Camino Primitivo Stage 4 – Tineo to Samblismo

June 1, 2022

We woke up to a rainy morning so we headed into a cafe for some breakfast and to wait out the rain. It was still drizzling as we set out into the clouds to begin our steep climb out of Tineo. Soon, we were on a path that led us above the clouds and to expansive views of Tineo and the mountains in the distance. Walking along the hilltops gave us absolutely stunning views of the valleys below filled with a blanket of clouds.

With all the rain, the trails were muddy although the lush greenery was beautiful and full of moss and heather. Eventually, we ended up on a road walk as we neared the village of Campiello. As we got closer to one of the two albergues in town, we saw a group of pilgrims gathered having lunch, one of them being our German friend Sabine! Her father and Alice had continued on while she was taxiing to their nightly stops until they were past the mountains where she would rejoin their walk. As we sat having lunch, the skies opened up to torrential rain. I still had about 2.5 miles to walk that day so as soon as the rain stopped, I took off.

As pilgrims approach the 5th day of the Camino Primitivo, they must decide between two routes. The Hospitales route climbs to the top of the mountains and follows the ridge passing by several ruins of old pilgrim hospitals. The other route goes through the village of La Pola following the valley before climbing up to meet the other route again. The weather can be the main deciding factor since inclimate conditions can leave you in the clouds and make the Hospitales route dangerous.

It was looking like the weather would be in our favor for walking the Hospitales route with rain predicted later in the afternoon. I had made reservations at the Samblismo Albergue which is situated right at the split in the route. Since it was already full, Suzanne and Gary stayed in Campiello that night and would meet me in the morning.

It was about 2.5 miles to Samblismo along a road and muddy trails. When I arrived, the first person I saw was Tex, remember him? He was walking with a group of Spanish-speaking men and spent most of his time translating for us. The host for the Albergue is a single man who, while very quiet, is very attentive and efficient in his duties. He prepared a wonderful vegetarian paella for dinner. I ended up sharing a room with Dirk, a German man we had shared a room with the previous night in Tineo.

Most of the group staying that night planned to leave at 6:00 the next morning to take the Hospitales route and hopefully avoid the rain. There was no WiFi or cell service at the Albergue so I had no way to communicate with Suzanne and Gary but knew they were leaving early to meet me in the morning. I was really hoping the weather would hold out because I had been looking forward to the Hospitales route for a long time!