Those who decide to follow the normal, somewhat more cumbersome route must go straight on until they come up against the old national road.

When you reach your height it is advisable to cross to the other side to continue in slight ascent by that sidewalk, since it is the one that will guide us without major complications.

We continue in parallel with the pilgrims who took the detour by the alameda passing by stairs that allow us to join them.

Our sidewalk, forced by the course of the road, rotates taking us directly to the mall and to the encounter with the other alternative, to already united to continue crossing the last meters of the boulevard.

At the end of this pedestrian area, a large roundabout stands in the way, where several streets converge, but they are the ones in front of us, as we reach the roundabout, towards which we have to go. More specifically of the two options that are located opposite is the street Argañosa, on the left, is the one that chooses the Way to follow its run through Oviedo.

Once again we have a long stretch in front of us, following this street at all times without paying attention to how many crosses we come across. It is advisable to continue on the pavement on our right, as this is where most of the marks are to be found.

Once again it is a roundabout that marks the moment to turn off, to our right a pedestrian zone takes us to the nearby footbridge by which we will cross the railroad tracks.

This conditioned pass leads us to an area under construction that has changed the original layout of the Primitive Way. As soon as we cross, we will see informative signs indicating the route to follow.

For now we will be forced to, separating us a few meters of the railroad tracks, and to take the street of our right that makes us return by a few steps towards Oviedo.

Quickly this street arrives to a small square where the route turns abruptly recovering the lost course.

Then a new square formed by the conjunction of several streets, in the same style as the previous one, indicates the moment to turn right, to cross our street and another that join at this point. This urban labyrinth, although well signposted, is not easy to follow if you are not aware of the marks that exist at each junction and which, as is usually the case, are only on one of the sidewalks of the street.

A wide avenue comes out to our step, moment to follow it undertaking a soft descent, while we are saving some that another crossing.

It is in one of these crossroads, which we will recognize when the high blocks of houses are replaced by sports pavilions that allow us to contemplate the meadows and the rounded mountains to which we are about to arrive, where we will have to cross the avenue to follow the street on our right that seems to have no exit. We will pass by the monolith in commemoration of the first pilgrimage of Alfonso II El Casto, to reach the limits of a large park with several signposted routes.

We will continue on our left along the limits of this park, until we find a new crossroads.

Here, following these limits, we will turn again to advance for another street that once again makes us change course almost at the moment. We leave behind us this park that accompanied us for a short time at the same time that we realize that we are in the limits of the great city of Oviedo.

We continue leaving to our right a first street without exit, and it is in the second one that we are where now yes, we must detour following it and finally leaving the city.

This street becomes a narrow road that continues the itinerary, starting a first ascent that takes us to the first village through which we have to pass San Lázaro de Paniceres (1h 05min).​

We quickly realize what awaits us ahead, a route with continuous ups and downs following the road through fields and houses without leaving it for now in any of the crossings that we are finding. There are not a few roads that we are going to cross, many of them without exit since they lead to the houses that populate the fields that surround the route.

The busiest road of traffic that we would like, transports us in a continuous ups and downs. It is after one of these climbs, in the middle of a curve, when we find the crossroads where we must turn off, saving us from what seemed to be a hard ramp.

But almost at the moment we find ourselves again with another crossing where we must turn again, this time to the right and face the ascent that for a moment we thought we had avoided.

Although we are now advancing along a narrow cement track, the landscape has not changed, we are still surrounded by green fields and we find ourselves in our walk with the many crossroads and roads in this area.

The milestones with the pilgrim shell indicating the direction we should follow serve as a reference in the crosses in which we have to deviate. The green slopes are dotted with chestnut trees that in autumn give us their colourful spectacle while we continue along this cement track that cuts the slope of the mountain.

The thick vegetation that surrounds us makes it difficult to find, in some of the crosses, the indications that we must continue forcing us to be attentive so as not to confuse us.

After a brief ascent, a road stands in our way, we must cross it and continue along the path that leads to the chapel of Carmen. After passing through the chapel we begin a vertiginous descent in which cyclists must take extreme precautions to avoid falls.

The intense descent is made by a wide track in perfect condition but that forces us to move slowly to avoid slips or possible injuries. This area offers us some continuous and strong slides that make us advance with more difficulty and more effort, although the route goes through a lush forest that offers all its freshness, no doubt very pleasant on summer days.

As soon as we pass through an old washing place, the path comes up against a narrow road that we must continue along, once again undertaking a steep ascent.

The hard ascent takes us to Loriana (2h 00min) where to our left we can observe its singular Church towards which we will go.

From Loriana to Gallegos 1,6 Km

Almost without realizing it, after passing by the church we leave the town, leaving behind the accesses to the houses that compose this urban nucleus. There is a steep descent that takes us back to the bottom of the valley.

This steep descent ends when you reach a road, at the same time you enter La Bolguina (2h 05min). We will have to cross to the other side, as the Primitive Way continues following a narrow footpath that borders the road.

This dangerous stretch of road does not have the protection that the footpath provided us for a long time. Soon we will see ourselves walking along the almost non-existent shoulder of the road as we cross the next town on day, Faberín (2h 10min).

Shortly after passing through this town we will have the opportunity to leave the road company for a short time to go to Ponte Gallegos, an old Roman bridge that crosses the river Nora.

This section is actually a small detour that takes us back to the road company. On reaching its height we will see ourselves directly at the entrance to the village that gives its name to the bridge we have just crossed, Gallegos (2h 20min).​

From Gallegos to Valsera 4 Km

This part of the path takes us through the town following the course of the road. It is a dangerous route with no verge longer than desired and in continuous ascent.

Shortly after tracing a curve of the road we find the detour that will take us out of the asphalt, those brave or cyclists who prefer can follow the not advisable road, to which we will return later.

Now we are faced with a somewhat cobblestone path that is in a much worse state than the previous ones and that leads us down into the valley. This part for cyclists is somewhat complicated, being able to force them to dismount.

Soon the path becomes a narrow well-defined trail surrounded by lush vegetation, this stretch we can find quite muddy given the leafy and wetness that keeps the path, we will also have to cross small streams that depending on its flow will make it more or less difficult. The almost absence of marks or signs in the way can make us think that we have made a mistake, but thanks to the absence of crosses we will not have problems to continue the route.

We have already come to the idea that one of the characteristics of this Primitive Way lies in the fact that after a descent a normally stronger ascent awaits us, a fact that we will soon be able to verify. In front of us there is a long and strong ascent following the winding itinerary that takes us out of the bottom of the valley, forcing us to take it with certain tranquillity given its slope.

The strong ascent gives us a small truce to find us with an urbanized area in which the path has become a road that crosses the different houses that are here. With almost no time to catch our breath we see ourselves again ascending another hard ramp that takes us to the meeting of the road we had left behind.

At our arrival to the road we still have a process of ascent that brings us directly to Escamplero (3h 15min).​

It is at the crossroads that we have reached where the route deviates again, continuing on the right. A few metres after this first detour, there is another new crossroads where, on this occasion, the road to follow is the one on the left.

This area of road supports enough traffic and is totally devoid of hard shoulder. Luckily, shortly after the next detour, we find a sidewalk that will free us from following the asphalt. Unfortunately the sidewalk that accompanied us lasts little and we see ourselves again walking along the road trying to separate us as much as possible from the cars that transit through it.

The road that serves as an improvised guide leads us without further detours to the next junction, where we will say goodbye to it for a short time to continue along an asphalt track that reintroduces us between meadows and fields. This new track puts us fully in a new and pronounced descent that will take us again to the bottom of another green valley.

The initial part perfectly asphalted becomes a road in not very good condition and quite cobbled that coincides with the area where we are going to find the steepest slope.

The itinerary meets again the road that forces us to continue along it, advancing now more comfortably.

Valsera (3h 35min), the next locality of the day awaits us, after passing by its chapel we arrive at the crossroads through which we have to continue, abandoning, now if for much longer, the company of the road.

From Valsera to Premoño 3,1 Km

Virtually as soon as we turn off the road splits in two, being better to continue on the left, as he on the right after a new junction in which we can get lost, joins us again a little further on. We continue along an asphalted track delimited by a stone wall that quickly leads us to a new detour.

Here, leaving on our left a path that goes straight on, we undertake a descent that takes us out of the protection of the chestnut trees and leads us to cross a wide meadow. The asphalted track takes us along its meandering course, overcoming the hills that surround us, surrounded by fields of crops and pastures.

After a while we will say goodbye to the asphalted track shortly before it ends, to continue along a path that leads us to a new wooded area, avoiding us to descend further into the valley.

Once again, we will avoid losing height at the next crossroads, following the path on the left, which even requires a small effort to climb up its slope.

This section of the route takes us through the interior of a dense forest in which we will find some solitary path in which the choice to follow is perfectly defined and signposted. The path takes us without further detours to the crossroads with the track that arrives from the mill of Picarín, which we will recognize by the majestic chestnut trees that are in this place.

Leaving this path on our right, we continue straight on, without turning off, heading towards what looks like a steep climb that awaits us a few metres further on. Shortly after crossing the river our fears are confirmed and we have to face a new ramp that makes us gain height quickly taking us directly to the meeting with a new road.

The itinerary continues with the demanding ascent following the course marked by the road, which leads us to the gates of the town of Premoño that we can already see at the top of the hill that we are ascending.

Just leaving behind another new crossroads with another road we enter definitively in Premoño (4h 20min) that receives us with its small hermitage.

From Premoño to Peñaflor 5,9 Km

The route forces us to cross the locality following the course marked by the road, leaving on both sides as many streets or paths as we find ourselves.

Almost at the end of the village a typical hórreo marks the moment to leave the road and follow a narrow path that begins on the right, passing between the hórreo and a large house. The route narrows considerably due to the vegetation that surrounds it, and soon after it gains width again and continues advancing through a beautiful forest.

The itinerary arrives at a deceitful crossroads in which the path seems to divide in two, but nothing further from reality, if we advance a few steps in the middle of the two paths, hidden among the vegetation, we will find a third option that is where the Way of Saint James continues.

The footpath we are now following coincides with the route of the Palaces of the Regueras, a beautiful trail marked on both sides by vegetation, as could not be less, takes us to a new detour that, if we follow it, would take us to the nearby Valduno from where we could take the Way a little further on.

After a while our way ends in a cement track that we have to continue. This cement track, which we do not have to abandon at any time, leads directly to a road. At this point on our left we can already see another road towards which we are heading and where we will be joined by those who took the previous detour.

This narrow road without hard shoulders leads us to our next goal. As it could not be otherwise we have to make another slide before letting us enter the town of Paladín (4h 55min).​

With almost no time to enjoy the town, we cross the river to turn left and continue the course of the river along the road. The road again guides us on our way, making us leave behind us the different footpaths that until then had accompanied us.

We arrived at the moment of saying goodbye to the company of the road to continue now by a path that avoids us to return to face another hard ramp. The wide path turns into an uncomfortable trail that goes to the river bank making us pass some muddy area.

Shortly after passing by a lonely house we return to enter a thick forest that hides the presence of the river and gives us all the beauty and freshness that is capable of this journey.

The trail takes us back to the asphalt on which we have to continue from now on, a road with no hard shoulder and hardly any space to separate us enough from the traffic it supports.

This section of road that we must not leave at any time takes us directly to the gates of the bridge that crosses the river Nalón.

As soon as you cross the river you will have to turn right and, following the national road that comes from Oviedo, set out in search of the next objective of the day.

The national road takes us without further detours to the very entrance of Peñaflor (5h 45min), where we are received by its church that serves as a reference and that marks the beginning of the street that on our right will introduce us definitively into the town.

From Peñaflor to Grado 3 Km

As soon as you enter the street, you fork, following the Primitive Way, the option on the right that takes you past the train stop. Since the street on the left when we cross the whole town will force us to go back in search of the other street.

We always advance with the train tracks on our right until we reach the end of this street where the tunnel is located where we cross the tracks finally leaving Peñaflor. The train tracks will continue to be our travel companions for now as the journey continues with them leaving our right a lonely path.

The track gradually takes us away from the train tracks, through the wide fields that surround us while we can already sense the first buildings of the locality where this stage ends.

The track, in very good condition leads us quickly without leaving any doubt about the path to follow at the different crossroads with which we are encountering. The end of the stage closer and closer, is changing step by step the landscape, and the green fields, fruit trees are giving way to buildings such as the unmistakable and colorful Ethnographic Museum of Grado.

We left the access track to the museum behind us in order to go back to the meeting of the train tracks from which we had previously moved away.

The building of the Grado train station watches us in silence as we approach the level crossing through which we will cross the train tracks. As soon as we cross the itinerary, we turn abruptly and head back towards the station building.

When you reach its height, on our right, begins a cobbled street by which we have to continue leaving behind definitively the station and the railroad tracks of the train. This street takes us back to the meeting with the national one that we had arrived some time ago and that will guide us again at our entrance in Grado.

The itinerary follows the course marked by the national road, which has become another street in the town and leads us to cross the river. We advance leaving to both sides the streets with which we are meeting. On the façades of the buildings, next to the name of the streets, we find the marks that mark the Way of Saint James as it passes through the town and that lead us to a roundabout.

Here the route goes straight on leaving to the left and right the streets that converge in this roundabout.

The San Antonio Park, where this stage ends, definitely welcomes us to Grado (6h 35min) while the pilgrims who continue on their way cross it following the street in a gentle ascent that divides it in half.

Next: Stage 2 Grado-Salas

Technical details of the stage

Distance. 25,8Km

Please note that this figure will always depend on where you start and end your stage, so it is a guide only.

Time. 6:35h

If we dare to extend the stage to San Juan de Villapañada we will have to add to the total time, from 1:to 1:15min approximately whic:is what will take us to reac:this town.

Time of year

A pleasant journey between green meadows and mountains that, depending on the period of the year chosen, we will see sprinkled wit:a varied colorful that undoubtedly enhances the beauty of the landscapes throug:whic:this stage passes.

Material required

The good condition of the roads and tracks that we will pass, together wit:the large sections of asphalt, allow us to use a less rugged footwear, althoug:in the areas of trails we can surely find some quite muddy sections. The canes, together wit:clothes or reflective objects that help us to be seen in the road journeys, will be of great help to us. Of course we can not lack the water and some food that allows us to replenis:forces, also althoug:we will find many shady areas is important to protect ourselves from the sun, sunglasses, cap, sunscreen. The special uniqueness of this land means that it is not too much, in addition to adapting clothes to the time of year in whic:we do the Camino, include in our backpack an extra garment to whic:we can put our hands in case of need. Consult our list of material and equipment to make the Way. Read more

Difficulty. Moderate

Physical

This is not one of the most demanding stages in comparison to those we will meet later, but we should not underestimate it either. To the distance we have to add a continuous and tiring ascent and descent, wit:some ramp of certain magnitude bot:ascent and descent that will show us clearly the type of terrain that awaits us in successive days. It is important to take this first stage wit:the necessary calm so as not to leave us wit:more strengt:than we think and whic:we will undoubtedly need in the days to come.

Caution

Any transit throug:a large city requires as muc:attention and caution as we can take, it is more habitual than we could imagine to see pilgrims defying the city's traffic in their eagerness to shorten the journey necessary to cross a street, or to pay more attention to the searc:for the marks of the Camino than to the vehicles surrounding it. The sections of road that we will have to travel in many cases are devoid of hard shoulders and leave us at the mercy of the traffic that furrows them. Beware on the descents some are not in very good condition and it is easy to stumble.

Orientation

The milestones wit:the pilgrim shells are normally in all the important crosses, on the other hand the yellow arrows are not as habitual as in other Ways. Even so, we will have to be careful not to miss any crossing, as in some cases the milestones are more covered by thick vegetation than desirable. Another conflictive point is shortly after crossing Premoño, we will arrive at a crossroads in whic:the pat:to follow is not so easy to see. And pilgrims confused by the bad location of the milestone, and the vision in front of them of two roads, instead of the three that there really are, tend to follow the wrong path.

Coordinates UTM Datum WGS84

Stage Profile

Cartography, maps and tracks

This sketc:of the route is not made to scale nor does it contain all the information relating to the area, it is merely indicative.

This schematic wit:the pat:is approximate and has been created from the derived cartographic base © Instituto Geográfico Nacional "Cuadrante 029 y 028, 1:50.000"

Senditur has manipulated the tracks to correct the aberrant points that may exist, caused by problems wit:the reception of the GPS signal. In any case the tracks are always approximate. SENDITUR encourages you to use the new technologies within your reach, using them as support and consultation in your activity, not basing the realization and orientation of the same only and exclusively on them, since they may see their functioning altered by very diverse causes, not functioning correctly and their indications may not be precise.

Next: Stage 2 Grado-Salas