While we all know that \u201ccosta\u201d is simply the Spanish word for\u00a0\u201ccoast\u201d, for most of us it has a\u00a0much wider meaning, evoking all sorts of images, both positive and negative. It may be beaches, fun, cold\u00a0beers and tapas at a chiringuito (beach bar) with your feet in the sand. Perhaps you\u2019re thinking of childhood holidays in a thrillingly huge hotel, where you happily stuffed yourself with ice-cream and chips for a\u00a0fortnight. More recent memories might revolve around showy beach clubs with exorbitant prices. If you\u2019ve been to the costas of eastern or southern Spain in the past few years, however, you may have reluctantly concluded that your favourite resorts are now a bit too hot for comfort.<\/p>\n
This year, there has been a lot of buzz about \u201cla Espa\u00f1a fresca<\/a>\u201d, or cool Spain, but, in reality, Spaniards have been thronging the northern coast in summer for decades, decamping to Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country. This is particularly true for residents of Madrid and other cities in central Spain that are stifling in July and August.<\/p>\n Along the north coast, temperatures are usually more like those of Cornwall on a good summer\u2019s day. But be warned: you do get blisteringly hot spells, too, not to mention a greater risk of wet weather. I have trudged along beaches in driving rain in June, but enjoyed glorious sunshine and delicious swims well into September.<\/p>\n One of my favourite chunks of northern Spain is the Costa Trasmiera in Cantabria. If you are trying to cut down on flying, it has the advantage of being easy to reach by Brittany Ferries<\/a> from Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander, the regional capital, or\u00a0from Portsmouth to Bilbao, an hour\u2019s drive away.<\/p>\n Anchovies and tuna for sale in Santo\u00f1a. Photograph: Tim Graham\/Alamy<\/p>\n Sailing into the Bay of Santander, your eyes are drawn to the city, framed by its string of beaches, rising up on your right. Look left, however, and the view is rural rather than urban. A long spit of glittering sand, El\u00a0Puntal, protrudes into the bay, with\u00a0a green landscape stretching out behind it to the east. This is the Costa Trasmiera, a stretch of about 30 miles (50km) between Santander and the fishing town of Santo\u00f1a.<\/p>\n A car is really useful to get to different beaches along the coast, but there are buses from Santander to the main places, such as Somo, Noja and Santo\u00f1a. With a car, you are only likely to be travelling short distances each day, so using an EV is no problem.<\/p>\n If you liked the look of El Puntal as you were arriving, you can jump on a\u00a0little ferry<\/a> across the bay. I love doing this when I\u2019m staying in Santander, as within a quarter of an hour I\u2019m running into the sea, shrieking as the cold water hits my body. If you\u2019re used to wallowing in the tepid soup of the Mediterranean in\u00a0summer, it might come as a bit of a\u00a0shock.<\/p>\n The view across the bay from Santander. Photograph: Juanma Aparicio\/Alamy<\/p>\n Back on the sand, a chopped seafood salad and glass of ros\u00e9 at Chiringuito El Puntal Tricio<\/a> always hits the spot. Walking along the beach brings you to Somo, a hub for surfers from all over the world, where you\u2019ll find lots of cafes, bars and places offering surfing and paddleboarding tuition. Hotel Bemon Playa<\/a> (doubles from \u20ac90 room-only) is in the thick of\u00a0things if you fancy staying for a\u00a0few\u00a0days.<\/p>\n Heading east along the coast, it\u2019s\u00a0one superb beach after another: Loredo, Langre, Galizano, Antuerta, Cuberris. Book a table for a lobster lunch or a seafood platter overlooking the sea at Hotel Astuy<\/a> (doubles from \u20ac60 room-only) in Isla, where the crustaceans served in the restaurant are kept in seawater pools in caves below the building. The hotel is a\u00a0good\u00a0base for exploring the area, but\u00a0just beyond Isla, right next to Playa de Ris, Camping Playa Joyel<\/a> (pitches from \u20ac19.50) is one of several good campsites on the Costa Trasmiera, with lots of facilities to keep kids happy.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not hard to see how people while away a\u00a0summer here with swims, walks, long lunches and sunset cocktails<\/p><\/blockquote>\n From the campsite, it\u2019s an easy walk into Noja, the main holiday town on the coast. Practical rather than pretty, for most of the year it is a\u00a0sleepy place with a population of about 2,500. In summer, however, the number rises to an astounding 80,000-plus, mostly in second homes and holiday apartments \u2013 a much higher ratio of tourists and second-home owners to residents than in resorts on the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol. Families from other parts of Spain, especially the adjacent Basque Country, install themselves for the entire school holidays, which can stretch from late June until the second week of September.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Joyel salt marshes. Photograph: Mikel Bilbao\/Gorostiaga Travels\/Alamy<\/p>\n Although there are vestiges in Noja of the village it once was \u2013 including the church of San Pedro on the main square and a handful of grand mansions \u2013 the streets are lined with apartment blocks, with shops, bars and restaurants at ground level. This may not be the most attractive place, but for the thousands who come here year after year, it has everything needed for a relaxing holiday with no delusions of grandeur or attempts at being cool. No one cares what you\u2019re wearing here.<\/p>\n Those who can summon the energy to move on from Noja only have to round the headland to come upon yet another splendid beach<\/p><\/blockquote>\n With Playa de Ris on one side of Noja and the equally gorgeous Trengand\u00edn stretching away on the other (a path links the two), it\u2019s not hard to see how people while away a\u00a0summer here with swims, picnics, leisurely walks, long lunches and sunset cocktails. Seafood is, of course, excellent, but the n\u00e9coras (velvet crabs) are particularly prized.<\/p>\n Those who can summon the energy to move on from Noja only have to round the El Brusco headland at the end of Trengand\u00edn to come upon yet another splendid beach. Berria is bordered by the Santo\u00f1a, Victoria and Joyel marshlands<\/a>, a nature reserve that attracts migratory birds from autumn to spring.<\/p>\n Considered a delicacy, Santo\u00f1a anchovies are served straight from the tin at restaurants and tapas bars. Photograph: Sergio Rojo\/Alamy<\/p>\n The adjacent town of Santo\u00f1a marks the end of the Costa Trasmiera. It\u2019s all about fisheries and canning factories here, which is a lot more interesting than it sounds. As long as you like anchovies, that is. Santo\u00f1a anchovies are bigger and fleshier than most, with a softer texture and a more delicate flavour, and here they\u2019re expertly filleted and preserved in olive oil. Considered a delicacy throughout Spain, they are served straight out of the tin at top restaurants and tapas bars. Have a look around the anchovy museum<\/a> \u2013 really \u2013 before ordering some at a\u00a0bar, along with a plate of sardines and a beer. Devour the lot while standing at a high table on the pavement outside, then quaff another beer. You may find yourself ordering more anchovies as well.<\/p>\n By now you should have tuned into the laid-back Costa Trasmiera vibe. All\u00a0you have to do, at some point, is make your way back to Santander. It\u00a0only takes about half an hour by car, but you may be tempted to stop at some of the inland villages along the way. This is not an area to rush around, which \u2013 if you\u2019re doing things properly \u2013 you will no doubt have gathered by now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While we all know that \u201ccosta\u201d is simply the Spanish word for\u00a0\u201ccoast\u201d, for most of us it has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329951,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5312],"tags":[2000,299,104],"class_list":{"0":"post-329950","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-spain"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114997572772771178","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}