Ermita de Santa Cueva de Belbín
Three kilometres west of Covadonga along a barely-signed farm track, the tiny Ermita de Belbín sits alone in a meadow beneath a limestone cliff, surrounded by apple orchards and the sound of cowbells. Almost no tour guide mentions it, yet it predates the famous Covadonga basilica by centuries.
The Chapel & Its Setting
The whitewashed ermita is Romanesque in origin, with a carved stone doorway and a single nave barely large enough for twenty people. The key is held by a local farmer whose house adjoins the orchard — ask politely and you're usually let in to see the simple altar and its medieval wooden cross.
What makes the spot special is not the architecture alone but the pastoral silence around it. Cows graze in the surrounding prados, swallows dart under the chapel eaves, and the Picos de Europa rise dramatically to the south — a completely unmediated Asturian landscape that feels centuries removed from the coach-tour circuit at Covadonga.
Getting There
From the Covadonga road (AS-262), take the unsigned track signposted only with a faded hand-painted 'Belbín' at the junction near the hamlet of Soto. A 1.5 km walk or short drive through farmland brings you to the ermita. There are no facilities, no entry fee and no opening hours — it's a living rural chapel, not a museum.
Combine the visit with a walk along the Río Güeña valley floor, which runs parallel to the track. The riverside path is flat, shaded and wildflower-rich in spring, making for an easy 5 km out-and-back from Covadonga village.
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