The dramatic Playa de la Arnia
Last month we spent five days enjoying some of the coastline of Cantabria. The first thing to say is that this wasn’t anywhere near enough time to really explore, especially when you have chidren with you. Indeed, there is so much to see that a month or two would be more suitable. But what we did see – the beaches we visited in particular – was spectacular.
We stayed in the residential area of Soto De La Marina, about 5 kilometres west of Santander, and bordering Santa Cruz de Bezana on its eastern side. This gave us easy access to the main roads and put Santander centre just 10 minutes away. In fact our first trip out was to the El Sardinero beach that lies on the north east of this lively city. Very popular with Spanish tourists, the beach and sea front were fairly busy, so finding somewhere to park wasn’t easy. However, we chanced upon a space and shortly afterwards we were enjoying the wide expanse of golden sand.
Playa de El Sardinero (above), made up of two beaches to be precise, is Santander’s largest. It is beautifully clean, and despite its city location, relatively undeveloped. There are no sun beds for hire or beach bars; just somewhere to put volleyball nets and a children’s play area. There are a few bars and restaurants close to or overlooking the beach, but they are very unobtrusive. Much of the northern half of the beach is overlooked by a pleasant park; whereas the southern end is overlooked by the impressive casino. But while this may sound very commercialised, it really isn’t. What development there is along the front is set back from the beach front; and is mostly residential.
Across the bay from Santander are the beaches at Somo and Loredo. Popular among surfers, they are best reached from the city by taking the small but regular ferry that stops at Pedrena and then Somo. Here the beach extends in one direction onto a large sandbank that ships entering Santander port, appear to sail perilously close as they pass by. In the other direction the long and wide beach reaches Loredo, a small village with a couple of bars, a supermarket and some surf schools.
Looking twards Somo
Within 15 minutes walk of our villa are two fabulous beaches. Near Santa Cruz de Bezana you will find the picturesque Playa de San Juan de la Canal. Set between rocky outcrops, this was one of our favourite beaches. The surrounding landscape is rolling hills; and near but not on the beach, is the edge of the town. Here you will find some impressive houses and a bar, but like many of the beaches in Cantabria, not a lot else.
Playa de San Juan de la Canal
In the other direction is Playa de la Virgen Del Mar (below). The beach is at one end of the channel that separates the low lying cliffs from the island of the same name. At low tide you can walk the short distance to the island, but at high tide, it is accessible by a bridge. This smallish beach is relatively flat, although one of the large rock pools had a deeper end. On the day we visited the sea was very calm and there were plenty of children playing in the otherwise shallow water. Unlike all the other beaches we have ever visited in Cantabria, this one suffered from some litter on the shoreline. It may have been a one-off, but we didn’t go back another day to find out.
Further west of Santander is the resort town of Suances. The two beaches are approached down a steep hill from the main shopping and commercial area, arriving at an attractive seafront, with restaurants, bars and beach shops. Again though, the beaches themselves are free of any intrusive development.
The final beach I must mention is perhaps the most spectacular of all. Sadly we didn’t go down the cliff path to explore it properly, but Playa De la Arnia is a small, east facing beach surrounded by dramatic rocks. There is a small car park at the top of the cliff, and a couple of bars, but that is about it. Unspoilt, and beautiful, next time we will ensure we explore properly.
Of course the Cantabrian coastline has plenty more to offer. But as I said at the beginning, you’d need a month or two to see it all. However, we had a wonderful five days; and we look forwards to returning again in 2017.