Surf guide in San Vicente de la Barquera

WAVES SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA IN ANY SEASON OF THE YEAR

It has never been a secret. Although it has always been known as La Montaña, Cantabria has one of the most beautiful coastlines in Spain and also one of the luckiest in terms of waves. Today we travel to San Vicente de la Barquera, a perfect surf spot for any time of the year. We will tell you about the best waves and the best tide point to enjoy a good swim. Happy reading and happy waves.

If you go to San Vicente de la Barquera on September 8th, it is most likely that you will end up participating in Mozucu and having the typical sorropotún (local variant of the bonito stew, stewed with potatoes, onion and tomato sauce), to which the municipal generosity invites locals and strangers in the dense pine forest that follows the beach. But, of course, visiting San Vicente de la Barquera is worth it with Mozucu or without him, at any time of the year. And this, for two reasons. First, because it is one of the most beautiful villages in Cantabria , which is no small thing. Second reason, its kilometer-long beaches, with waves 365 days a year , a real magnet for those of us who live and breathe surfing.

THE BEST BEACHES OF SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA FOR SURFING

Yes, this picturesque fishing village, located just sixty kilometers from Santander, is another hot spot for surfing in the Cantabrian Sea. In our ranking of the best beaches in Cantabria for surfing , San Vicente de la Barquera is our favorite destination for any time of the year . With the Picos de Europa as a backdrop and a stone’s throw from the Oyambre Natural Park, the waves and the landscape of the Merón and Gerra beaches make an ideal setting for enjoying a good surf session. Both beaches are very exposed to the waves generated by the Cantabrian Sea. In fact, if you can’t find waves here, it’s almost impossible to find them on any other beach in northern Spain.

THE BEST WAVES OF SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA

Next we will take a look at the best beaches of San Vicente de la Barquera where you can surf.

MERÓN BEACH

Merón Beach – almost three kilometers of white and very fine sand – is an extensive beach, adjacent to the estuary and Punta del Castillo. The consistency of its waves throughout the year – including summer – is its main value. The peaks are distributed throughout the beach, with a wide range of difficulty, from those ideal for beginners to the more demanding ones, suitable for intermediate level surfers. El Farolillo stands out, a very good right, long and perfect for maneuvers, not suitable for novices.

What is the best wave forecast for Merón Beach for surfing? Here we indicate the best wave season and the best tide point for this wave in San Vicente de la Barquera:

• Bottom: sand
• Best season: winter
• Tide: mid
• Localism: low
• Surf level: all

GERRA BEACH

Gerra Beach is the neighboring beach of Merón. Less crowded, surrounded by meadows and pastures, Gerra is a spot with very variable waves: short and powerful, gentle and longer. Depending on the day, it can be suitable or not for beginners, although generally, the level required to take a dip here is medium.

What is the best wave forecast for Gerra Beach for surfing? Here we indicate the best wave season and the best tide point for this wave in San Vicente de la Barquera:

• Bottom: sand
• Best season: winter
• Tide: all
• Localism: low
• Surf level: from medium to high.

HOW TO GET TO SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA

San Vicente de la Barquera is about 60 kilometers from Santander, very close to Comillas and the Oyambre Natural Park. From Santander, it’s a quiet journey that doesn’t take more than an hour.

WHERE TO PARK AT SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA

The Merón beach has a large parking lot right by the beach. In the summer, you have to pay around 5 euros to park your vehicle. It is usually a very busy place for camper vans and motorhomes. If you are traveling in one of these camperized vehicles, keep in mind that it is not allowed to stay overnight in the parking lot.

Updated information on where to park: Yes if you travel in a motorhome or camper van longer than 2 meters, you will not be able to access the parking lot in the lighthouse area at San Vicente Beach. They have installed a barrier with a height restriction that does not allow this type of vehicles to access the beach parking area. We recommend that you drive towards Gerra Beach. Along the way, you will find several meadows on the right where you can park your vehicle for the whole day for 5/10 euros.

WHEN TO GO TO SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA TO SURF

You’re asking yourself, what is the best time to surf in San Vicente de la Barquera? The answer is: any time is good. Although it’s true that Merón beach is a quite crowded surf spot in the summer and very popular among Germans.   The surf schools in San Vicente de la Barquera, the surf camps and the campsite usually fill up during these times of the year.

WHAT SURFBOARD TO TAKE TO SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA TO SURF

San Vicente is one of the most crowded places in Cantabria. Its surf spots are very crowded. So we advise you to be patient and to bring a surfboard with a lot of volume . If you are a beginner surfer and are going to surf in the summer, we recommend a evolutionary board or a softboard. With the latter, you will also avoid getting hurt.

Recommendation of boards for Beginner Level

Below are our recommendations of surfboards to surf in San Vicente de la Barquera if you are at a beginner level:

✓ Happy Hour Ocean Earth

For beginner surfers looking for a board to continue progressing autonomously after leaving a surf school, we recommend the epoxy softboard Happy Hour from the brand Ocean Earth Softboards. This foam board is designed for fun and will guarantee you a fun session at Merón beach.

BUY HAPPY HOUR

Includes a Single carbon fin valued at over 80 euros. An easy board, with great paddling power and very stable. Ideal for beginner surfers and experienced surfers looking for a fun board for summer waves. It has a deck with a soft, durable texture that does not require wax. Another comfort bonus for a surfboard that has captivated us since the first day we tried it.

You can buy the Happy Hour   in 4 sizes: 7’6, 7’0, 6’6 and 6’0. If you have doubts about which size is most appropriate for your level and the type of conditions and waves you will be surfing, write to us. We will be happy to help you.

✓ Ezi Rider ocean & earth

A foam board that we really like for beginner surfers is the model Ezi Rider from O&E . Also this year, the Australian brand has signed a collaboration with the illustrator Jack Irvine and comes with very attractive designs. The new Hippy Skull Ezi Rider 7’0 is one of the most demanded models by surfers from the Mediterranean. This model is already available in our online store.

✓ Beastie Mick Fanning Softboards

Another ideal softboard for surfers who want to continue evolving is the Beastie from Mick Fanning . It is the evolutionary model from the brand of the Australian surfer. Top Sales, it is undoubtedly one of the most demanded models by surfers from the Mediterranean. Excellent quality and finishes. Includes FCS2 fins.

Why do we think it’s a good option as a beginner surfboard? Because thanks to its shape and volume, you will catch a lot of waves.

✓ Black Diamond Mick Fanning

And we finish with the Black Diamond. A board halfway between beginner surfers and intermediate surfers. The Black Diamond is one of the most acclaimed models of the Australian brand DHD. It is one of Mick Fanning’s favorite surfboards (after the Fever by Al Merrick). That’s why the Australian surfer has decided to release a replica of the DHD Black Diamond in a soft version. A board with great paddling power that will make it easier for you to catch the wave and then allow you to perform almost all kinds of maneuvers.

Buy MF Softboards

RECOMMENDED FOR ADVANCED LEVEL

If you are an advanced surfer and want to catch a lot of waves, our proposal is a midlength surfboard .

✓ Firewire Seaside Beyond

The Firewire Seaside Beyond is the new mid length by Rob Machado in collaboration with Firewire. Machado wanted to create a board halfway between a longboard and a shortboard. This is how the Seaside Beyond was born. A mix between the Firewire Go Fish and the Seaside (another one of his top sellers).

✓ Al Merrick CI Mid

The CI Mid by Al Merrick is the surfboard of the moment. An all-terrain surfboard that flies over flat and small waves. This design by Al Merrick comes from the collaboration of Channel Islands Surfboards with Devon Howard, a surfer from southern California who has spent the last two decades riding and refining this type of mid-length boards .

The CI Mid by Al Merrick is inspired by egg and single fin surfboards. With a moderately long shape with low entry rocker and forward volume to facilitate paddling, the CI Mid glides, flows and turns thanks to its double concave, graduated rocker and hard and slightly tucked rails in the tail area.

BUY CI MID

✓ Lost Smooth Operator

The SMOOTH OPERATOR by Lost Surfboards is a trimming and turning machine. High volume, low rails and tons of fun. We have reinforced them with a 4+1 fin setup, which offers endless options and performance features.

BUY SMOOTH OPERATOR

✓ Pukas La Côte

The surfboard Pukas La Côte by Axel Lorentz is a board that will allow you to surf in all kinds of conditions.

Most of us progress when we stay still on a medium-length board but find it hard to move. That’s what inspired Axel Lorentz to shape a board with his daughter; both wanted a beautiful board that would allow them to surf together in all kinds of conditions. An ideal midlength to get behind in Farolillo de San Vicente de la Barquera and catch waves.

BUY PUKAS LA COTE

From a lightweight woman to a medium-heavy man, this board has been designed to be styled and handled with the smoothness of an experienced surfer. La Côte is a very sensitive, incredibly versatile and fun board that turns on a dime. And has the natural benefits of a medium length; lots of volume that helps with paddling and enjoying every part of your journey.

✓ Indio Midlength

The INDIO Midlength is the new mid length board from the brand Indio Surfboards. A wave-catching machine for surfers seeking stability and paddling. This Indio surfboard is designed to maximize fun and progression. The shape is similar to a longboard but smaller and more maneuverable. You can walk on the board or simply surf at the midpoint.

BUY INDIO MID

It will work wherever you are thanks to its flat rocker and 60/40 rails. Recommended for all types of surfers from beginner to advanced level. For beach waves between 1/4 meter and 1.5m. Available in various colors and tinted resins.

The spot known as ‘el farolillo’ is one of the best places to surf with longboard.   If you have always wanted to start in this surfing modality, this is the best place for you to take your first steps with a longboard. Visit our website and check out our surfboard recommender. You just have to indicate the type of board you are looking for: shortboard, twin fin or longboard and complete a simple form.

For those who prefer short high-performance boards, we leave you our recommendation to surf in San Vicente:

✓ Pyzalien 2

The Pyzalien 2 is the perfect option for those who only want to have one board in their quiver. The Pyzalien 2 is a new version of one of the best-selling surfboards from Pyzel Surfboards: the Pyzalien 1!

PYZEL CATALOG

If you like the retro vibe , here are 2 of our favorite boards for surfing at ‘el farolillo’ spot:

✓ Chilli Sugar

You may have seen me with it in the stories of our instagram account . The Chilli Sugar is one of the latest twin fins that has come into my hands. A classic twin fin with a modern touch that has won my heart. Why? For its maneuverability and speed. It is one of the fastest twin fins I have had.

✓ Sharp Eye Maguro

MAGURO means ‘bluefin tuna’ in Japanese. One of the fastest fish in the ocean. And that is precisely what the new Sharp Eye Maguro is. A twin fin designed for very fast small waves.

✓ Bonzer Biscuit

The Bonzer Biscuit from Channel Island and Campbell Brothers is one of the boards that are part of our quiver when we go surfing in San Vicente de la Barquera. You may have seen me with it in the stories of our instagram account and this Campbell Brothers bonzer is one of my favorite surfboards.

If you are interested in knowing a little more about this type of board, don’t miss our post on the best bonzer surfboards on the market .

If you like the foamie vibe, here are 2 of our favorite boards for summer surfing in San Vicente de la Barquera:

✓ Softech Filipe Toledo Wildfire

If you like the foamie vibe, the new Softech Filipe Toledo is the ideal board for surfing at El Palmar. Don’t miss the comments and opinion about this board on our Blog.

Opinion on Softech Filipe Toledo

SOFTECH OFFERS

OUR RECOMMEND WETSUIT FOR SURFING IN SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA

The choice of wetsuit will depend on the time of year you travel to San Vicente. ✓

Oneill Hyperfreak 4/3mm+ hood Oneill Hyperfreak 4/3mm+

From January to February, the water temperature is around 12 degrees. At this time, we recommend using a wetsuit with a thickness of 5 mm. That is, a 5/4/3 or a 4/3 with hood, booties, and gloves. Our recommendation: Oneill Hyperfreak 4/3mm+ with hood.

We also recommend some good neoprene booties for winter surfing on the Cantabrian coast. Our recommendation: Solite 3mm booties. With these booties, we assure you that you will not feel cold.

✓ Hurley Advantage 4/3mm

If you travel to San Vicente de la Barquera from March to April, the water temperature is slightly more pleasant and rises to 13 degrees. Still, if you don’t want to be cold, we continue with the same recommendation of wetsuits. 4/3 or even 5/4 depending on the outside temperature. Our recommendation: Hurley Advantage 4.3mm

✓ Oneill Hyperfreak 3/2mm

From May to June, the water temperature rises to 15 degrees. This allows us to switch from 4/3 mm to 3/2. One of the best 3/2mm wetsuits on the market is the Oneill Hyperfreak 3/2mm with chest zip . A suit that has captivated us and whose full review you can read on our Wetsuits section or by clicking here .

BUY HYPERFREAK

✓ Hurley Advantage 3/2mm

If you value comfort and elasticity over warmth, we recommend the new Hurley Advantage. The new Hurley wetsuit is super lightweight, comfortable, and stretchy. With a price of 215 euros, we are confident that it will soon become the best-selling wetsuit model from the American brand.

HURLEY OFFERS

This Hurley wetsuit is available in 2 colors. In Advantage and Advantage Plus versions. For spring, a 3.2mm Advantage is more than enough.

Buy Hurley Advantage 3/2mm

✓ Oneill Reactor 2mm

From July to August, is the time of the year with the warmest water. Around 19 – 21 degrees. Here we recommend a 2/2 mm like the Oneill Hammer or a Oneill Reactor or even surfing in boardshorts on sunny days.

Between September and October, you can continue with the 2/2 or if you are more sensitive to cold switch to a 3/2 mm suit. Our recommendation for elasticity, comfort, and price is Hurley Advantage Plus 3/2mm.

And finally, November and December it’s time to bring out the 4.3 mm wetsuit from the closet.

PADDLE SURF IN SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA

In addition to resting and enjoying the sun and sea breeze, San Vicente de la Barquera offers a wide range of outdoor activities for those looking for something more active, including paddle surfing.

Paddle surfing, also known as stand-up paddle surfing, is an activity that involves paddling while standing on a specially designed surfboard, using a paddle to propel oneself in the water. It is often described as a relaxing and meditative way to enjoy the sea, as it allows participants to connect with nature while getting physical exercise. In San Vicente de la Barquera, there are several companies that offer classes and rental of inflatable paddle surfboards , making it easy for visitors to try this exciting activity.

One of the advantages of paddle surfing in San Vicente de la Barquera is the wide variety of places where it can be practiced. Playa de Merón, one of the most popular beaches in the area, is an excellent choice for beginners due to its calm waters and gentle waves. In fact, Playa de Merón in San Vicente de la Barquera is one of the best beaches in Spain for practicing Paddle Surf . For those looking for a bigger challenge, they can head to Gerra beach, which has larger waves. Additionally, participants can explore the estuary near the village, allowing them to enjoy a different view of the coast and the mountains.

For days without waves, the practice of paddle surfing in San Vicente de la Barquera seems to us an exciting and relaxing activity that offers an excellent way to enjoy the sea and improve health. If you are looking for a unique experience on your next visit to San Vicente de la Barquera, do not hesitate to try paddle surfing.

WHAT TO SEE IN SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA

San Vicente de la Barquera is a delightful fishing village that is hard to leave, such is the charm of its streets, its magnificent arcaded square and the maritime and popular architecture of its old town. To this we must add the attraction of its beaches and marshes, the quality of its restaurants, the Maza Bridge over the estuary, the majestic shadow of its rocky castle, which houses a small museum of local history, and the beautiful Our Lady of the Angels Gothic church , where you can admire one of the most impressive tombs in Spain, the tomb of the inquisitor Don Antonio del Corro, in Renaissance style.

But San Vicente de la Barquera is not the only charming place you can visit in Cantabria, where the traveler can enjoy marshes and mountains, manor houses and fishing villages, prehistoric caves, forests that seem to come out of some old medieval tale and elegant cities where you could live two lives. Such is the magic of the Cantabrian coast that just a stone’s throw from Santander there are the Altamira Caves to remind us how the Paleolithic hunting peoples viewed the world, or Santillana del Mar , an astonishing village emerged from the Middle Ages. Here, we offer you some visits to complete your trip.

WHAT TO SEE NEAR SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA

SANTANDER

Capital of the green Mountain, friendly, cosmopolitan and elegant city, Santander overlooks the wild Cantabrian Sea from its gray cliffs and fine sandy beaches.

Josefina Molina said that if she were mayor, she would close the land entrances and force people to enter Santander from the sea: ‘The boats would arrive full of people and an edict would dictate that they sail at night, when its beauty impacts you and overwhelms you.’ I agree, Santander is a beautiful city by day and by night, but its true enchantment is at dusk.

What to see in Santander

The Cathedral, the Porticada Square, Azogues street, Pereda promenade, Reina Victoria avenue, Sardinero beaches, Magdalena Peninsula and Piquio Gardens are, by themselves, unavoidable points of reference that confirm the beauty of the capital of Cantabria.

The Cathedral. From the 13th century in Gothic style. Azorín adored the simplicity of this temple. ‘The cathedral of Santander,’ he wrote, ‘is simple and small; but in its very smallness and austerity, it has a powerful attraction that those other sumptuous and broad ones do not possess.’ It is true. Downstairs, in the crypt of the Christ, you can also see the remains of the Roman baths.

The Porticada Square . It was built after the devastating fire that, in 1941, razed most of the old town. Terraces, old and modern shops, the Town Hall clock, which rather than telling the time seems to sing…

The Pereda Promenade. Named in memory of the 19th century novelist José María Pereda. It is a high-class promenade that runs parallel to the bay. There is the Casino, built in 1913 to compete with the great European casinos, and also the central headquarters of Banco Santander, a cathedral-like building, with a triumphal arch in the middle that surpasses those of Rome.

Reina Victoria Avenue continues from Pereda towards Magdalena. Strolling here unhurriedly, as evening falls, is one of the highlights of Santander.

And we arrived at the Magdalena Peninsula. As García de Cortázar says, La Magdalena is many things. It is a beach; it is a tiny peninsula that calmly enters the sea; a garden with memorable views; and an English-style palace that summarizes an entire era, the era of the summers of Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia de Battenberg. Today, the palace is the headquarters of the Menéndez Pelayo International University.

El Sardinero and the Jardines del Piquío. The beaches of El Sardinero are among the most prestigious urban beaches in Spain. There we also find one of the most evocative places in Santander: the Jardines del Piquío, with its very high palm trees and centuries-old elms.

And since we are talking about landmarks, it is impossible not to mention the path that leads from El Sardinero to Cabo Mayor Lighthouse, a walk between beaches and cliffs that is hard to forget. Next to the lighthouse, a fabulous natural breakwater, there is a bar from which to bid farewell to the day with a drink and sea views.

COVACHOS BEACH AND ARNÍA BEACH, THE RUGGED COASTLINE

The Geological Park of the Rugged Coastline starts at La Magdalena beach in Santander and ends at Cuchía beach, in Miengo. Along the way, there is a marvel of landscapes where the sea has created a set of structures and forms that no one should miss. Just the name, Rugged Coastline, already announces the treasure that awaits the traveler: cliffs, dunes, islets, beaches with crystalline waters… In addition to the Liencres Dunes Natural Park, we recommend two stops: Covachos and Arnía.

Covachos Beach. Ten kilometers from Santander. It is a unique place, a splendid crescent of barely 50 meters, with a stream that cascades from the cliff that surrounds it and an island, Castro, which appears and disappears with the tide, as it is connected to the beach during low tide. Around it, meadows where livestock grazes freely. And very close by, the spectacular Liencres Dunes Natural Park, a landscape half wooded, half sandy, flanked by the rugged coast and the mouth of the Pas River.

Arnía Beach. It is a stone’s throw from Covachos Beach, following the CA 231 road. Cliffs battered by the waves, a small beach of 100 meters crossed by superb crags, crystal-clear waters… There are few places in Europe like this beach. Especially when evening falls and the colors of twilight underline the mythical aura that surrounds the sharp, vertical rocks that protrude from the sea.

SUANCES

Sunset is the magical hour of Suances. Indeed, a sunset is beautiful anywhere: in the desert, when the air changes texture, in the sea, which looks like it is on fire over the horizon, in Madrid, true mauve, reddish, orange flickers… Yes, there are many sunsets and everyone has their preferences. But if choosing one among those that can be seen in Cantabria, I would opt for the one seen from Tagle beach.

Recommended Reading : Surfing in Suances, Los Locos.

SANTILLANA DEL MAR

Any epithet falls short of the beauty of this town popularly known as the town of the three lies, because Santillana del Mar is neither «saintly» nor «flat» nor does it have the sea. About it, Jean Paul Sartre wrote: «A true relic of human life».

And it is true. Santillana del Mar envelops the traveler like a mist that emerged from the time of the Crusades. Its medieval layout, its palaces and manor houses with old noble coats of arms, its cobbled streets, the Gil Blas inn, the Merino Tower, the Collegiate Church, the Borja Palace, with its magnificent pointed arch… Yes, one could think that they are truly in the Middle Ages if it were not because the town is clean, does not smell of manure, and dozens of shops display their goods at the antique doors to attract the attention of tourists.

What to see in Santillana del Mar

The best of Santillana del Mar is to lazily surrender to walking along the main street and its uneven bifurcation, the longest of which leads to the square of the Collegiate Church. And of course, the walk must be completed with a visit to this beautiful temple that preserves its original Romanesque structure.

Even the exterior is dazzling. But the jewel of this old abbey is in the cloister, an enchanted space of poetry, art, and meditation. One must stop and contemplate the wonderful capitals of the columns that support the rounded arches. They are a marvel: scenes of the Calvary, martyrdoms, festivities and hunts, religious and profane matters, flowers, birds, steeds, friars, and warriors… A profound life escapes from them, as the poet and novelist Ricardo León said. The entire cloister, a magical place where death seems to have an expression of eternal living.

ALTAMIRA CAVES

But the journey continues. Just two short kilometers from Santillana, another surprise awaits us, another tunnel of time: the Sistine Chapel of the Paleolithic, a cave where the bison, deer, and boars from fifteen thousand years ago are still grazing grass, the cave paintings of Altamira.

Access to the original cave is restricted to scholars to prevent the deterioration of the paintings, but a visit to the Neocave, a faithful reproduction that can be seen at the National Museum and Research Center of Altamira, is worth the detour.

As in some novels, there one finds oneself immersed in two very distant time planes that end up constituting a single plot. The first of them lasts, astonishingly, about fifteen thousand years, and corresponds to the moment when those vigorously drawn bisons were painted on the rocky wall. The second story is much closer: it begins in 1789, when a girl who accompanies her father in the exploration of a cave looks up at the ceiling and sees something her father had not noticed, some figures of reddish bisons. ‘Look, cows!’, they say she exclaimed.

COMILLAS

Very close to Santillana del Mar, less than 20 kilometers away, lies the beautiful and stately Comillas. Known as the “town of archbishops,” as up to five prelates were born there, Comillas owes its fame, however, to the whim of an ‘indiano’, Don Antonio López y López, who devoted his fortune amassed in Cuba to beautify it.

What to see in Comillas

Sobrellano Palace, the Chapel-Pantheon of the Marquises of Comillas, and the Pontifical University are the most representative places of the effort made by the first marquis to beautify his hometown.

In addition to these modernist buildings, we must not forget the Whim , a colorful mansion built by Gaudí for Don Máximo Díaz de Quijano, whose passion for the piano inspired the name of the residence.

To conclude the modernist route proposed by Comillas, you must visit the cemetery , beautiful as few, guarded by a sculpture of the ‘Exterminating Angel’, a work by Josep Llimona, and overlooking the sea.

THE GREEN RAY AND OYAMBRE CURVE

Before turning towards the interior, towards the Cabuérniga valley, there are two unavoidable visits. The first one is the Green Ray, a hill located in Comillas, unique for its views of the Oyambre Natural Park and the beaches of San Vicente de la Barquera, with its castle and the Picos de Europa as a backdrop. The second one is the famous Oyambre Curve, at the mouth of the sinuous Ria de Rabia.

CABUÉRNIGA VALLEY AND BARCENA LA MAYOR

The Valley of Cabuérniga, less abrupt than Liébana and without its monumental peaks, is a real paradise full of beech and oak forests where deer and roe deer graze, and where birds of prey fly high and solemn. Here, as in general throughout the Mountains, the villages are particularly fortunate in terms of the preservation of their popular architecture.

Cabezón de la Sal, Carrejo and Ruente are the endearing prelude to one of the most famous villages in Cantabria, Bárcena Mayor, a place that sheltered Charles V and his entourage in the year 1517. Rare is the list of the most beautiful villages in Spain where this historic ensemble of clear mountain knowledge does not appear. Cobbled streets, balconies filled with flowers, wide stone gateways… Yes, Bárcena Mayor is a prodigy of rural architecture where time seems to have stopped.

Tudanca

Less than fifty kilometers separate Bárcena Mayor from another historical village in the mountains, Tudanca, hidden among green meadows, full of literary memories. It is there where the house of Don Celso, the character from ‘Peñas Arriba’, the novel by José María Pereda, is located: an 18th century mansion that belonged to José María Cossío in real life and that, in the first half of the 20th century, was visited by the great writers of ’98 and ’27. Peñas Arriba , The novel by José María Pereda: an 18th-century mansion that belonged to José María Cossío in real life and that, in the first half of the 20th century, was visited by the great writers of ’98 and ’27.

Here, in Tudanca, the Mountain is, more than ever, untouchable and beautiful. The meadows dawn amidst static waves of mist. And dusk arrives, like dawn, in the middle of a symphony of cowbells that the cows shake while going up and down all sorts of slopes.

GASTRONOMIC TIPS TO EAT IN CANTABRIA

The gastronomy of this land is already mentioned in the ‘Book of Good Love’ by the famous Archpriest of Hita: ‘From Santander came the red lobsters’. Not in vain, fish is one of the main dishes of the cuisine along this route: hake in green sauce, anchovies in casserole, oven-cooked sea bream or sea bass, ‘anchoillas’, seafood… and the tuna, which in San Vicente de la Barquera gains status in the local dish sorropotún : a local variant of the tuna stew, cooked with potatoes, onion, and tomato sauce. But of course, we are in the mountains, and here the meats and garden products are not lacking, with a special preference for white or pinto beans. And for dessert, two delights at odds with diets: ‘quesada’ and ‘sobaos’.

WHERE TO EAT IN SAN VICENTE DE LA BARQUERA

San Vicente de la Barquera has a rich and wide gastronomic offer. Of course, at SingleQuiver we have our preferences:

Restaurant Annua , overlooking the bay. A treat for generous pockets. Author’s cuisine based on Cantabrian products fused with Mexican and Asian roots.

Boga-Boga , in the Main Square. A classic of this fishing village. The ratatouille, the lobster potato stew, and the cheesecake are our favorite dishes.

Las Redes , in Los Soportales. It has a bar perfect for snacking and casual lunch.

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