Trip guide

Asturias and Galicia road trip

Green hills, empty beaches and the open Atlantic

West of Cantabria the crowds thin out and the coast gets wilder. Asturias has dozens of beaches between green hills and rocky headlands, and its tourism office points beginners, intermediates and experts to different corners of it. Further west, Galicia faces the open Atlantic, with beaches like Pantín that Galician tourism says have waves all year round.

This route runs from east to west, from Ribadesella and Rodiles past Cabo Peñas and Tapia, into Galicia around Ferrol and A Coruña, and ends on the Costa da Morte. Every stop is a spot on the SurfCams map with its cams and forecast.

When to go

The Asturian tourism office recommends spring and autumn for good conditions with fewer visitors, summer for learning, and winter for the best swells, for experienced surfers only. Book ahead for summer and Easter week.

In summer, the north-easterly winds keep Asturias' west-facing beaches clean, according to Wavelength, and Nemiña in Galicia is sheltered from them. Autumn is prime time around Ferrol: surf forecasters rate October as Pantín's best month.

Weather to expect

This is the green, rainy side of Spain. In A Coruña, strong winds are frequent from October to April and winter brings about 15 rainy days a month. Summer is mild, with average highs around 23 °C in August, and the sea peaks at about 19 °C.

Bring a 4/3 mm wetsuit for most of the year and a 3/2 mm for high summer.

The route

Asturias

Rivermouths, long dune-backed beaches and fishing towns. Salinas, the cradle of Spanish surfing, and Tapia, with its Easter contest, are surf landmarks.

Galicia Norte

The Ferrol coast, home of the Pantín Classic, the city waves of A Coruña and the exposed beaches of the Costa da Morte.

14 spots

  1. Ribadesella – Santa Marina

    Stop 1

    Ribadesella · Asturias · Beginner · Beach break · 3 live cams

    Ribadesella's town beach west of the Sella river mouth handles wind well and has several peaks, with the strongest waves at the west end.

  2. Rodiles – river left

    Stop 2

    Villaviciosa · Asturias · Advanced · River mouth · live cam

    One of the best lefts in Spain breaks at the Villaviciosa rivermouth on big swells; advanced surfers only. Learners can use the mellow beach next to it.

  3. Xagó

    Stop 3

    Xagó (Gozón) · Asturias · Beginner · Beach break · 2 live cams

    A long, dune-backed beach west of Cabo Peñas, one of the most consistent spots in Asturias, working at every tide.

  4. Salinas

    Stop 4

    Salinas (Castrillón) · Asturias · Beginner · Beach break · 2 live cams

    The cradle of Spanish surfing, where the country's first surf school opened in the 1960s. The Asturian tourism office recommends it for beginners.

  5. San Juan de la Arena – Nalón bar

    Stop 5

    San Juan de la Arena (Soto del Barco) · Asturias · Advanced · River mouth · 3 live cams

    The Nalón rivermouth can give a long, powerful left on a big swell, but the current and boat traffic make it a spot for experienced surfers.

  6. Tapia de Casariego

    Stop 6

    Asturias · Intermediate · Beach break · 2 live cams

    The surf heart of western Asturias, with a quality left off the reef and an Easter contest held since the early 1970s. Asturian tourism recommends it for intermediates.

  7. Peñarronda

    Stop 7

    Castropol · Asturias · Beginner · Beach break · 2 live cams

    A long, golden beach near the Eo estuary, declared a Natural Monument, which works on small swells with good-quality peaks.

  8. Valdoviño – Pantín

    Stop 8

    Valdoviño · Galicia Norte · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    Galicia's most famous surf beach and home of the Pantín Classic, very consistent on small and big swells.

  9. Valdoviño – A Frouxeira

    Stop 9

    Valdoviño · Galicia Norte · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    Three kilometres of sand in front of the Frouxeira lagoon, with peaks all along it and a western end that handles very big swells at low tide.

  10. Ferrol – Doniños

    Stop 10

    Ferrol · Galicia Norte · Beginner · Beach break

    Two kilometres of consistent sand in front of a lagoon near Ferrol, at its best in spring and summer according to Galician tourism.

  11. Ferrol – San Xurxo

    Stop 11

    Ferrol · Galicia Norte · Intermediate · Beach break

    One of Ferrol's reference beaches, with a long left by the rocks at the south end on bigger swells.

  12. A Coruña – Orzán

    Stop 12

    A Coruña · Galicia Norte · Beginner · Beach break · live cam

    The heart of urban surfing in Galicia: a city bay in front of A Coruña's promenade, with the easier Camallón right in spring and summer.

  13. Carballo – Razo

    Stop 13

    Carballo · Galicia Norte · Beginner · Beach break

    A big, exposed beach at the gate of the Costa da Morte, about five kilometres long, with many peaks and a long contest history.

  14. Muxía – Nemiña

    Stop 14

    Muxía · Galicia Norte · Intermediate · Beach break

    Where the Lires estuary meets the sea, sheltered from the summer north-easterlies. A fitting end, close to the cape of Fisterra.

Tips from the line-up

  1. Pack for rain and wind as well as sun; this is the green side of Spain for a reason.
  2. Book ahead for summer and Easter week, as the Asturian tourism office advises.
  3. Rivermouth spots like Rodiles and San Juan de la Arena are for experienced surfers. Learners have mellow beaches right next door.
  4. Use the wind: in summer north-easterlies, west-facing beaches and sheltered spots like Nemiña are the best bets.
  5. Fewer surfers does not mean no locals. Respect the line-up, especially at the famous rivermouths.

Sources