Before setting out on a tour of Picos de Europa tour it is worth while making an excursion to Covadonga and the Covadonga National Park. Leave Cangas de Onis on C 6312, going east, and in 4km/2.5mi, at Soto de Cangas, turn right into a beautiful little road which runs up a mountain valley to the little town of Covadonga (8km/5mi from Cangas de Onis), situated on a hill spur. This is one of the great Spanish shrines and a much frequented place of pilgrimage.
Covadonga is regarded as the birthplace of Spain. After the Moorish incursion and the destruction of the Visigothic kingdom a handful of Christian warriors under the leadership of Pelayo withdrew into these inaccessible mountains and defied the invaders.
In 722 they won the first Christian victory over the Moors when they routed an army sent against them by the Emir of Córdoba. Pelayo and his men attributed their victory to the Virgin and set up an altar to her in a cave, the Santa Cueva. The name given to the spot, Covadominica (the ''Virgin's Cave''), developed into the present name of Covadonga. The Reconquista then started from the newly founded kingdom of Asturias, with its capital at Cangas de Onis: hence the title of Prince of Asturias borne by the heir to the Spanish throne.
From the Hotel Pelayo, near the Santa Cueva, a steep but rewarding road (with gradients of up to 18%) winds its way up to the Mirador de la Reina (8km/ 5mi southeast), from which in clear weather there are superb views of the mountains and the sea.
A steep road, with many hairpin bends, winds its way up to the church of Covadonga (1891). To the left of the church can be seen a statue of Pelayo, with the Asturian cross above his head.
The church itself is of little interest, but the museum opposite it contains the church treasury, with precious relics and votive offerings, including the Virgin's diamond-encrusted crown.
Across the Covadonga square from the church and to the left is a tunnel leading to the Santa Cueva, high up on the rock face above a pool into which a waterfall tumbles. In front of a tiny chapel is the altar with the figure of the Virgin of Covadonga (18th century), which is always surrounded by worshippers. In a recess on the right is a sarcophagus which is believed to contain the mortal remains of Pelayo, his wife Gaudiosa and his sister Hemisinda.
From the Mirador de la Reina the road descends to the Lago Enol (3.5km/2mi). 1.5km/1mi beyond this, on a gravel road, is the Lago de la Ercina. Both lakes lie amid the beautiful mountain scenery of the Covadonga National Park, and both are the starting points of waymarked footpaths and tracks.
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Church, Covadonga
Church, Covadonga
