Pilgrims on the road and friends along the way send me changes every day, and they go out the same day. The Camino de Invierno app carries all of it offline, and it's still being built — new features arrive routinely.
Get the appCastrillo de los Polvazares is a perfectly preserved Maragato village — cobblestone streets, stone houses with massive wooden doors, and an atmosphere that feels like stepping into another century. It has been designated a historic-artistic site, and the restoration is meticulous without being sterile.
Several restaurants serve cocido maragato — the reverse-order stew that is the Maragato culinary signature. The village is popular with day-trippers from Astorga, so it can be busy at lunchtime. Outside meal hours, it's remarkably quiet.
A casa rural provides accommodation if you want to stay.
25. July 2026 - 12:40
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.
23. July 2026 - 14:29
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.
10. June 2026 - 18:56
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.
16. October 2025 - 11:00
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.
24. May 2025 - 17:24
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.
18. May 2025 - 22:50
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.
12. July 2023 - 11:58
No arrows to this place. You must navigate with an application
22. June 2023 - 20:04
It’s a beautiful detour, take and enjoy
18. June 2023 - 15:51
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
22. May 2023 - 17:38
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.
29. October 2022 - 18:46
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
18. October 2022 - 17:37
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!
6. May 2022 - 18:35
Beautiful, fairly remote track, very peaceful! The village was interesting. (6 April 2022)
21. September 2019 - 17:10
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.
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.
