Every long-distance walk has a first day, and for anyone setting out on the Camino Primitivo, that day usually starts long before the trailhead. One couple's pre-trek run-up to Spain's oldest Camino route shows just how much logistics go into a multi-week pilgrimage — and why Oviedo deserves more than a rushed overnight.
Their week before departure looked familiar to anyone who has ever packed for a big trip: hotels and hostels booked along the route, work handed off (two days of lesson plans covered before a fall break, plus a 2.5-week leave for a partner), and pets sorted — in this case, an at-home menagerie of bugs and reptiles. Their one non-negotiable habit? Leaving the house spotless, so returning home feels like a treat rather than a chore.
The trip itself involved a 4am rideshare to the airport and an early flight with a ten-hour layover in Boston. Rather than stewing in a terminal, they hiked the Freedom Trail through the city's Revolutionary War sites, grabbed a bakery tiramisu, and caught the Silver Line bus back to the international terminal. Then came a six-hour overnight hop to Amsterdam and onward to Asturias in northern Spain.
A bus from the airport delivered them to Oviedo, the traditional starting point of the Camino Primitivo — the original route, first walked by King Alfonso II in the 9th century. After a shower, they spent the afternoon wandering the old town and tried the regional speciality: Asturian natural cider, poured from a height in the local style. A twelve-hour sleep later, they recharged with hotel breakfast and churros-and-chocolate-style morning coffee at a café next door, then explored more of the city before lacing up for the walk ahead.
Why does this matter for your own trip? Because the first days of a Camino often get shortchanged. Oviedo is a handsome, walkable city with a cathedral, historic centre, and a serious food-and-drink culture — cider houses included — and arriving a full day (or two) early lets you shake off jet lag before you start putting 20-plus kilometres a day on your legs. The couple's stopover trick is worth stealing too: a long layover can become a free mini city tour if you pick a hub with easy transit into town, as Boston's Freedom Trail proved for them.
The practical takeaway is simple: build slack into your pilgrimage plans. Book your Oviedo accommodation ahead, plan a buffer day, and treat the pre-walk city as part of the holiday rather than a hurdle. Your knees will thank you on day one of the Primitivo, which is widely considered the toughest of the Camino routes thanks to its mountain stretches through Asturias and Galicia.
This is a story for anyone plotting their first Camino and wondering how the whole thing actually starts — flights, layovers, buses and all — before the shells and waymarks take over.
