Explore Cantabria and Asturias
The coast west of Santillana, as far as drab little Unquera on the border with Asturias, is dotted with a succession of small, low-key resorts. Both the main towns, Comillas and San Vicente de la Barquera, are worth a visit, having retained a traditional, earthy feel long since abandoned elsewhere in a flood of high-rise hotels and apartments. The FEVE line runs inland along this stretch, but the towns are linked by regular bus services.
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Comillas
Comillas
COMILLAS, 16km west of Santillana del Mar, is a curious rural town with pretty cobbled streets and squares, which in its centre seems almost oblivious of the proximity of the sea. It nonetheless boasts a pair of superb beaches: Playa de Comillas, the closest, has a little anchorage for pleasure boats and a few beach cafés, while the longer and less developed Playa de Oyambre is 4km west out of town towards the cape.
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San Vicente de la Barquera
San Vicente de la Barquera
The approach to SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA, 12km west of Comillas, is dramatic: marooned on both sides by the sea, the town is entered via a long causeway across the Río Escudo, the Puente de la Maza. Local lore maintains that if you manage to hold your breath all the way across the bridge, your wish will come true. Inland, dark green, forested hills rise towards the Picos de Europa, strikingly silhouetted as the sun goes down.
The town itself, a thriving fishing port with a string of locally famed seafood restaurants, is functional rather than pretty, with not all that much left of its historic core. If you’re looking for a beach, there’s a good sweep of sand fifteen minutes’ walk away, across the causeway on the east side of the river and flanked by a small forest.
A hot climb up from the modern town soon brings you to the remnants of the hilltop medieval town, which despite its intriguing setting and spectacular views turns out to be somewhat humdrum. At either end of the ridge, you’ll find an impressive Renaissance ducal palace (Tues–Sun 11am–2pm & 5–8pm; €1.40) and a sturdy Romanesque-Gothic church, Santa María de los Ángeles. The latter, at the highest point, holds a famous reclining statue of the Inquisitor Corro, born here in 1472.
