- Villaviciosa and Gijón Asturias Centre
- Distance: 9,8 kms
- Difficulty: Short
- Code: GR204 - Coastal Path E9
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On foot:
4 h.
Round trip
- Start point: La Ñora beach
- Tour type: Hike
- Layout of the route: Download kml
GR204 - Coastal path E9 - Stage 10 A low-difficulty path that runs between the municipalities of Villaviciosa and Gijón. It is not advisable to do it by bike, as the ground is cobbled and you need a good bike and a good command of it. In addition, the profile has many ups and downs.
The trail begins on La Ñora Beach, with a climb up through a eucalyptus wood to a scenic balcony. Here you can get your breath back while enjoying a panoramic view of the Bay of Biscay and the beach.
The trail then continues uphill, though not so steeply, leaving the eucalyptus wood behind to reach the coastal strip, where there is a rest area with incredible views.
It then heads down towards Estaño Beach while offering panoramic views of La Providencia. After crossing the stream that runs down to the beach, the trail heads back uphill to the coastal strip.
There is then a fairly easy stretch that allows you to enjoy fantastic views of the cliffs and La Cagonera and Serín Beaches, a popular meeting spot for paragliders, who can often be seen flying overhead.
The trail then continues to the hill known as Colina del Cuervo, near La Providencia Park, where the city of Gijón can be made out. Skirting Peñarrubia Beach, you come to a fountain that is an invitation to stop to rest and drink.
The trail then heads downhill to El Rinconín, passing by the house of Asturian writer Rosario Acuña. On reaching the camping site, you will encounter more and more people out for a stroll. From there on, the trail runs alongside a pebble beach to then skirt the rocky area of San Lorenzo Bay along a paved promenade all the way to Piles Bridge, the end of the hike, but not of the walk, which continues along the entire beach.
The walk along San Lorenzo Promenade offers views of Gijón Bay all the way to Santa Catalina Headland. It is a completely flat walk until you reach the Church of San Pedro, located on Santa Catalina Peninsula at the end of San Lorenzo Promenade, known locally as "El Muro" (the Wall). Located up on the headland is the "Eulogy to the Horizon", a monumental work by the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, visible from any point on Gijón's coastline and which has become a symbol of the city. From there you head downhill through the park to reach the marina between Fomento and Fomentín Wharfs, where the moored boats offer a picturesque setting. The route ends here.
La Ñora Beach - Gijón/Xixón 9
The path begins on the beach of La Ñora (Villaviciosa), with a staircase that ascends between eucalyptus trees until it reaches a viewpoint. Here you can catch your breath while enjoying a splendid panoramic view of the Cantabrian Sea and the beach.
Continue climbing, now with a lesser gradient, to leave the eucalyptus grove behind and reach the coastal rasa, where there is a rest area with incredible views.
The descent continues down to the vicinity of Estaño beach with panoramic views that open up as far as La Providencia. After crossing the stream that runs down to the beach, you ascend until you reach the level of the coastline again.
You continue along a section of low difficulty from where you can enjoy the marvellous view of the cliffs and the beaches of La Cagonera and Serín, where you can often see paragliding enthusiasts flying over the area.
We then pass by the Colina del Cuervo (Crow Hill), near the Parque de la Providencia, from where we can see the city of Gijón/Xixón. Surrounding the beach of Peñarrubia, there is a fountain that invites you to stop for a rest and a drink.
We continue descending towards El Rinconín, passing by the house of the Asturian writer Rosario Acuña. At the Gijón campsite, there are more and more walkers. From here onwards, you walk along a pebble beach and then go round the rocky area of the bay of San Lorenzo, along what is now a promenade as far as the Piles bridge, the end of the path, but not the end of the walk, which continues along the whole length of the beach.
You walk along the San Lorenzo beach promenade, enjoying the view of the entire bay of Gijón/Xixón, until you reach the Cerro de Santa Catalina. It is a completely flat walk until you reach the church of San Pedro, located on the peninsula of Santa Catalina, at the end of the so-called Muro de San Lorenzo. Here you will find the "Elogio al Horizonte", a monumental work by the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, visible from the entire coast of Gijón and which has become an icon of the city. We descend through the park until we reach the marina at the Fomento and Fomentín docks, where the moored boats offer a picturesque view. This is the end of the route.
