Puertas: La Covaciella, Santa Eulalia and the GR109

La Covaciella was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008 as part of the Caves with Paleolithic Rock Art in Northern Spain. The original La Covaciella cave is closed to the public; a replica open to visitors can be viewed at Casa Bárcena. Other representations in La Covaciella include horses, deer and goats, as well as signs and linear traces.

Culture

The Torre de Puertas archaeological risk zone is recorded under Puertas in the Inventory of the Cultural Heritage of Asturias with the reference IPCA-YA-08-078 and the date 24 January 2014. The Abrigo del Golondrón in Puertas has been declared a Bien de Interés Cultural under Spanish Law 16/1985.

The ruins of the original parish church of Santa Eulalia are located near the centre of Puertas, next to the cemetery. Santa Eulalia is a medieval rural Romanesque church in eastern Asturias and is considered an example of rural Romanesque architecture in eastern Asturias. The church's origins are dated to the first half of the 14th century; medieval documents from the Diocese of Oviedo record it as a parish church.

The ruins of Santa Eulalia preserve decorated corbels with expressive masks, as well as remains of red and blue polychromy. The south portal and several capitals from the old church were reused in the new parish church of Puertas, built in 1953.

Puertas has a chapel owned by the residents, dedicated to Nuestra Señora de Las Nieves. Since 2014, the Puertas FilmFest in Puertas de Cabrales has promoted auteur cinema as well as independent artistic and cultural activities in rural areas.

Cruz de Raos belongs to the parish of Puertas. The site was an old crossroads and a meeting place between the municipalities of Cabrales, Onís and Llanes, where a market was held.

Other places in Cabrales: Berodia, Ortiguero, Inguanzo, Asiego, Tielve, Carreña

When comparing a holiday apartment in Puertas, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies side by side. This allows you to consider the accommodation question separately from the decision of whether to focus on hiking, landscape or culture.

Nature and trails

Stage 3 of the GR109 Asturias Interior from Carreña to Benia is a 17.16-kilometre traverse of moderate difficulty and takes approximately five hours each way. It passes through Puertas, where the remains of several grain mills have been preserved, as well as through the erías of Puertas and Pandiello. The combination of distance, difficulty and duration makes it easier for you to assess this hike for yourself.

Getting there and landscape

Puertas is one of the settlements of Cabrales on the southern slope of the Sierra del Cuera, a limestone landscape shaped by karst depressions, springs and small valleys.

The main road access to Puertas comes from Las Estazadas; the route branches off at Ortiguero. The AS-114 road between Cangas de Onís and Panes is the most important road infrastructure in Cabrales and connects the municipality's settlements.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cabrales.