It’s possible to see and do a lot in three weeks of travel. So how is it that the time we spent exploring the coast, mountains, towns and villages of northern Spain felt like an introduction – merely un abreboca – to the region rather than a journey of discovery. Its size and diversity certainly make it seem like however many places you visit you are still missing out, but it’s also that the people and lifestyle make it hard to leave.
Traveling through the four regions – the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia – that are strung along the northern coast of Spain is a little like visiting four different countries. They have individual personalities, customs, cuisine, culture and languages. They feel distant and distinct from the south of Spain and, as my two Asturian colleagues repeatedly remind me, they are politically far removed from Madrid and Madrileños.
This is a very different Spain, and there are plenty of people in all four regions who would be happy not be Spanish. This was clear in Bilbao where we began our trip across ‘Green Spain’. The trip coincided with the World Cup final. Spain would eventually run out well deserving winners against an appalling dirty Argentina side, but the majority of people in Bilbao wore Argentina shirts and not the national strip.
I’d been to Bilbao once 30 years ago. It rained but I had good memories. Overtourism has had a big impact in the intervening years. Locals still frequent the tapas bars around the Old Town’s arcaded Plaza Nueva, but it is flooded by tourists. In the legendary Bar Bilbao, people queued out of the door. Something I don’t think I’ve seen before in Spain, and which not long ago would have been unthinkable.
The Guggenheim doesn’t disappoint, and Bilbao is a fascinating city, but our favourite area was Portugalete, a metro ride from the centre near the docks. From here there was a lovely walk along the front to the Algorta district. If Bilbao was a side trip down memory lane, our journey got started in Asturias. We stopped in the anchovy capital of Spain, and possibly the world, the friendly Cantabrian working port of Santoña.
We left Santoña with jars of anchovies and Bonito del Norte after a tour round a factory. Finally, we landed in Llanes, an historic and pretty fishing village nestled into an inlet in a dramatic coastline. We hiked the clifftops to isolated coves with perfect beaches, through sleepy villages, and braved the Acantilados del Infierno, or the Cliffs of Hell. A beautiful walk probably best avoided in stormy weather.
Our next stop was the tiny and even prettier fishing village of Cudillero. It’s a picture-perfect place of red roofed houses tumbling down a steep hillside to the harbour dotted with fishing boats. It’s utterly gorgeous but going anywhere in the village involves climbing up and down very steep stairs. It’s definitely touristy but in the mornings and evenings the village was quiet and peaceful.
We made a trip to underrated and overlooked Avilés, an industrial town with a sizeable port and a striking cultural centre designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. It’s historic centre, array of bars and restaurants, and a busy summer cultural programme would make it a good base to explore the region. We finally tore ourselves away from the coast and headed inland to the magnificent Parque Natural de Somiedo.
Words don’t really do justice to the beauty of this mountainous region. It’s not as famous as the nearby Picos de Europa National Park, but it is a ridiculously attractive landscape. We based ourselves in Valle de Lago and spent a few days hiking the high pastures between mountain peaks and sparkling lakes. The sound of cow bells from the herds that roam these hills and produce famed Asturian cheeses accompanied every hike.
The last week of the trip took us back to Galicia. We’ve visited Galicia’s glorious coastline, and the hills and valleys of the Ribeira Sacra, several times. It’s almost impossible to imagine tiring of a place with landscapes this dramatic and seafood this good. Plus they play the bagpipes in Galicia. We stayed in the small fishing village of Camariñas, a lovely and low key spot with few non-Spanish visitors.
Camariñas was a great base for a hikes along the coast to the poignant Cemiterio dos ingleses, a windswept spot that is the final resting place for British sailors who died in a shipwreck near here. From the village we could see Muxia, where we stayed a couple of years ago. We moved to the larger, more workaday fishing port of Malpica to the north, which was down-to-earth and surprisingly fun.
A final coastal hike, this time on the first leg of the Camino de los Faros, was utterly gorgeous. Then it was off to the lively Asturian capital of Oviedo. This is the cider capital of the region, itself the cider capital of Spain, and was a lot of fun. Before having to accept we had to return to Brussels, we made a final call at Santander, a place we first visited 30 years ago when we went to Bilbao. Santander is somewhere to return to.
The nickname for this region is Green Spain. It’s a name that suits the damp climate, but the month before we arrived they had near-unprecedented temperatures of 40C. During our trip we had one day when the sun didn’t shine, the rest of the time it was in the high 20Cs and occasionally it reached 30C and higher. Climate change, yes, but the week after we left it started raining. We got lucky, but I’d spend time here in any weather.
