Cadavedo

Right now in Cadavedo (as of October 2026)

• Albergue closing: The pilgrim hostel is open from 11 April to 31 October. From November there is no pilgrim bed in the village, only rural hotels and apartments.

How long to stay?

An afternoon is enough. Cadavedo is small but pretty, and everything worth seeing is within walking distance: the hórreos in the village, the houses of the Indianos and, at the edge of the village, the La Regalina chapel above the sea. The walk to the chapel is the finest stroll of the evening. The next day, Luarca is not far.

Cadavedo in Ninja numbers

• 268.7 kilometres are left from here to Santiago on the Camino del Norte.
• 19.0 kilometres lie behind you since Soto de Luiña, with 718 metres of ascent in many waves.
• 1954 Cadavedo was declared the most beautiful village in Asturias; in 2022 the Fundación Princesa de Asturias gave it the award of Pueblo Ejemplar.
• 1931 saw the La Regalina chapel built on the cliffs, and its festival began the same year.
• 12 beds is all the pilgrim hostel has. That is little for the demand in summer.

Arriving: up onto the plateau

From Soto de Luiña the path runs hilly along the coast all day, via Novellana, Castañeras and Ballota to Tablizo. After that you reach the plateau on which Cadavedo lies. The albergue is at the end of the village.

In brief: emigrants and a priest

In the 19th century many people from Cadavedo left their village and went to America. Those who came back rich built a house that was meant to be seen. These houses of the Indianos, such as the Casa Roja, still stand in the village today. The beach of La Ribeirona below was a centre of whaling in the Middle Ages.

In 1931 the priest and writer Padre Galo, a son of the village, had a chapel built for the patroness on the Campo de La Garita: La Regalina. He wrote in the dialect of Valdés, and his birthplace is a library today. Since 1931 there has been a celebration here on the last Sunday of August, with open-air Mass, a procession in traditional dress and bagpipes.

A village above the sea: what to see

• Ermita de La Regalina: The small white chapel from 1931 stands on the Campo de La Garita right above the cliffs. For pilgrims it is the place for the sunset after the stage. The festival on the last Sunday of August is a festival of tourist interest.
• Hórreos and paneras: Dozens of the typical granaries on stilts stand in the village, along with mills, fountains and washhouses.
• Houses of the Indianos: The Casa Roja and other villas of returnees from America tell where the people from here went.
• Playa de Cadavedo: The beach, about 400 metres long, lies below the village at the mouth of the Arroyo Frieira.

Honestly

• Few beds. The albergue has 12 places and only takes reservations in exceptional cases. In summer it fills up quickly.
• No pilgrim bed in winter. From November to April the albergue is closed; then rural hotels and apartments remain.
• No kitchen. The albergue only has a microwave and a fridge; you eat at the bar.

Where pilgrims sleep

The Albergue de Peregrinos de Cadavedo belongs to the municipality and is privately run, by new managers since 2026. It has 12 places in three small rooms, costs €12 (as of October 2026) and opens at 2 pm, from 11 April to 31 October. You can only book in exceptional cases; it is reserved for pilgrims. A bar and a restaurant are about 200 metres away. Besides that, the village has rural hotels, including the Casa Roja, and apartments.

Ninja tips

• Arrive early. With only 12 beds, your arrival time decides in summer.
• Walk to La Regalina in the evening. The chapel above the cliffs is the finest spot in the village.
• Breakfast is available at the albergue for €3, a credencial for €2 (as of October 2026).

Onward: down to the Esva and on to Luarca

Beyond Cadavedo the path goes via Villademoros, San Cristóbal and Querúas down to Canero at the mouth of the Esva, at 7 metres the lowest point. Then you climb again, via Barcia and Almuña to Luarca: 16.0 kilometres with 304 metres of ascent and 385 metres of descent. A short day.

Deep dive: The most beautiful village and its priest

A short read, in case you want to learn more about Cadavedo. About two minutes' reading.

A village to show off

In nineteen fifty-four Cadavedo was declared the most beautiful village in Asturias. Almost seventy years later, in two thousand twenty-two, a second award followed: the Fundación Princesa de Asturias honoured it as an exemplary village, because it has kept a varied rural economy and a lively, organised community. You see both when you walk through the village: granaries on stilts, tended gardens, a school that has existed since nineteen twenty-three.

The chapel on the cliffs

In nineteen thirty-one a priest from the village, known as Padre Galo, had a chapel set on the field above the cliffs. It was meant to become a place of pilgrimage for the patroness, and it did. Since then, on the last Sunday of August, people come here from the whole area, in traditional dress, with bagpipes and drums. Padre Galo also wrote down the old language of his area, the Faliel.la. His birthplace is a library today.

What Cadavedo gives you

Many people from Cadavedo once left, across the sea to America, and some came back and built houses that still stand in the village today. You are on the way too, only in the other direction, to the west. When you sit at La Regalina in the evening and look out to sea, you see the same wide expanse the emigrants had before them.