Borres to Pola de Allande

The valley variant is the southern option of the fifth stage of the Camino Primitivo and splits from the famous Hospitales Route shortly after Borres. Compared with the harshness and exposure of the high route, this path seeks the valley floors and proves more sheltered and accessible. At barely 10 kilometres and with a mostly descending profile, it makes for a short day that many pilgrims link with the climb to Puerto del Palo, though it also invites you to stop and spend the night in Pola de Allande to face the following day with fresh strength.

The departure from Borres runs along track and path among chestnut groves and meadows, in a gentle descent crossing small rural settlements such as Porciles. The landscape is typical of the Asturian interior: scattered farmsteads, raised granaries, oak woods and the constant murmur of water coming down from the mountains. The surface is comfortable and the way-finding easy, allowing a good pace while enjoying the surroundings.

As it advances, the Camino enters the Nisón valley and loses height steadily down to the little over 500 metres of the valley floor. The final kilometres run close to the river, among hay meadows and riverside woods, with the outline of Pola de Allande standing out at the foot of the mountains that herald the great climb of the next day.

Pola de Allande, capital of the Allande district, welcomes the pilgrim at 525 metres above sea level. It is a mountain town of tucked-away streets that preserves the Cienfuegos-Peñalba palace, an imposing 16th-century building with its tower, and offers every necessary service: accommodation, restaurants, shops and a pharmacy. Its peaceful atmosphere and its cuisine, with the pote stew and local meat as protagonists, make it an ideal place to rest before facing Puerto del Palo, the most demanding stretch of the whole Camino Primitivo.