Pechón on the Cantabrian Sea – Beaches, Cliffs and Festivities

Lastras de Pechón, also known as El Castril, is a coastal island in the Pechón area, opposite Amió Beach. As a tombolo, the formation is connected to Amió at low tide and isolated at high tide; it is of geomorphological interest.

Coast and Landscape

The elevated plains of the Sierras planas del Llano in Pechón offer panoramas of the town and the Cantabrian Sea. Playa de Amió, also known as Playa de Pechón or Amió, is the municipality’s largest sandy beach, measuring up to 900 metres, and is located less than one kilometre from Pechón. It is a tombolo, or sandbar, that connects to a small island at low tide; at the same time, the sandy tombolo linking Lastras Island becomes visible.

Aramal Beach and La Edrá Cove can also be reached from Pechón. Aramal connects with Amió Beach at low tide, while La Edrá is protected from the effects of the Cantabrian Sea by Punta de la Vigía. Pechón also has significant areas of holm oak forest.

Pechón is bordered by the Ría de Tina Mayor, the estuary of the Deva River. Playa del Pedreru is located in Pechón on its right bank. The 280-metre-long pebble beach is very difficult to access and has no facilities. The Tina Menor viewpoint is located near Pechón. In the estuary there, the fresh water of the Nansa River meets the salt water of the Cantabrian Sea. The estuary is protected as a Special Area of Conservation (ZEC) under the name Rías Occidentales y Duna de Oyambre and serves as a refuge for more than 30 different bird species.

Hiking and Climbing

The Acantilados de Pechón circular route is a 5-kilometre local trail with 105 metres of elevation gain and an approximate duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes. It passes a climbing area on the cliffs, the Castillo de Berón, a watchtower built in the 1970s, as well as cliffs, beaches and green paths. The circular route can be extended to Playa de Las Arenas.

The approximate duration of the circular route, the elevation gain, the possible extension and the lengths of the climbing routes provide different points of comparison for weighing up daily itineraries. The Tina Menor climbing sector in Pechón has vertical and overhanging limestone routes measuring approximately 22 to 28 metres in length. From the Fisherman’s Monument, a descending path leads to the foot of the wall in about five minutes. Route 91 leads to the Pechón peninsula.

Culture

The feast of San Sebastián is celebrated in Pechón on 20 January. The town’s main summer festival is Santa Clara, held on 11, 12 and 13 August. At a viewpoint in Pechón above the Ría de Tinamenor, a bronze sculpture was installed as a tribute to the “Pescador de caña”, a figure highly representative of the Cantabrian coast.

Getting There

The municipality of Val de San Vicente can be reached from Santander or Asturias via the A-8; take the Unquera or Pesués-Los Tánagos exits. FEVE trains run daily from Santander and Asturias to Unquera.

To reach Playa del Pedreru, take the turn-off to Pechón from the N-634 and then continue via the S-494. The access path begins next to the bar at Las Arenas campsite.

Other Places

Other places in the municipality of Val de San Vicente: Serdio, San Vicente De La Barquera, Pesués, Abanillas, Prellezo, Estrada, Unquera

To the higher-level travel overview: Val De San Vicente.