Frances vs. Primitivo

While I have walked the Camino Frances, I have yet to walk the Camino Primitivo which starts in Oviedo and continues to Santiago. This piece from Sindre Sandvik (whom I met in Santiago) at the start of the month outlines the differences between the two. This piece made me smile “A final warning do either and you will soon find yourself doing the others… Frances, Primitivo, Via de Plata, Portuguese, Norte, Invierno, Aragones or simply just step out from your front door and walk from there as more than one person I’ve met has done” 🙂

sindre-almost

So someone asked me what the differences were between the two routes I’ve walked. Now I won’t say one is better than the other or which I preferred. It would simple be an impossible exercise. Apples and oranges and all that, and the camino is so much more than walking a route and the landscape you encounter along the way. It is the people, the conversations, the jokes, blisters and much more.

The Primitivo is more physically demanding than the frances even though the latter is longer (350km vs. 775km) the reason for this is quite simple, the primitivo has a lot more climbs and descents to navigate which is a bit harder. Granted the first day on the frances (starting in St. Jean) is alot of UP and then DOWN again the same day, after that it is somewhat flat with some hills. Then you encounter the two other…

View original post 656 more words