How to get to Covadonga from Santo Toribio

[The Kolbist]

Hi Peregrinos,

We plan to do a side camino Labaniego from San Vicente next year. We would like to skip a bit of Del Norte and visit Our Lady of Covadonga. I just checked Rome2rio and it only gives a taxi option. I think I've heard it from somewhere that there's a local public transpo. It would be cheaper than taxi although if there's 4 or 5 of us, it would be not that bad but I'm not sure who's coming with us. So, just to find another option, is there a bus and train that would take us from Santo Toribio to Covadonga? thanks for your help.

 

[RumAndChupacabras]

Hey @The Kolbist! I've been working out similar area transportation, just this morning. Looking forward to what kind of replies you get. If I find something solid, I'll post.

I used current dates in Rome2Rio and got train and bus results which, I hope you can see:

Rome2rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

BTW, if you 'qualify' :

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/senior-discounts-aka-luv-your-shades-of-silver-2019.62065/#post-741964

 

[The Kolbist]

Thanks RumAndChupacabras

 

[Jan_D]

The company Palomera does a route across Cantabria to Potes, which is 2km from Santo Toribio. Timetable here.

Between Santo Toribio and Covadonga you have a big mountain range (the Picos de Europa National Park), which doesn't have any transport access. You'd have to go back up to the coast to reach it from the other side by road. Alsa does the route to Covadonga from all over Asturias.

 

[The Kolbist]

thanks Jan_D

 

[Jan_D]

No problem!

 

[The Kolbist]

Looks like there is Palomera bus to San vicente de la Barquera. San Vicente to Belmonte is better with train (renfe) then taxi from Belmonte to Covadonga. This will probably our last option.. unless ALSA's schedule changes over time. Looks like the best option is taxi split into 4 or 5 might not be that bad.

 

[The Kolbist]

Hey @The Kolbist! I've been working out similar area transportation, just this morning. Looking forward to what kind of replies you get. If I find something solid, I'll post.

I used current dates in Rome2Rio and got train and bus results which, I hope you can see:

Rome2rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

BTW, if you 'qualify' :

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/senior-discounts-aka-luv-your-shades-of-silver-2019.62065/#post-741964

thanks for this @RumAndChupacabras .. so Rome2rio has a Potes to Covadonga but at, at least $42 a pop is still steep and would be quite sometime before we get a senior discount ... so even if there's only wife and I, Taxi is the best option..

 

[Jan_D]

so Rome2rio has a Potes to Covadonga

Just for clarification: Rome2rio is a journey-planning site, not a transport company. They try and give you the best travel options and combinations to get to your destination.

RumAndChupacabras' search revealed that to get to Covadonga, you'd need to take the following transport links:

1. Bus to Unquera (with Palomera - fyi their bus route runs westwards from Santander and then down to Potes, and vice versa)
2. Feve train to Arriondas
3. Alsa bus to Canga de Onis,
4. Finally, another Alsa bus to Covadonga.

Phew! Taxi isn't sounding like such a bad option after all, ha ha

One more thing: Feve is the narrow-gauge railway that runs all the way along the north coast, from the Basque country to Galicia. It's very cheap, and you'll probably find yourself using it every now and then while on the Norte. There are normally only two trains per day in each direction. It's very well used and loved by the locals, you just hop on and pay a couple of euros (it's never very much) to the ticket inspector. From San Vicente onwards the Feve follows the path of the Camino very closely - almost every little town you walk through will have a Feve stop. It's managed by Renfe, but for some reason you can't find the timetables on the normal Renfe site. You need to use this search function!

 

[Anamya]

Santo Toribio and Potes are very isolated areas. I explored a few options before going there, and the Alsa and Palomera buses were really the only ways to get out of Potes (besides walking, of course). The earliest leaves at 7am and the latest one leaves the city at 4pm, with 2-3 options in between, so plan for early.

From San Vicente you can find a few buses to go ahead and also taxi services at their bus station.
In Panes (one of the stops of the Palomera bus, before you reach the coast) you can also call a taxi. Rafa, from Taxi Panes, speakes a bit of English: +34 659 201 315. It would still be a one-hour taxi from there to Covadonga though.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck and buen Camino!