Episode 82 - The Camino Primitivo, Part 4: From Lugo to the Francés

Well before the Camino Francés was considered safe to walk, there was the Camino Primitivo, linking Oviedo--the center of a small, Christian enclave that was holding out in the northwest corner of the Iberian peninsula--with Santiago de Compostela and the recently rediscovered relics of St. James. In this four-part series, we will virtually walk the Primitivo together, bringing together experienced pilgrims and relevant experts in each episode. This episode concludes the series, taking us from O Cádavo, through Lugo, and then on toward Santiago following two different options. The official Primitivo continues directly to the Camino Francés in Melide. Mel Trethowan (www.lifeonebigadventure.com) shares her impressions of that approach. Meanwhile, an alternative route, the Camino Verde, diverges from the Primitivo immediately after Lugo and eventually joins the Camino del Norte shortly before Sobrado dos Monxes. Susan Faillettaz & Angus Carrick (www.carrick.ch) offer insights into that much-less traveled option, where they experienced an uncanny series of coincidences. The episode concludes with a closer look at Lugo, one of the major highlights of the Primitivo. Dr. Rob Portass, of the University of Lincoln, offers insights into the city's Roman origins and the persistence of its magnificent walls.