Ribadesella

Ribadesella is a town and municipality in Asturias, situated at the mouth of the Sella river on the Bay of Biscay. The town is divided by the river into two distinct sides: the old town on the eastern bank, with its historic fishermen’s quarter and the church of Santa María Magdalena, and the newer residential and resort development on the western bank.

The town is internationally known for two things: the Cueva de Tito Bustillo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing Palaeolithic cave paintings of exceptional quality discovered in 1968, and the Descenso Internacional del Sella, an annual canoe race held the first Saturday of August that draws thousands of participants and spectators from across Europe.

For pilgrims on the Camino del Norte, Ribadesella is a major full-service stage offering a dramatic river crossing at the foot of the old town and one of the more memorable historic port settings on the Asturian route.