Llanes: dream beaches, a medieval old town and great food

About 40 minutes east of Villa del Sella lies Llanes, one of the essential towns on the Asturian coast. It has everything you'd want from a northern getaway: spectacular beaches, a charming medieval old town and seafood that's hard to beat. It makes for a perfect full-day outing.

Dream beaches

Llanes' great treasure is its beaches. The town's Sablón beach and Toró, with its curious vertical rocks, are a short walk from the centre. But it's worth venturing a little further to discover gems like Ballota beach, with its islet, or Torimbia, a wild shell-shaped cove surrounded by greenery. And above all, Gulpiyuri: a tiny inland beach with no sea in sight, declared a Natural Monument, where the waves arrive filtered up through the rock. A geological rarity unique in the world.

The medieval old town

The centre of Llanes preserves medieval walls, the Basilica of Santa María del Conceyu, manor houses and "indiano" palaces. Wandering its cobbled streets at leisure, looking out from the castle and walking up to the harbour lighthouse make for a perfect morning. Don't miss the Cubos de la Memoria, the breakwater blocks painted by artist Agustín Ibarrola: contemporary art right at the water's edge.

Great food by the harbour

Llanes lives facing the Cantabrian Sea, and it shows in its restaurants. Catch of the day, shellfish, seafood rice dishes and, of course, poured cider on its harbour terraces. It's the ideal spot for a relaxed lunch after the beach, watching the boats come and go.

An easy day trip from the house

Llanes is a quick drive from Villa del Sella along the motorway, so you can devote a whole unhurried day to it: a morning in the old town, lunch by the harbour and an afternoon on the beach at Gulpiyuri or Torimbia. Back home, the garden and the valley views are waiting to round off the day.