I have walked the Camino Francés twice. The first time, I found it extraordinary. The second time, I found it crowded. By the time I reached the meseta on my second attempt, I was walking in a column of pilgrims that stretched as far as I could see in both directions, and I began to wonder whether what I was doing had anything to do with the experience that had drawn me back.
The Camino Primitivo is different. It begins in Oviedo, in the mountains of Asturias, and it reaches Santiago de Compostela after approximately 320 kilometres of terrain that is, in places, genuinely demanding. The route crosses mountain passes above 1,200 metres, passes through villages where the albergues have six beds and the bar closes at nine, and offers long stretches where you can walk for hours without seeing another pilgrim.
The Route
The first three days, from Oviedo to Tineo, are the most challenging. The route climbs steeply out of the city and does not relent. The views, when the weather allows, are extraordinary — the Cantabrian mountains to the north, the green valleys of Asturias below. The weather does not always allow. Asturias is the wettest region in Spain, and the Primitivo can be walked in rain for days at a time.
After Tineo, the route descends into the valley of the Narcea and begins the long approach to Galicia. The landscape changes gradually — the oak and chestnut forests of Asturias give way to the eucalyptus and pine of Galicia, and the light changes with them. The final approach to Santiago, through the forests of the Monte do Gozo, is one of the most atmospheric stretches of any Camino.
Why It's Better
I hesitate to make the comparison too strongly, because the Francés is a great route and the crowds are part of its character. But if what you are looking for is solitude, physical challenge, and the sense that you are doing something that requires genuine effort, the Primitivo delivers in ways that the Francés no longer can.