Day 3 was relatively shorter than the previous 2 days. However, we could not find dog friendly accommodation in Tineo. According to 2 other Spanish peRRegrinos who had done Primitivo the previous year (2021) and this year (2022), there was none. They couldn’t find one and either had to do double stage, or had their partner drive a campervan and parked in Tineo – that was nice.
HOWEVER, after we finished our Camino, we got talking to a Spanish pup Simba and her Dad Alejandro, and they told us there was a pensión in Tineo, this was confirmed through Google reviews (!), and actually David, the hospitalero in Bodenaya, told us that he thought there was maybe a pensión in Tineo… oh well! Now we know, for next time 🙂 and for all of you my loyal readers!
Day 4 was even shorter (!) because Mommy wanted to make sure we got the first-come-first-serve bed in Borres. It rained the whole morning, so we barely stopped and took any pictures.
Day 3: Salas to Tineo
We left Salas after a hearty breakfast at Casa Sueño, we were already at the edge of the town so almost straight away the paved countryside road turned into a trail. It was a long steady uphill to La Espina.
Route overview and statistics
| Distance 20.2 km | Average speed 4.2 kph |
| Maximum altitude 784 m | Ascent 680 m |
| Minimum altitude 242 m | Descent 286 m |
Cascada de Nonaya
About 2 km after we left Salas, there was a diversion to the right of the Camino to go down to the waterfall or Cascada de Nonaya. The path was 200m downhill (so a 400m diversion). Of course we took it! It wasn’t anything to write home about, but a waterfall is a waterfall, and I love water!
When we rejoined the Camino, we continued on the forest trail and soon after we crossed this historical stone bridge, the Puente del Carcabón, constructed between 17th-18th century. We actually walked along the bottom of this bridge on our way down to the waterfalls earlier!
The N-634
We came out of the forest and rejoined the N-634, a highway that connects San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela, via Oviedo (it’s like driving through the Camino del Norte and switching to Camino Primitivo, for real). It was a little bit exciting because we had to walk along this highway for almost 1 km without any shoulder for pedestrian. Here the N-634 goes under the newer A-63 (autopista), those pillars look so tall!
Luckily this doesn’t happen very often on Camino Primitivo, peRRegrino ten cuidado! Be careful!
Porciles and Bodenaya
Thankfully we didn’t have to walk along the N-634 for very long and the Camino rejoined a quiet countryside road as we entered Porciles. The white building at the distant is the Albergue de peregrinos Fontenonaya, a dog friendly donativo albergue. It’s right along the N-634, so you will have to take a footpath that connects back to the highway, about 300m. So instead, we carried on and took a short break at a rest stop with vending machine nearby.
Next we entered the little hamlet of Bodenaya, famous for its donativo albergue ran by David and Celia. It’s a very popular albergue and most of our friends stayed here the previous night instead of in Salas. It would’ve made for a very long day especially as we were drinking G&T at 3PM in Salas! David and Celia closed their albergue at the end of the 2022 season and at the moment we are still awaiting news regarding new ownership and their plan for the 2023 season.
La Espina
Just another kilometre after Bodenaya, we reached the town of La Espina. We stopped for 2nd breakfast at a cafe – it seemed to be the only one opened so it was full of pilgrims. In fact, I commanded so much respect as a lovable, friendly fierce guard dog that these pilgrims simply left their rucksacks OUTSIDE with nobody to watch. I mean, Mommy was there but they didn’t ask her to watch over their bags. In fact, it seemed she was more concerned with taking pictures!
Leaving La Espina, we followed the Camino and soon came across this colourful house in La Pareda bearing sign which says Albergue el Minero. Apparently this albergue was a fairly new addition, only opening its doors since 2021, and previously the owner was merely a Camino enthusiast who decorated his house with shells and Camino paraphernalia. It’s pet friendly too!
I found the cattle here were fairly laid back and if anything, they were apprehensive to dogs, probably because shepherds often have their dogs with them. Only saying this because I was attacked by cows in Wales, it was terrifying! Mommy still has the scars on her arm.
When we rejoined the highway, we passed by El Pedregal church and Mommy went inside to get sellos for our peregrina/peRRegrina credentials. But when she came out, she found that her backpack and jacket had stains of the white chalk from the church’s wall so she was a little annoyed and didn’t take pictures of the place, she… is only human after all.
Tineo
On reaching the outskirts of Tineo, the Camino passes through this little suburban park, with a little cafe, picnic area, and the municipal sports hall and swimming pool next to it. Locals nicknamed this “Playa de Tineo” (Tineo beach). Next to the cafe, there is a small chapel dedicated to the French saint, San Roque. In fact, we had seen buildings dedicated to this saint in various places on the Caminos. St Roque/Roch was a French nobleman, born in Montpellier, who joined the Franciscans after the deaths of his parents. He travelled to Italy to help cure people afflicted by the plaque and was said to have perform many miracles. Unfortunately he finally succumbed to the same illness, and so he retreated into the forest (re: self-isolation!). He would’ve died there had it not been for a little dog who brought him bread and licked his wounds. He was discovered by the dog’s owner and taken back to civilisation. He is now patron saint of dogs, dog owners, surgeons, people with knee problems, etc. His feast day is 2 days after my birthday, 16th August.
This little chapel was constructed around 1390 and later renovated in 1952. We could not see inside but here is a statue of San Roque in Church of Santa María de la Corte in Oviedo, where Mommy received her pilgrim’s blessing. The Saint was often depicted dressed like a pilgrim, wearing pilgrim garb, holding a staff, a gourd, and a shell embossed on his hat. To this day, the townfolks continue to hold special celebration in the days preceding and after his feast day (12-18th August).
This must have been the most photogenic entrance to any town on the Camino, as the Camino continues along this leafy road, looking out over the valley to the town centre. We came across this pilgrim sundial, with an inscription:
"Viator Horam Aspice et Abi Viam Tuam" "Walker, look at the time and continue on your way"
So we looked at the time, and continued to the main square of Tineo, to have beer with our friends before calling a taxi, to :O take us back to La Espina, where we had booked a bed.
Accommodation and cost
We didn’t know/couldn’t find a dog friendly accommodation in Tineo, so we booked a bed at Albergue el Texu in La Espina, 10 km further back, and took a taxi. It’s a lovely donativo albergue ran by an Italian couple who previously also did the Camino Primitivo with their dog! So they gave us some helpful tips for the stages ahead. There were 6 of us in the albergue and we shared a communal meal, all made using ingredients grown in their own garden (Km 0 gastronomy!).
For readers who are planning their Camino Primitivo with their pups, in Tineo, the Pensión La Posada I is dog friendly, and if they are full, there is also La Posada II!
Reflection at end of day 3
It was an enjoyable day to walk. A shorter day meant we arrived in Tineo early afternoon and could enjoy cold beer with our friends in the sun. And when we got to our albergue, sangria! Mommy felt strong, the pain on her leg was gone. Forecast said it was going to rain tomorrow, so we hoped the day after tomorrow, when we planned to take on the challenge of the Hospitales, the weather would be good.
Day 4: Tineo to Borres
Route overview and statistics
| Distance 16 km | Average speed 4.5 kph |
| Maximum altitude 913 m | Ascent 359 m |
| Minimum altitude 579 m | Descent 428 m |
Not much to say about this route! We got a taxi back to Tineo, started walking in the dark. It was another uphill climb out of Tineo and soon we entered another forest trail. It soon started to rain, some pilgrims wore bright ponchos over their rucksacks and the shape initially appeared unusual to me, so I barked and barked. When we came near, turned out it was Olga, one of the pilgrims we had met previously, and she gave me a belly rub.
Cryptic clue
As we began our ascent out of Tineo, there was a strange inscription on the ground. Mommy couldn’t make out the words, it seemed like letters jumbled everywhere. But the first set of letters almost read like “quién”… any idea?
Hehe, the answer is that, there is a sheet of paper next to it with the explanation! It’s a cryptogram, the letters are jumbled around. Clue: it’s in Spanish, the first word is indeed “quién” and we have written this maxim earlier in our blog (!!!). Isn’t it brilliant? Ok, if you buy Mommy coffee and puppuccino for me, I will whisper it to you.
At the top of the climb, on better days, one can find “Mirador de Letizia” a mountain cabin where “El Pana” lived, a local resident who called himself “the last of the Philippines”. During her post-Camino research, she found out that Pana had died some time back in 2018.
Obona
Just a short note to say, as the track flattened out, there was a split on the Camino, with a detour towards the Monastery of Santa María la Real de Obona. King Alfonso IX of León (1171 – 1230) ordered by decree “that all those who walk to Santiago de Galicia do so passing through its town of Tineo and its monastery of Obona.” Unfortunately, by now the monastery is abandoned and partly in ruins, although the Church remains in use. There is a good description and history of the monastery, with various videos, here.
As Mommy was pushed for time and the weather was piss poor, we carried on.
Campiello
After 2 hours walking from Tineo, we arrived in the town Campiello. There are 2 private albergues here and they have grocery stores. It is essential that you must stock up food for the next stage as you won’t be able to buy any food in Borres/Samblismo. If you are staying in Borres, you may wanna buy food for dinner here too.
Borres
Only 3 km from Campiello, we reached the notorious town of Borres via a footpath which ends at the Bar El Barrín. A few hundred metres before, there is a sign which points towards the municipal albergue, Albergue Santa María de Borres. However, you MUST register at the bar first. If you don’t register, and the albergue later becomes full, you will get kicked out! If you are the first pilgrim to arrive, you also need to get the key to the albergue from the bar. So: head to the bar first.
We got here at midday, and there really was not much to do or see in Borres. And after “racing” to get here early, we were the first to arrive! After checking in at the bar, the hospitalera told us, the cleaner was still working in the albergue, so she had the key. And Mommy unofficially became the custodian of the crucial key.
From the bar, there are 2 options to walk back to the albergue: via the road or the footpath. The road was slightly longer but the footpath was muddy with small puddles scattered in places. So take your pick. We were already muddy, so we walked back via the footpath. But once we cleaned up, we stayed on the road – don’t forget lights/head torch if you are planning to head to the bar in the evening!
The bar serves light meals (bocadillos and tortillas). We saw a group of Portuguese pilgrims arrived and ordered a 3-course menu peregrino, as the only bar in the village, pretty much everyone came here. And only one lady was in charge of everything, busy lady!
Mommy filled up her tummy with beer and tortilla, so she didn’t fancy having more of the same for dinner. Luckily there was “Tintin”, our friendly Belgian pilgrim. He didn’t know that he had to stock up on food for the next day, so he was planning to walk back to Campiello, a 6 km roundtrip. We gave him a shopping list, and he went to get some ingredients for dinner! But our albergue only had a microwave? Don’t worry, we had 2 friends who were staying at the private albergue next to the bar, they were going to do the cooking! Teamwork makes the dream work!
Accommodation and cost
Why did we say notorious? Because it had received mixed reviews! Many people have complained that the municipal albergue was very basic and run down. Some complained it was very dirty. However, others heaped praises about the kindness of the hospitalera (she also runs the bar). Note: there is only a single dormitory room downstairs. Upstairs is not used at all and the door is locked. Upstairs is only for doggies who stay outside the door.
For us pilgrims walking with dogs, the municipal albergue is the only option, so beggars can’t be choosers ey? From talking to other pilgrims who had done it before with their dog, they told me that pilgrims with dogs are put on the staircase landing. Ok, that doesn’t sound so bad. However, the albergue is in an old school building, where the staircase is at the front of the building in a semi-outdoor sense. If you look at the photo on top left, there is a front porch with no window/door, and from this open area, there is a staircase that leads to the top floor. Therefore, although we had roof and 3 walls around us, we were still exposed to the cold and damp air following all the rain, and yet despite the coldness, there were lots of insects! Different species of insects too. Mommy saw wax stains on top of the low wall, so someone had tried to shoo away the insects with a candle. There was a lightbulb but no power socket, so Mommy would need to charge her phone downstairs anyway. And downstairs, through the door, felt SO CLEAN and warm.
And this was when something amazing happened. Mommy talked to all the pilgrims, and they were all happy to let us stay downstairs! Woohoo! It felt amazzzinggg…
Regarding cleanliness: Mommy saw the cleaner in the afternoon, and she bleached everything. Everything was spotless. There were about 10 pilgrims that stayed that night, and in the morning the 2 bathrooms were alright. So, as long as we pilgrims keep the place clean and tidy up after our own mess, we don’t see what the fuss was about? Maybe there was a time when the cleaner was off and nobody had cleaned the albergue? Possibly… But for €5/person, you can’t expect the service of a 5-star hotel. Everyone we encountered was lovely and kind. OH! For a municipal albergue, there was mattress and pillow covers! And hot shower! There were some itchy blankets too although we weren’t sure when they were last washed (note: itchy as in the rough material, not itchy because of the dreaded chinches!).
Mommy found this video on Facebook, turned out the mattress and pillow covers were new, less than 2 months before we stayed!
Note: Mommy felt the video here was a realistic depiction of how she found the dormitory.
So for peregrinos, you have more than you need for hot shower and a good night’s sleep. For peRRegrinos and their hoomans though, there is definitely room for improvement. I don’t know, maybe some kind of mosquito net at the top of the staircase? Just something to ward off the insects and keep a bit of insulation. Or maybe we should just move the bed aside and pitch a tent there. Heheh.
Reflection at end of day 4
After 3 glorious walking days, today was our first rainy day, and it was properly raining. So we could not really appreciate the beauty of the landscape, as we could barely see very far ahead. But we’d much rather have it rained all it could that day, than the following day, hehe.
The accommodation was the most basic/least glamorous we have ever had, and yet it was one of the most memorable! Also bear in mind: Campiello has 2 private albergues, Borres has a private albergue, and Samblismo also has a private albergue. None of these places would accept dogs, even in private rooms. We think maybe a few years ago, a pilgrim arrived with a dog, and the kind hospitalera didn’t want to turn them down. So she improvised, and came up with this idea of using the space that was not used, to let pilgrims sleep with their dogs.
So tomorrow, Hospitales or Pola? Stay tuned…