Checked out of Getxo at 2 and we were on our way west. Shortly after leaving Bilbao area you hit the Cantabria countryside, no longer the Basque region. We’ve been in the Basque country since Biarritz on Sept 24. A whole month of traveling the French and then Spanish Basque behind us. We’ve been extremely blessed this whole time with good food, waves, friends, and good times. Our destination is Suances, small town in between Santander and Gijon with a good wave close by. Our drive through the Cantabria countryside is gorgeous but clearly not Basque. The houses no longer are white with red and green trimming, they are more brown and built up of stone and concrete. Lots of cattle grazing on expansive green hills. We stop and check Langres a sweet little cove tucked in amongst some cliffs with long green grass blowing in the wind. It totally looks like some Miyazaki shit. The blades of grass shimmering as they catch the light and below lines of surf with offshore spray coming off the top. It would be beautiful to surf here but the wind is really strong and the waves don’t have good shape.
Back through windswept green fields we go til we get to Somo, a beach town with some famous waves just on the other side of the bay from Santander. There are great waves to find around here in Cantabria but unfortunately the wave forecast is small. In hindsight we probably should’ve surfed in windy Somo but at the time I didn’t really want to. I think I read somewhere that Somo is the start of Spanish surf culture, the first surfers around here came from Somo. Drive into Suances at sunset and are greeted with a picturesque little town and a stretch of beach with a seawall leading into its little harbor. The town is touristy but in the offseason no one is around and many shops and stores are closed. We struggle to find a decent place for dinner and end up settling for a gnarly burger with goat cheese and ham on it.
Oct 24-
Woke up and checked playa los locos. It’s a beach just next to Suances with a famous left barrel, a beach break in the middle, and a slopey right point-breaky wave. The right is kinda doing its thing but there are several surfers on it and it doesn’t look like that much fun. The great surprise is that at the top of the spot is a hotel (Los Locos) that serves American style breakfast: 2 eggs, bacon, potatoes, coffee, and freshly squeezed orange juice for 9 euros. A must stop for us now, we fuel up and walk along the peninsula that separates los locos from the cove in front of town. It’s a beautiful day, the sun is out, we walk along the path looking at the town tucked into its hills by its cove, La Concha.
Enjoy the morning around Suances then roll out to Liencres to check the surf. To get there, you go through a forest of tall thin trees surrounding the narrow winding road. Then it all clears up and you’ve arrived at a rocky beach with a large parking lot. There are two surf spots here: one to the right with a small beach, waves breaking in front of rocks and one to the left, a wide beach break with peaks everywhere. There’s a little restaurant in front of the “right” beach and a couple of surfers around, hanging in their vans. There is some size but the waves don’t look that great, it’s like the ocean hasn’t really sorted itself out today.
We paddle out on the right beach because we saw a couple nice looking waves there and immediately realize it’s bigger than we thought out there. The paddle out is kinda tough and the current is swirling. Manage to catch one quick one on the blue dolphin and it drops me off a little too close to the rocks for comfort. Now I gotta duck dive incoming waves with the heavy board as the current rips me around first one way and then in the opposite direction. After several duck dives its clear I’m not really making much progress and I can’t turn around to go in because that’s where the rocks are. I have to make it over to go in. I’m not in any real danger, by any means, but surfing here sucks. Make it in and decide to hit the left beach on the other side of the rocky point. The ocean is much cleaner there and slopey, glassy waves crumble there and fizzle out. Easy-peazy!
Woke up and checked playa los locos. It’s a beach just next to Suances with a famous left barrel, a beach break in the middle, and a slopey right point-breaky wave. The right is kinda doing its thing but there are several surfers on it and it doesn’t look like that much fun. The great surprise is that at the top of the spot is a hotel (Los Locos) that serves American style breakfast: 2 eggs, bacon, potatoes, coffee, and freshly squeezed orange juice for 9 euros. A must stop for us now, we fuel up and walk along the peninsula that separates los locos from the cove in front of town. It’s a beautiful day, the sun is out, we walk along the path looking at the town tucked into its hills by its cove, La Concha.
Enjoy the morning around Suances then roll out to Liencres to check the surf. To get there, you go through a forest of tall thin trees surrounding the narrow winding road. Then it all clears up and you’ve arrived at a rocky beach with a large parking lot. There are two surf spots here: one to the right with a small beach, waves breaking in front of rocks and one to the left, a wide beach break with peaks everywhere. There’s a little restaurant in front of the “right” beach and a couple of surfers around, hanging in their vans. There is some size but the waves don’t look that great, it’s like the ocean hasn’t really sorted itself out today.
We paddle out on the right beach because we saw a couple nice looking waves there and immediately realize it’s bigger than we thought out there. The paddle out is kinda tough and the current is swirling. Manage to catch one quick one on the blue dolphin and it drops me off a little too close to the rocks for comfort. Now I gotta duck dive incoming waves with the heavy board as the current rips me around first one way and then in the opposite direction. After several duck dives its clear I’m not really making much progress and I can’t turn around to go in because that’s where the rocks are. I have to make it over to go in. I’m not in any real danger, by any means, but surfing here sucks. Make it in and decide to hit the left beach on the other side of the rocky point. The ocean is much cleaner there and slopey, glassy waves crumble there and fizzle out. Easy-peazy!
Oct 25-
Mandatory American breakfast with a view at Locos, ocean is flat, maybe we’ll find some surf somewhere else. Instead of heading to a swell magnet on this flat day, we head to the most protected east facing beach, Oyambre. Completely flat like a lake. We go for a nice beach walk and take in the natural beauty around. There are a lot of camper vans here with surfers, etc. hanging out. Super mellow first half of the day.
Zuey is joining us for a few nights because we’re going to Asturias tomorrow and he’s been wanting to go back there for a while now. Happy to have his company. The bus from Bilbao takes him to Santander where we pick him up. There’s none directly to Suances. We load his board and bag into the car and check out the town while we’re here. First we go to the edge of town by the beach and witness a gorgeous sunset as I manage to get Hertz to extend my car rental til Nov 9th. Around the corner from there is a castle on the edge of a peninsula looking across the bay to Somo that used to serve as the royal family’s summer home. Sweet grounds and not a bad place for a relaxing summer getaway. Ridiculous to have people living in houses that big. It’s now donated to the state and they have events there etc.
Then we go to a nice little bar area for a beer and chill there as our hunger increases and we decide what/where to eat. We decide on a txuleteria spot partly because we didn’t yesterday when we should’ve. We get a fat one for us 3 to share and some cider typical of the area. Well actually the cider is from Asturias but they have it here in Cantabria too. It’s the kind that is typically poured at arm’s length away from up high into the cup so that it aerates and bubbles on impact with the glass. You pour a mouthful’s worth and then immediately drink it before it goes flat. The difference between one that has been sitting for a while versus a fresh pour is incredible. So here at the restaurant they bust out a little medieval pump looking thing with a hose that goes into the cider and then a spigot that shoots a laser beam of cider into your cup. The rapid-fire squirts give you the bubbles for the nice drink all at the comfort of your table and pace so that no one needs to keep coming by and pouring. The steak is good and we’re having fun using our cider contraption. Our waitress even gives us some cool local digestive liqueurs at the end of our meal on her, after Evan called her guapa a few times. Go over for some cheesecake, throwback to San Sebastian, for dessert at a super bougie restaurant. The slice of cake is insanely delicious but also very sweet, the one from Donostia was way less sweet and runnier, this one was a real decadent dessert. We had our bougie little Santander afternoon with Zuey to celebrate his arrival to the gang for the next few days, and rushed back for a good night’s sleep in Suances.
Woke up and hit our American breakfast combo at locos per usual. Surf is totally flat so this is our mountain day. We are going up to the Picos de Europa for an epic day. Cruise out of Suances and check into our airbnb in the small town of Ribadesella, Asturias. Leaving Cantabria the scenery around you doesn't change that much except that the big mountains in the distance are now on your doorstep. Asturias is much more remote and wild. Bigger cliffs, dramatic rocky coastlines, and massive mountains towering above you. Ribadesella itself isn't that special, it’s a touristy town for its adventure/outdoorsy tourism like hiking, kayaking, surfing but now it's in its off-season.
Up we drive into the mountains with winding turns going higher and higher. There are several turn offs with spectacular views of valleys and ocean way beyond. The peaks are very rocky and massive above the vegetation line, but instead of it being a very wooded treeline it’s more meadowy. With all the rain they get up here it is very green. We got totally lucky as it’s a bright sunny day with patchy clouds. The area where we drop off our car is up by two lakes in their own valleys you can explore. There’s trails leading around the lakes and venturing off into the mountains. Cattle grazing everywhere chiming in the distance as the iron bells that hang from their necks sound. It’s so serene and picturesque you feel youre in a painting. With the offseason, there arent that many people here, and the people you do see all spread out til your next to no one as you go deeper down the path you chose to go on.
First we’re walking along the second lake then veer off to the right to take a little path that goes up into a rocky outcropping. Around the corner is a fat cow grazing and now just staring at us close enough for us to pet her. Continue up a little and get to the doorstep of a tiny stone shack tucked up against a massive boulder. No one’s home but there is firewood stacked, tools and materials around, and a big stew pot hanging by a fire pit. This must be where cattle herders stay from time to time just like I experienced in Sierra de Gredos when I was 9 with the goat herders. In the summer they’d bring the goats high up into the mountains for the good greens and stay with them in the little cabin and then in winter when it’s colder, they stay at home at lower altitude. Even though it’s a sunny day for late Oct, I wonder if anyone wants to drive all the way up here with winter and all the storms around the corner. Checking out the view from the cabin and chickens come around the corner to check us out, hilarious!
Continue on down our path to an area of boulders piled on top of each other that we climb up for a view at the mountainside on the other side of the valley. Here there are some trees and their leaves are changing colors, yellow brown freckled mountainside. Down the way from here we cross over a few more stone cabins like the one we saw earlier and over a hill into a vast meadow with a massive flock of sheep. Here the wind really picks up and we have to stagger and battle to get to those sheep. Zuey starts getting close to them and a big ass dog trots over to check him out, he extends his hand to pet the dog and then 4 or 5 more enormous dogs run over. He doesn't see them coming because his back is turned bet we see and start hollering thinking he may get attacked. He turns and gets scared as fuck seeing this pack of beasts pulling up. Rightfully so, these are guard dogs for the sheep and they’re outfitted with nails sticking outwards on their collars, seriously punk rock. Luckily they like us and come over for cuddles and pats. We laugh about it later but you do not want to be on the wrong side of those dogs. The path then veers around to the first lake, close to where we parked, and as we leave the dogs stay behind with the sheep to do their job.
Eventually we make our way to the ciderhouse for the traditional Asturian cider and have some with magnificent views of the mountains and grazing horses. Have a couple of fun pours in the wind, very challenging getting the cider in the cup with wind blasting. A lot of cider is wasted but it's kinda funny at first. Drinking some cider and petting some horses is how we ended our epic walk around Picos de Europa. In summary, at every turn you are either greeted with a spectacular mountain view or a fun animal interaction, it’s surreal, almost like walking in a fairy tale.
As it gets dark we cruise down the mountains very carefully along the switchbacks because the wind is howling. About halfway down is a convent with a medieval church and a little worshiping cubby carved into the mountain in a cave above a deep pool some 20 ft below. Looks straight out of Lord of the Rings. Make it back to Ribadesella exhausted and looking forward to surfing sometime soon. What an epic day, I could not recommend Picos de Europa enough.
Oct 27-
Woke up and went to check the surf at Vega. Looking kinda flat. What we gonna do today? Fuck it, let’s go kayaking. We drive out to a kayak rental spot next to the river and hop in for a nice relaxing time on the river. The takeoff is the best part as you get thrown down a chute and have to lean backwards to pop the nose up and out of the water cleanly as you rip into the river. Other than that you kinda just paddle along or not as you go downstream. Real chill, again getting super lucky with warm weather. I guess there’s a big heatwave going down right now through Spain and France, much hotter than usual, it feels like summer in the offseason, blessed. Go into town for a sketchy menu del dia but the starter soup is really good. We run it back to Vega and the waves are peeling left and right for short sweet rides with offshore wind. It’s warm out and the offshore is hot and dry, feels like the Santa Anas. From the river to Vega we scored. Get some little head dip peelers on the inside on the blue dolphin, super playful, chill, summery surf. Take a couple on Zuey’s board, a couple on the twin fin, all around good clean fun trading boards with the homies.
Started off the day with onshore crumbly, choppy shit surf at Vega. For some reason we thought we had to surf, if we didn’t go now we might not for the whole day. Tried to make the most of it but unfortunately it never went well. Returned home to eat our stew we’ve been simmering for a while and watch Shrek 2 on netflix. Laughed our way through the movie hoping the wind would switch until it finally does.
Went to check playa San Martin, a beautiful tucked away beach down dirt, country roads. Cruise through a couple small towns and then a hard left down dirt road. We pass by cows, horses, stretched out rolling green hills down the narrow road. Our car is relatively modern so it has parking sensors that cause the car to beep anytime the bumpers get close to anything. Unfortunately driving down this narrow road with rocky and scrubby embankments freaks the car out and it wont shut up. What would be a lovely drive is a beeping nightmare. Finally we park and see a fun left with a view of a ruined castle amongst green pastures. Such a beautiful backdrop for a cool surf. We get the left for as long as we can before it fizzles out with the rising tide. Hop out thinking, “man we should've been here earlier.” But now we know this can be a fun spot (with insane scenery) on lower tides.
Surf sesh is over but there is still daylight and there is a cool zone close by we need to check out. It's a cliff over the water with jagged rocks exposed, pointy and teethlike, with caves going down into a natural system of tunnels connecting to the sea. At high tide the tunnels fill with water and with a big wave the water is flushed through with a tremendous roar and spews through the holes upwards forcefully. It’s a saltwater geyser but the ground below you is rumbling like the engine of a sports car. It’s a surreal experience to see and hear these bursts and if it weren't for the beautiful, sunny surroundings you’d think that you're in Mordor.
Back in Ribadesella we have a few drinks and decide it’s time to try cachopo, a traditional delicacy of Asturias we’ve heard about. It’s a thinly sliced steak with cheese and ham on top and then breaded and fried like a country fried steak. Seems like it’s fair food but it’s the local thing. Of course we get it with traditional cider as well, the one that your waiter pours from high above his head, staring off into the distance. We also got a local Asturian cheese plate and gave that a go to complete a full tasting of the region. The cachopo is pretty good but also kinda gnarly and intense. But 3 hungry boys, we get it down.
Oct 29-
Wake up, check waves, no surf. Drive around looking for something breaking then give up. We do go to Gulpiguri beach, a tiny little cove inland from the coast that a channel of ocean has made it to. The mini cliffs around it are surrounded by countryside and foliage and the sandy beach is only 60 yards long. A cute little beach, a novelty of nature, cool to check out and have to ourselves. Drop off Zuey at the bus station in Ribadesella and Evan and I are off to Gijon.
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