On the western end of the province of Asturias lies one of its most idyllic places, a large estuary that separates it from the neighboring Autonomous Community of Galicia. The estuary, named after the largest river that flows into it, the Eo, lies in one of the most sparsely populated places in the entire province, but in the summer, it comes to life, with tourists and holiday goers flocking to the area to experience the estuary itself, the towns that surround it, and the nearby beaches. Here are just a few of the things one can do in this western region of Asturias.
The Towns
Although very sparsely populated, four significant towns can be found on the shores of the estuary. These are, Ribadeo, Vegado, Castropol, and Figueras. Figueras is extremely small. It is not much more than a group of houses on a hill (my grandparents’ house is here) and a small harbor. The only industry keeping the lights on there is a shipyard which builds very large ships. It also has a palace overlooking the harbor. Vegadeo is located on the southern tip of the estuary, and the Eo River meets the estuary there. It is an ugly town for the most part, with an industrial feel, but it is the most important town on the Asturian side of the estuary. Traditonally, Castropol was the largest and most important town, but in the 1980s, a bridge was constructed to connect the western and eastern sides of the estuaries. This caused Castropol to suffer, as people began to make the much shorter drive across the bridge to Ribadeo. Nevertheless, Castropol is a nice town to visit, with traditional architecture and a few cafés. However, Ribadeo is now the main attraction. With hotels, restaurants, cafes, and bars it is where people go out on summer evenings.
The beaches
Some of the cleanest, most beautiful beaches in the world can be found on the western tip of Asturias. In the estuary itself, Arnao, Arnela, and San Román Beaches all offer very nice places to relax and swim in the calm waters, but they are rather small, and they disappear when the tide rises. The main attraction in terms of beaches is about a mile away from the mouth of the estuary. Much larger and open than the others, Penarronda Beach, aptly named because of its Peña Ronda, or “Round Boulder” in English, offers a plethora of activities for one to do, such as surfing, playing sports, or looking for small fish and crabs in its tide pools. The presence of the sun is rather rare in Northern Spain, so on those rare bluebird days, expect to spend all day at the beach.
The Estuary
The Ría del Eo has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. If you do not want to go to the beach, you walk on the miles and miles of paths that line its shores. Some attractions here include an abandoned tide mill and Las Torres de Don Lebún, a palace built near the water in the 16th Century. In the middle of the estuary there is a massive island of sand, known as el tesón. On low tide, it emerges from the water, and people with boats or strong swimming abilities go to it as if it were another beach. A passenger boat also gives a short tour of the estuary for about 5 Euros.
The Eo Estuary is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in Asturias, and it has a special place in my heart. There is something magical about it that I have never encountered anywhere else.
Above: Penarronda Beach, with its iconic boulder in the middle
Below: The estuary pictured from its mouth. Ribadeo is in the foreground on the right, Figueras on the left, and Castropol is straight ahead. The tide is high, but the patch of lighter colored water on the left hand side of the picture is the submerged Tesón
The pictures you included are so beautiful and honestly tempt me to pay a visit. I would love to hear more about the small town that your grandparents live on as it seems like a niche way of life among beautiful scenery. As someone who hasn’t traveled too far out of the country, I am pretty jealous by your experience in such unique areas.
You do a fantastic job at describing the place. You should probably look into being a tour guide, or at least write a book on the place. Despite what seems like a mere sparsely populated area, you make it come alive.
You have great imagery in this post! I can already picture the beautiful landscape from your detailed descriptions. The estuary especially sticks out to me because living in central PA, I don’t get to relax near bodies of water very often. I hope to visit one day!