Castrillo de los Polvazares

A little off the main path. You take a dirt road that’s somewhat maintained and the town pops up on the left. The roads and buildings in the town are stone. Very cool to see. I was here at 12:30, but nothing was open for lunch till 1:30, so sadly I missed it.

The town is a cute detour. As a solo female pilgrim, I felt a bit uneasy on the path here - it was very isolated. Knowing that Denise Thiem was murdered in this area also didn’t help my unease. I’d recommend walking this route with another person.

There is still no signage at the turn off, pay attention to the map in the app. Stone streets, stone buildings. On the approach there are many stone walls creating pens apparently used to keep their mules and horses safe when not working. Note that we didn't see any bars or places to eat as we walked through on a Wednesday around noon.

It is a picturesque place, but none of the bars/restaurants were open on a Thursday morning at 930. While it's not marked, it's easy enough to figure out.

Obvious question/answer, however; this village has NO restaurants that open for dinner (lunch only). It is also without any shops to purchase food for dinner. Come prepared and BYO or be aware you might need to take a taxi back to Astorga for food.

Castrillo might be one of the most picturesque villages I’ve walked through to date. Crazy to think many pilgrims miss it. Absolutely worth the small less than 1km addition to your day. If you stay in Murias, I would even recommend walking backward to the split so you can do it the next morning. The path is incredibly quiet and wooded / nature filled.

No arrows to this place. You must navigate with an application

It’s a beautiful detour, take and enjoy

Such a shame there isn’t a sign to indicate this detour on the Camino leaving Astorga .
Or maybe the villagers want it this way .
I walked alone and arrived 7:30 one Sunday morning .
It is such a beautiful place, everyone still in bed and all cafes etc not open yet .
But the beauty of the place was well worth this alternative route .
Don’t miss it!
Mary , Dingle, Eire

Yes you really should walk the detour. I stayed in the town just before there so it’s a straight easy 30 minutes to explore the village of Castrillo. Then a quiet walk back to the Camino route (no backtracking required). It’s sad 95% of the pilgrims don’t see this… it’s like you’re back in time.
Watch your footing through as it wins for most unique road surfaces you’ll encounter. LOL.

This town is amazing!!
One of the most beautiful towns in the Camino
The cocido maragato here it’s good but a very heavy lunch for a Peregrino

DO NOT MISS THIS DETOUR!! Absolute Camino magic! My favorite walk thus far! Pastoral setting, quiet and stunning. Castrillo is a GEM! Could have walked around exploring for hours……will be back!

Beautiful, fairly remote track, very peaceful! The village was interesting. (6 April 2022)

I cannot recommend this detour enough. The village is reached via a quiet track. The houses and lanes are beautiful and it is such a peaceful walk to the village as well as being a sweet interesting place.