Primitivo Day 6: Rain, Rain, Go Away

by | May 6, 2025 | Camino Primitivo, Spain, Trail Journals | 0 comments

Monday – May 5, 2025

  • Start: Grandas de Salime, Spain
  • End: A Fonsagrada
  • Distance: 25.7 km (16.1 miles)
  • Lodging: Albergue Casa Cuartel

I really struggled mentally on day 6 of the Camino Primitivo. I spent the morning walking in the cold rain and thinking about how this Camino experience compared to my recent trek on the Via Francigena and to my other four Camino routes. I didn’t expect the Camino Primitivo to be this crowded in early May. Was this a sign that I needed to embrace more community in my experience? After hours and hours of rain, I found a place to stop and warm up my hands with a cup of coffee, and used the time to chat with some of my fellow pilgrims. And while I was indoors, the skies seemed to magically clear! It was still cold and breezy for the rest of the miles, but the end of the rain did wonders for my mood.

The day started out muddy and wet
I stopped in the alcove of today’s first chapel of the day to put my rain jacket and pants as the rain began to descend just after 7 am.
Wet cows and gloomy skies
Walking through the tall wet grass beside the highway. My shoes and socks were totally soaked within an hour of departing the albergue.
I didn’t even have the energy to pop into this church. I just kept my head down and trudged onward through the rain.
I spent much of today looking down at the trail and trying not to slip. Thank goodness I bought a trekking pole from the Decathlon store in Oviedo. I needed it today.
A futuristic-styled marker on the provincial border between Asturias and Galicia
More juicy trail
By 11 am, I was genuinely in a funk. I was so grateful to find this little cafe beside the Camino was open at Alto Acebo, so I could duck inside and warm up with my fellow pilgrims
When I emerged from the cafe (pictured here), the weather had completely transformed. It was still cold and windy, but the blue sky above was an automatic mood enhancer.
Heading uphill toward blue skies
There’s a definite reason this part of Spain is so green!
The door was locked on this cute little chapel. However, there was an interesting flyer posted in the alcove advertising where you could get your very own Camino tattoo
You don’t even have to wait for Santiago. You can get your Camino tattoo in Arzúa (where the Camino Primitivo, Camino del Norte, and Camino Frances converge).
As I got to Paradonova, I saw this fellow who I nicknamed “dumpster donkey”
Just beyond the donkey, there was a Camino marker showing two potential routes to A Fonsagrada. I picked the trail instead of the paved route.
My first views of A Fonsagrada up on the hill with this funky tower.
After a 2-kilometer climb, I detoured to the edge of town to check out the tall concrete water tower.
Tonight’s private albergue was super cozy, with real sheets, soft towels, and outlets at every bed! I also got the chance to do my laundry at the little laundromat in town. Tomorrow I’ll start the day with clean, dry socks!!

Highlights

  • Even though I was feeling pretty dour after nearly four hours of walking in the rain, I found a nice cozy cafe where I could stop and warm back up with a café con leche (or two).
  • The little cafe was quite the popular spot, and I spent a good 45 minutes there chatting with two of my fellow pilgrims, Dan (the US Navy veteran I met on the Hospitales route) and Tammy (a woman from the UK with whom I’d been leapfrogging for the past two days).
  • I bid goodbye to Asturias and walked into Galicia this morning. And I ended the day in the town of A Fonsagrada, which is the halfway point along the Camino Primitivo. Oviedo is 159.8 kilometers away, and Santiago de Compostela is 159.6 kilometers away.

Challenges

  • The morning was super wet, and my shoes and socks were completely soaked through by 8 am. I was sure I was going to arrive at the albergue this afternoon with a ton of blisters from walking 16 miles in wet socks, but I miraculously avoided them.
  • The trail was slick and flooded in so many spots today. If I didn’t have a trekking pole to help keep me upright, I might have ended up on my butt more than once.
  • My mood was in the dumps after hours of walking in cold rain. My fingers were cold (even in gloves), and I wasn’t happy about walking in the rain. Luckily, the storm pushed out just before noon, and I was able to see some blue skies before the rain returned around dinner time.

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Primitivo Day 7 >>

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