Camino San Salvador

A route through the Cordillera mountain range linking León to Oviedo. This is an ancient route to the Catedral del Salvador in Oviedo from the Camino Francés. After many holy relics were moved here to protect them from the Moors invading from the south, pilgrims were encouraged to visit the Cathedral of Our Saviour in Oviedo on their way to Santiago - usually continuing along the Camino Primitivo. The Camino San Salvador is a much quieter route than most and a good opportunity to avoid overcrowding in the last stages of the Camino Francés. Thanks to Tom Barton for the photos on this page.

The route: The route is some 120 km. long, and starts from León following the east bank of the Rio Benesga. For the first 40 km as far as Buiza, the Camino follows the river valley, and is fairly flat, mainly on paths or very minor roads. There are a number of small towns. The next 25 km cross the Cordillera to Pajares village in Asturias, and has two quite substantial ascents and descents. You are recommended to refer to stage 2 of the website for details of this stage. There is then a further steep descent to San Miguel del Rio, followed by a mostly fairly flat section through some more substantial towns on the way to Oviedo.

Planning your Camino: The refugios are, however, not ideally spaced for walking this in manageable stages, since they are at 41, 74, 97, 111, and 130 km from León. There is other accommodation available along the route, but this again is not ideally located. The second stage from Buiza over the Cordillera mountains to Pajares is 33 km and we would strongly recommend starting it from Buiza, since the path is steep and stony, so it is difficult to make good time.

If 41 km of fairly level walking seems too much, good alternatives are to spend half a day sightseeing in León, and then walk to Cascantes, which has 4 buses a day to and from León. So it is possible to get a bus back to León that night and then get a bus out again in the early morning to start walking to Buiza. Another alternative is to sleep in one of the many hostals in La Robla (likely to cost around €20) or in Pola de Gordón.

Waymarking: Generally good. The first 50 km are waymarked with the brown marker posters of a consortium of local authorities (the Cuatro Valles) often accompanied by small signs pointing in the same direction and marked 'Rodiazmo' and a few yellow arrows. Various improvements were made in 2011 by a group of Camino Salvador enthusiasts led by Ender. They have waymarked the section from Poladura de la Tercia to Santa María de Arbas with yellow metal signs welded and painted by Ender himself. The last 50 km are waymarked with concrete marker posts with the blue-and-white stylised shell markers like those in Galicia, with more yellow arrows. 

Weather/When to go: The weather in the province of León is very hot in July and August, and generally similar to that on the Camino Francés. The weather for the crossing of the Cordillera mountain range is highly variable, and you need to be prepared with suitable clothing and equipment for sudden changes of weather, which may include thick fog, heavy rain and severe cold. In particular, the weather on the Asturias side of the Cordillera can be very different from the weather on the way up in León. Take local advice on conditions and let people know when and where you are walking so that the alarm can be raised if you don’t arrive when expected.

Where to stay. León and Oviedo are large cities with a wide range of accommodation including albergues (though the refugio in Oviedo is very small, so you have to get there early to get a bed). La Robla, Pola de Lena, and Mieres are towns with hostals and other accommodation. There is some accommodation in Pola de Gordon. There are refugios at Buiza (40 km from León, but note that you need to shop for food in Pola de Gordón), Pajares village (65 km), Pola de Lena (83 km), la Pena near Mieres (102 km). The only accommodation between Buiza and Pajares is the Hostal Golpejar between Villamarin and Villanueva de la Tercia on the N-630; this has rooms above a good restaurant. Some sources say there is accommodation at Santa Maria de Arbas and at the summit Puerto de Pajares, but in 2008 this was not true.

Guide books and pictures:

• There is a guide with pictures, written by Ender,  translated into English here.
• We have our own CSJ guidebook to the route, which can be purchased here. 
• There is also a small leaflet obtainable from the tourist office in León, and the tourist office in Mieres will give you a photocopy sheet entitled “Camino de Santiago”.
• Please also see the website (in Spanish) of the Asociación Astur-Leonesa de Amigos del Camino de Santiago and the picture website (in English) of Piers Nicholson who walked this Camino in 2008 and wrote our first overview of this route. The first has some useful diagrammatic maps and links to Google Earth – however, the routes shown crossing the Cordillera do not appear to be waymarked (2008). The second has a diagrammatic map of the Cordillera crossing which is believed to be accurate at the time of writing. More information on this section of the route would be very much appreciated.
• Information and links are also available from the Léon amigos association. 

Discussion Forum: Visit the Camino de Santiago Forum to join in the current conversation

Language. It is helpful to speak a little Spanish, particularly if you need to ask for directions in the section crossing the Cordillera.