Pilgrims on the road and friends along the way send me changes every day, and they go out the same day. The Camino De San Salvador app carries all of it offline, and it's still being built — new features arrive routinely.
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The ground behind you: what the walk into Pola de Lena crosses, and where it could have been broken.
Tomorrow from Pola de Lena
Nothing says you have to stop here, or there. These are simply the towns within a comfortable day's walk, so you can decide tonight.
| Town | km from here | Shared | Private | The walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mieres (Salvador) | 12.9 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | |
| La Peña | 15.1 | — No | ✓ Yes | The walk from Pola de Lena to La Peña |
| Oviedo at the end of the San Salvador | 31.7 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Pola de Lena is the biggest town you've seen since León, spread lengthwise along the road through the Lena valley. There's an albergue with basic services near the train station, and plenty of bars and grocery shops to meet pilgrim needs. The town has a working-class character shaped by generations of coal mining — not glamorous, but genuine and functional.
The train station is useful if you need to bail out or if someone is joining you on the route. RENFE trains connect Pola de Lena to Oviedo, León, and beyond. Stock up here if you need anything — the next stretch through the smaller valley towns doesn't offer much.
The Fiestas de San Martín are celebrated in November. Pola de Lena also participates in the broader Asturian tradition of the Antroxu (Carnival) in February, which is celebrated with particular enthusiasm in the mining valleys.
The municipality of Lena has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with the valley serving as a natural corridor between the coast and the meseta. The Romans built roads through here, and the Asturian monarchy left its mark with Santa Cristina de Lena above. The modern town's identity was shaped by coal mining from the 19th century onward. The Asturian miners' revolts of 1934 — a precursor to the Spanish Civil War — had strong support in towns like Pola de Lena. The mines have largely closed, but the memory runs deep.
16. July 2023 - 7:56
Follow the Wise Pilgrim route to the town outside of Lena. Don’t follow the arrows that go through an underpass and over to a gas station. It looks like a shortcut but there is no path in places. The group behind me took it and had trouble. I know this because they ended up behind me again when the routes reconnected, so no time savings.
10. May 2023 - 14:42
The women who run Hotel la Payareta are wonderful hosts. There are a lot of restaurants in town - I called in to Restaurante Filanguru and was offered a delicious 3 couse pilgrims meal including wine for 15€.
25. October 2022 - 20:53
Please consider that the old Camino
Route which goes through forested area is on the opposite side of the WisePilgrim route until just before Los Tableros. It’s more demanding but not asphalt. It’s is open despite what locals say. The route is described in the guide by ENDERS ((Jose Antonio Cuñarro a local expert hiker from
La Robla).
21. August 2022 - 22:38
The Albergue has reopened in August
28. June 2022 - 21:41
The municipal albergue is still shut. Don't hesitate to contact Hotel la Payareta. Amazing hospitality provided by the staff there. They offer for pilgrims, a room in their hotel for 20€ including a breakfast at their bar. They start breakfast at 6am. Extremely friendly and helpful hospitaleras.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.
