The GR109 passes through Puertas as part of a stage that takes several hours; the ruins of Santa Eulalia also tell the story of Romanesque architecture and the later reuse of older building elements. These two highlights offer different ways to shape a stay: a longer trek or an exploration of the village’s architectural and cultural history.

The GR109 stage: a trek that needs its own time planning

The third stage of the GR109 Asturias Interior runs from Carreña to Benia. It is 17.16 kilometres long, rated moderate, and takes about five hours each way. This time estimate is for one direction; given its length, the stage is a hike in its own right, not a short walk through the village. Along the way, it passes through Puertas and the meadows of Puertas and Pandiello. Remains of several grain mills have been preserved in Puertas. The route can therefore be understood not only in terms of distance and difficulty: its passage through the village and the two named meadows gives it a clear local connection.

Santa Eulalia: Romanesque architecture and reused building elements

Near the centre of Puertas, next to the cemetery, lie the ruins of the original parish church of Santa Eulalia. The medieval building is considered an example of rural Romanesque architecture in eastern Asturias. Its origins are dated to the first half of the 14th century; medieval documents from the Diocese of Oviedo record Santa Eulalia as a parish church. Surviving details include decorated corbels with expressive masks, as well as traces of red and blue polychromy. Some parts of its architectural history extend beyond the ruins: the south portal and several capitals from the old church were reused in Puertas’s new parish church, built in 1953. Its history thus encompasses both the medieval building and the later reuse of its components.

La Covaciella and other cultural traces

At La Covaciella, it is important to distinguish between the original and the replica: the original cave is closed to the public, while a visitable replica can be seen at Casa Bárcena. The cave’s images include horses, deer and goats, as well as signs and linear markings.

Since 2014, the Puertas FilmFest in Puertas de Cabrales has promoted auteur cinema and independent artistic and cultural activities in rural areas. It adds a different cultural dimension to trip planning than the village’s medieval architectural history. Another historical trace leads to Cruz de Raos, which belongs to the parish of Puertas. The site was an old crossroads and a meeting place for the municipalities of Cabrales, Onís and Llanes, where a market was held. This history broadens the focus from individual buildings to earlier connections between the municipalities.

Location and access

Puertas is one of the settlements in Cabrales on the southern slope of the Sierra del Cuera. The Sierra’s limestone landscape is characterised by karst depressions, springs and small valleys. The main road route to Puertas comes from Las Estazadas and branches off at Ortiguero. In the wider municipal area, the AS-114 between Cangas de Onís and Panes is Cabrales’s main road infrastructure; it connects the municipality’s settlements. The GR109 stage crosses the area between Carreña and Benia.

The roughly five-hour hiking stage each way shapes the day differently from a stay focused on church architecture, cave art or cultural history. You can plan your trip around the themes that matter most to you.

Discover more destinations: Tielve, Asiego, Carreña, Inguanzo, Ortiguero, Berodia

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