Swimming places - Camino del Norte

[Eli_]

Hi all,

Do you have places to recommend for swimming on the Camino del Norte ?
**By swimming, I mean somewhere I can enjoy being in the water above the knees and/or waist

I'm really open to any suggestions It can be a stop along the way, a little detour, somewhere to go at the end of the day, etc.

I will walk the Camino from September to mid-October.

The water temperature does not worry me, I'm from Quebec, Canada, and I deal pretty well with cold temperatures.

 

[The Cumbrian]

I went to Asturias on holiday a few years ago and took my family to the relatively secluded Playa de San Antonio del Mar several times, and the Del Norte passes very close to it:

Playa de San Antonio del Mar · 33592, Asturias, Spain

★★★★☆ · Beach

www.google.co.uk

A little further along is a very popular beach, Playa de Cuevas del Mar, which has a bar and restaurant. I was there in July and the water felt chilly when you first got in, but I soon got used to it and stayed in for a long time afterwards.

I thought that the area around Ermita de San Antonio on the headland looked perfect for a sneaky bivvy, but that's just me...

 

[Rick M]

Ummmm.......you DO know that the Norte walks, with couple of exceptions, along the sea coast, right? When you're not on a headland, you're on a beach. With the exception of the Galicia part near the end, you should be able to swim most days. There are beaches everywhere.

 

[NualaOC]

Hi @Eli_
I walked part of the Norte a few years and swam in quite a few places. The ones that come to mind are San Sebastian, Getaria, Castro Urdiales, the beach between Guemes and Santander, La Morena (on the coastal route from Santander) and Ribadesalla. No doubt other folk will add to that list.

I also really enjoyed walking barefoot on the beaches and cooling my feet in the water (which was warm, by Irish standards in September).

It's wonderful to lie in the sea after a long day of hiking! One of my favourite memories of the Norte.

Happy walking and swimming,

Nuala

 

[naplesdon]

The beach at Laredo is worth a rest day stop

 

[amancio]

where to start... just a few that spring to mind

in the Basque country

San Sebastian
Zarautz
Zumaia

in Cantabria

Castro Urdiales
Laredo
Noia
Between Güemes and Santander
Santander itself
Comillas
Oyambre natural reserve
San Vicente de la Barquera

in Asturias

Pendueles
Llanes
Ribadesella
Vega
La Isla
Gijón
Avilés
Cudillero
Luarca
Tapia de Casariego
Playa de Peñarronda


en Galicia

Ribadeo
Ribadiso de Baixo, in a river, 42 km from SAntiago, BEAUTIFUL!

 

[oursonpolaire]

The water along the Bay of Biscay can be dangerous and would-be swimmers need to be careful about the undertow. A Guardia at Zarautz was a diver working with the Search and Rescue unit which, she told me, should properly be called Search and Recover. Be really careful, check to see what colour flags are out, and if there are lifeguards, and pay attention to locals' advice.

I have walked along the del Norte three times and loved the beaches. Most of them I would not dream of going in over my waist. Here are a few exceptions: Zarautz, Playa de Santiago east of Zumaia, Deva, Oriñon, Tregandin (after El Brusco, if you have the nerve for it) which continues to Noja, Galizano, Los Tranquilos which continues to Somo, Torimbia, Santa Maria in Ribadesella, La Isla (very good for dawn swims), Cadavedo, Porcia, and a slew of wonderful small beaches west of Tapia de Casariego, finishing with a quick dip at the playa de Arnao before crossing the horrid bridge into Ribadeo.

There are other remarkable beaches, such Langre, Ballota, San Antolin, Aguilar, Tablizo and de Ballota east of Cadavedo, and Frexulfe, among many others, where I would cheerfully wade but go no further. I long ago heeded the advice of my swimming teacher who said that live chickens have a lot more fun than drowned eagles.

 

[mazzarina]

If you want somewhere different than the beach, I'd recommend the Wild Swimming Spain app. It's not expensive and it's great for inland spots.

 

[WEnotUSorTHEM]

this website is pretty cool... showing sea temps around Spain.

https://www.seatemperature.org/europe/spain/

 

[Eli_]

Ummmm.......you DO know that the Norte walks, with couple of exceptions, along the sea coast, right? When you're not on a headland, you're on a beach. With the exception of the Galicia part near the end, you should be able to swim most days. There are beaches everywhere.

Yes I know, that's why I'm asking for specific recommendations; to know which places are the best.

 

[Eli_]

The water along the Bay of Biscay can be dangerous and would-be swimmers need to be careful about the undertow. A Guardia at Zarautz was a diver working with the Search and Rescue unit which, she told me, should properly be called Search and Recover. Be really careful, check to see what colour flags are out, and if there are lifeguards, and pay attention to locals' advice.

Thanks for the advice, I will definitely be careful !

 

[Eli_]

If you want somewhere different than the beach, I'd recommend the Wild Swimming Spain app. It's not expensive and it's great for inland spots.

Oh wow that's a really nice application ! Thanks for the info

 

[Eli_]

@The Cumbrian, @NualaOC, @biarritzdon, @amancio, @oursonpolaire & @SPLENDID McFLOWEY

Thanks for all the spots It will really help me