Mioño between River, Coast and Mining History

In the eastern part of the municipality of Castro-Urdiales lies a cultural landscape shaped by mining heritage and extending, among other places, as far as Mioño. Here, very different impressions come together in close proximity, between riverbank, beach and traces of ore mining.

When booking a holiday apartment in Mioño, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions can be compared on the respective offer pages. Taken together, this information defines the personal framework for choosing accommodation for the planned trip and organising its timing.

Landscape and Coast

The centre of Mioño extends along the banks of the River Cabrera. The Cabrera flows into the sea at Dícido Beach, thereby connecting the town centre with another distinctive landscape area. Playa de Mioño is 350 metres long and consists of pebbles, gravel and fine golden sand.

Near Playa de Mioño, on the way to the Cargadero in the bay of the same name, there is an area where dogs are allowed. The beach, river course and bay each offer their own particular perspective on the area.

Culture and Mining History

The Cargadero de mineral de Dícido has been protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest since 1996. It was built in 1896 on Dícido Beach to load iron from the mines onto ships. The present structure was built in 1938 after the earlier facility was destroyed in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. It is the only cantilever structure of its kind on the Cantabrian coast.

The Iglesia de San Román also preserves several architectural and art-historical details. Its floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross; the nave is divided into three sections, with the choir at the rear, along with a polygonal apse and an attached sacristy. The church was extended between 1694 and 1710.

The Iglesia de San Román also contains a freestanding, polychrome stone statue of the Virgin Mary, whose features allow it to be associated with Gothic Marian statues. The Kiosco de la campa de San Román stands on the campa de San Román; it was built in 1989 and received an award for its design from the Colegio de Arquitectos de Cantabria.

The Monumento al Minero is a bronze work by local artists Pablo Labiano and Carlos Goitia. The sculpture Caballo commemorates the animals that, together with the people, contributed to the prosperity of the area through mining and lost their lives in the Dícido mines. The technical side of this past is represented by the Máquina Anita nº 6: it was used in the Dícido mines and was built in 1909 by Cía. Almena Orenstein & Koppel.

Routes and Discoveries

A path along the river leads from Dícido to the centre of Mioño. A route from Mioño to Saltacaballos runs along the N-634 and offers views of the coast. A second route from Mioño reaches Lusa and runs past the San Román site. The Vía Verde de Dícido in Mioño passes through three tunnels and by a mineral loading quay.

The routes differ in their destination, course and relationship to the landscape; these characteristics can be compared side by side when planning your own day.

Other Destinations

For further orientation, see Islares.

For the higher-level travel overview: Castro-Urdiales.