There is one date when the whole of Asturias looks towards the same point on the map, and that point is a little over half an hour from Cabrales. 8 September is the feast of Our Lady of Covadonga — the Santina, patroness of Asturias — and it is also Asturias Day. If you are in the area, it is worth knowing what is going to happen before you get in the car, because one practical detail changes the plan completely.
The Virgin who spends the year at the bottom of a lake
Let us start with the part almost nobody mentions. As well as the image venerated in the Holy Cave, there is a second Santina that lives underwater in Lake Enol, in a natural cave some five metres down beside the Picu Bricial, resting on a plinth weighing twenty-odd kilos.
Every 8 September, divers from the Asturian underwater activities federation go down to fetch her. They bring her to the shore on a floating frame, clean her, repaint her, and an open-air mass is held beside the water. Afterwards she returns to the bottom of the lake, where she waits a full year until the next occasion. The custom began in 1972, so it has now been repeated for over half a century.
It is an odd and rather beautiful scene, and it happens early in the morning, up at the Lakes of Covadonga, while down at the sanctuary the main day is getting under way.
The detail worth knowing: you can drive up that day
Here is why many people choose this particular date. For much of the year, access to the Lakes by private car is regulated and you have to go up by bus from Cangas de Onís or Covadonga. The restricted period runs continuously from 1 June to 18 October… with a handful of individual exceptions, and 8 September is one of them.
In other words: it is one of the few days in summer and early autumn when you can drive up the road in your own car. The trade-off is obvious — it is also one of the busiest days of the year. Parking at the top is limited and fills early, so if that is the plan, an early start is not advice but a requirement.
One sensible warning: the calendar exceptions can be adjusted from year to year or changed for organisational reasons. Before setting off, confirm it on the official website of the Lakes access service.
The events at the sanctuary
At Covadonga the celebration is not confined to the 8th. It is preceded by a novena beginning on 30 August, with a daily evening mass and a rosary procession to the Holy Cave.
On 8 September the central act is the solemn midday mass in the Basilica, led by the Archbishop of Oviedo, Jesús Sanz Montes, followed by a procession. The sanctuary is having a year of particularly high pilgrim numbers, so expect crowds and allow extra time to park.
Cangas de Onís: a fortnight of festivities, not a single day
The neighbouring council stretches the celebration of Asturias Day and Covadonga Day from 4 to 18 September, with an artisan market, traditional sports — including timber-cutting — folk music and live concerts.
On the afternoon of the 8th, bagpiper Bras Rodrigo plays in the main square. The closing night falls on 18 September in the El Zanjón neighbourhood, with the Bricial pipe band, the Picos de Europa folk group and the Asturian band Corquieu. If you are here in the second half of the month, that last night is a good excuse to head down to Cangas.
How to fit it in from Cabrales
From El Ardinal, the trip to Covadonga and the Lakes fits comfortably into half a day, leaving the other half free for the valley. Our suggestion for 8 September, if you want both:
Set off very early and drive straight up to the Lakes, which is where the Santina of Lake Enol takes place and where parking runs out soonest. Come down mid-morning to the sanctuary, in time for the mass and the procession. Then return to the valley for lunch, where by then there will be half as many people.
Expect fog at the top even when the sun is out in Cabrales, and bear in mind that in September the temperature at 1,100 metres is not the valley's: an extra layer in the rucksack is never wasted.
If you have missed it this year
The date never moves: 8 September, always. And September is probably the best month to get to know the Picos de Europa: the days are still long, the green has returned after the heat, and the trails are far quieter than in August. A good time for the Cares Route or any of the hiking routes from Cabrales.
If you want to pencil it in for next year, El Ardinal is a short hop from Covadonga and right in the middle of everything else.
