Stage 3: Salas - Tinéu

Stage 3: Salas - Tinéu 19.4 Kms

This stage, which runs between the capitals of the municipalities of Salas and Tinéu, has a total length of 19.73 km.

The distribution of these kilometres in terms of the type of road surface is very balanced, as 6.5 kilometres are on tarmac road verges, while 5.88 kilometres are on dirt tracks and 6.76 kilometres are on gravel tracks.

There is a gradual ascent, more pronounced at the beginning of the stage, between the village of Salas and the town of Porciles, and from this point onwards the route has a very stable profile, with few incidents, until the end of the route.

The two large urban centres along the route, the towns of Salas and Tinéu, both have interesting testimonies of cultural heritage, manifested in numerous mansions, urban palaces, churches and chapels, which mark the historical sites of the two towns.

These are towns with a deep Jacobean tradition, as is the case with many of the small towns and villages along the Way of St. James on this stage, such as Porciles, Bodenaya, La Espina or El Pedregal. The passage from the municipality of Salas to that of Tineo marks the beginning of the transition towards a traditional architecture with a strong personality, clearly manifested in the roof of the buildings, which gradually replaces tiles with slate slabs.

The history of the Pilgrims' Route to Santiago de Compostela is very rich in this territory. In the town of Salas there is evidence of the existence in modern times of a pilgrims' hospital, dedicated to San Roque, the chapel of which still survives. We also know of the existence of two pilgrim aid establishments in La Espina, one of which dates back to no less than 883, making it one of the oldest hostels or inns in the whole of the Jacobean world. In the council of Tineo, there is also documentation of the existence, in medieval times, of a hospital in the first town in the municipality that crosses the Way, La Preda. There was also a Hospital House in El Pedregal.

Lastly, the town of Tinéu was of strategic importance on the route of the Primitive Asturian Way, so much so that King Alfonso IX ordered pilgrims to pass through this town in 1222, the capital in the Middle Ages of a large territorial demarcation that included a large part of western Asturias, known as Asturias de Tinéu. In this town there was a pilgrims' hospital, under the patronage of Nuestra Señora de Mater Christi, already documented in the 13th century and which remained standing until the 19th century.