Beach of Arnao (Castrillón) - L' Arena

Beach of Arnao - L' Arena 17

The path starts at the eastern end of Arnao beach (Castrillón). About 1,200 m from the start we come to the first viewpoint, from which we can see the island of La Ladrona and a good part of the coastline, then the path continues downhill towards Santa María del Mar/El Puertu, surrounding its well-known beach and several rest areas.

Following the route, we can appreciate the coastal landscape characterised by the coastal ridges. The vegetation that is present, apart from the meadows, is formed by coastal Atlantic heaths, protected by current legislation.

The walker will come across the beaches of Bahínas, Munielles and Cordial, and the different rest areas and viewpoints they offer. Later we reach one of the most emblematic points of the path: the Deva viewpoint, from where we can admire the island of La Deva, 350 m from the coast, a protected area declared a natural monument, together with the nearby Bayas beach. It is the largest of the islands off the Asturian coast. The toponym Deva, a goddess of Celtic origin, has been linked to the pre-Roman pantheon of female divinities related to the cult of water.

Some 1,200 m further on, you can reach the Racionera viewpoint, where you can enjoy the majesty of the Bayas beach. This is the longest sandy area along the entire Asturian coastline, approximately 3 km long, and it preserves one of the best dune systems on this stretch of Asturian coastline, modelled by the action of the Cantabrian Sea.

Among the dune species we find the barron, the maritime nard, the sea spurge, the sweet lettuce and the sea dogfish, all of them protected species that appear in a few stations along the Asturian coast. From another viewpoint, Los Quebrantos, you can see a large part of the Bayas beach to the east, Los Quebrantos beach and the San Esteban estuary to the west, and L'Arena to the southwest.

The path runs parallel to Los Quebrantos beach, where you can surf, has a large recreational area and is very rich in iodine. The route continues parallel to the San Esteban estuary, goes around the west side of the town of L'Arena and arrives at the marina, which has extraordinary infrastructures for mooring sports boats.

Once you leave the port, the walker joins the SB-3 road, where there is a marked path that leads to the end of the trail in the village of El Castillu.

The castle of San Martín is located in a strategic position, at the mouth of the river Nalón. This enclave, fortified on the remains of an earlier settlement, was built by the Asturian monarch Alfonso III in order to protect the coast and the estuary from Norman incursions. During the Middle Ages it was a stronghold in the context of continuous noble disputes.