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Stage of the Camino

Oviedo to Pola de Allande (Bicycle)

From Oviedo To Pola de Allande

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Origin

Oviedo

Destination

Pola de Allande

Distance

57.00 km

Duration

5.50 h

Difficulty

Alta

Stage of the Camino

Stage Description

First leg of the Camino Primitivo by bicycle, linking in a single day what on foot are two stages (Oviedo–Salas and Salas–Pola de Allande). It starts in the Asturian capital and drops down the Narcea valley to Cornellana, with its Benedictine monastery, before climbing back up through Salas —crowned by its tower and castle— to face the sustained ascent into the interior of the Allande district. The surface alternates tarmac and tracks, with continuous short climbs that gain height to the just over 500 metres of Pola de Allande. It is a long, demanding day in the saddle, through increasingly mountainous and wooded scenery, that prepares the legs for the toughness of the following day towards Berducedo.
The Camino Primitivo by bicycle begins by combining into a single day the first two walking stages: Oviedo to Salas and Salas to Pola de Allande. It is some 57 kilometres in which the cyclist leaves Oviedo behind, at just over 230 metres of altitude, to finish above 500 metres in the heart of the Allande district, with a considerable accumulated climb that makes this first taste a demanding stage.

The exit from Oviedo runs along the outskirts of the city and heads into western Asturias, descending gradually through the valley. The route reaches Cornellana, where the pilgrim finds the monastery of San Salvador, a Benedictine house founded in the 11th century on the banks of the Narcea. This first section, the easiest of the day, serves as a warm-up before the ramps that lie ahead.

After Cornellana, the route climbs back towards Salas, a town presided over by its medieval tower and the Valdés-Salas castle, where on foot the first stage would end. From here the profile changes character: a sustained ascent begins, with chained short climbs over tarmac and tracks, taking the cyclist into an increasingly mountainous landscape of chestnut and oak woods and scattered hamlets. Height is gained relentlessly as the Camino penetrates the Allande district.

The final third keeps up the ascending pace as far as Pola de Allande, capital of the district, set in the Nisón valley above 500 metres. The arrival, after a long day in the saddle, rewards with a quiet town well provided with services, ideal for recovering strength before the hard following stage towards Berducedo and the Alto del Palo.

Last updated: 25/06/2026

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