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Wise Pilgrim APPMieres is a real town — commercially oriented, with all services a pilgrim could need. Restaurants, bars, shops, banks, pharmacies — everything is here. The town sits at the junction of the Caudal and San Juan valleys and was once the beating heart of Asturias's mining industry.
The Iglesia de San Juan is worth a visit if you're passing through the center. There's an urban park that makes for a pleasant break, and the town has enough restaurants to offer a proper Asturian meal. Try the fabada if it's on the menu — you're in its homeland now.
Mieres isn't winning any beauty contests, but it's honest and well-equipped. After the mountain hamlets, a town with actual infrastructure feels like a gift.
San Juan festivities in late June are the main celebration, with bonfires, concerts, and traditional Asturian music. The town also celebrates the Fiesta de la Sidra in September.
Mieres was the epicenter of Asturian coal mining and one of the most important industrial towns in northern Spain. The miners of Mieres played a central role in the Asturian miners' strike of 1934, which was violently suppressed and became a precursor to the tensions that erupted in the Spanish Civil War two years later. During the Franco era, the mines continued to operate under harsh conditions, and the town's identity remained inseparable from mining. The industry declined sharply from the 1990s, and Mieres has been reinventing itself since — focusing on services, education (there's a campus of the University of Oviedo here), and outdoor tourism.
Cross over the river and into town. If you're not interested in Mieres and would rather pass through quickly, continue straight after crossing the bridge, through the first major intersection. At the second intersection (with a large car park on your right), turn left. You'll pass an urban park, and at the end of the park you have two options:
1. Carry on straight, turning left at the very end of the road and rejoining the camino.
2. Reconsider your intent to rush through town and turn right to visit the Iglesia de San Juan. If you choose this, just turn left when you get to the church. The road wraps around and meets option 1 quickly.
