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Sep 23, 2010

Plenty of space on Playa de la Arena beach -

Plenty of space on Playa de la Arena beach -

Within easy reach of the busy ferry port of Santander, Playa de la Arena is a quiet beach popular with people who want to swim and sunbathe bare.

Located on the south side of the estuary of the tiny River Castellano, Playa de la Arena never gets crowded despite being only a few kilometres drive from Santander.

Beside the Castellano River

Handy for anyone travelling on Brittany Ferries between Santander and Portsmouth or Plymouth, Playa de la Arena is on the south side of the mouth of the tiny Castellano river where it flows into the Bay of Biscay.

Playa de la Arena offers no man-made facilities, just a long stretch of golden sand backed by dunes framed by a wooded hillside. As the estuary is of course tidal, the beach varies in size but there is always plenty of towel space.

Mostly the sand shelves gently into the crystal clear sea but in a few places it drops quite steeply. At low tide swimmers need to beware of strong currents but otherwise the water is extremely inviting.

Unusual Setting of Playa de la Arena

The setting of Playa de la Arena is unusual, looking across to a rural hillside on the north bank of the estuary where trees and bushes drop down to the water’s edge. To the right, large white villas peep down over the river’s mouth to the open sea beyond.

The beach provides a handy opportunity to go swimming and sunbathing bare for travellers taking a short stay in the area before or after using the Brittany Ferries services between Santander and Portsmouth or Plymouth in the UK.

Access from CA 141 Road

Access to Playa de la Arena is from the CA 141 road which runs between Santander and Santona with the coast to the north and the A8 motorway to the south.

Turning north off the CA 141 to Isla, there are soon signs to Playa de la Arena. After a series of bends and ups-and-downs, the road passes between a large car-park and a small beach, invariably filled with people in summer, which has two restaurants (one with an attractive terrace at the water's edge).

Rough Track to Beach

Continuing past it uphill, the road becomes simply a track and then very rough and rocky but with space to park on the left.

Soon the track drops to a small cove which is used by both nudists and 'textiles'. A short footpath, continuing past a small rocky headland, then arrives at Playa de la Arena’s long sweep of golden sand - the perfect spot for a bare swim.

Posada Las Garzas

Nearby, the resort of Santona makes a good place to stay, notably at the comfortable 11-room Posada Las Garzas which is under 100 yards from the long sandy beach of Playa da Berria.

: Playa de la Arena - Delightful Naturist Beach in Northwest Spain