• The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella
  • The village of Ribadesella

The town of Ribadesella is the capital of a municipality surrounded by mountains, beaches and cliffs. Without going any further, in the urban area many of the attractions of the council are condensed (municipality of Tourist Excellence from 1997). Apart from enjoying the heritage and the local culture, it is easy to approach the beach, the cliffs, different viewpoints and protected natural environments without going too far from the limits of its urban core.


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Latitude: 43.4621544 Length: -5.0584745
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Going around Ribadesella becomes a very dense and entertaining walk, with dozens of locations of interest.

All the tourist information of Ribadesella: accommodation, restaurants and active tourism (descent of the Sella, jet skis, etc.) in ribadesella.com

ribadesella.com

 

The village of Ribadesella

Split in two by the beautiful estuary of the river Sella, the two urban banks of the town are connected by a bridge over the estuary. In the East the historical center and the central streets of the Gran Vía or Commerce are located, which give the layout of the town a wide and orderly sense and where a good part of the commercial and leisure establishments of Ribadesella are located. One of the nerve centers of this part of the town is in the vicinity of The Plaza Nueva and the Plaza de la Iglesia, a very busy space in summer and where cider houses, cafes and shops abound. The old town it is pedestrianized and extends from the charming Atalaya park to its westernmost foothills in the Portiellu neighborhood, one of the population centers that gave rise to the town itself and that marked its seafaring status. One of the most beautiful and least known areas of this town, with very old houses that sit practically on the rocks of the primitive steep bank of the Sella, and that hides some of the most beautiful corners. Instagrammable of Ribadesella, like its famous color ladder.

The port of Ribadesella

The port area It has been remodeled in the last decade and now combines the presence of fishing nets and boats with its orientation as a boulevard: tourist and commercial promenade at the foot of the estuary. The very mouth of the sella has undergone a transformation in its use; it has gone from being the exclusive refuge of fishing vessels -as still witnessed by boats and fishing boats, or the fish market itself (La Rula) - to sharing its waters with recreational sailing ships that dock at the pontoons of a new marina, raised on the opposite shore to the traditional dock. The attractiveness of this area of ​​the port becomes pure aesthetic pleasure walking through the popular Crane ride, at the eastern end of the estuary. This is a highly recommended route that was designed according to the architectural guidelines of the time of Carlos III and which is very pleasant for the ride. Walking through it we get a good view of the main urban area of ​​the village, but also of the west bank, including beautiful Santa Marina Beach.

The village of Ribadesella

In this walk, humorist Antonio Mingote has left reflected his biggest vignette, in six ceramic murals that review the local history. Those that are popularly known as The Mingote Panels, they are an authentic work of art in the open air that you should not miss.

The panels of Mingote

The panels of Mingote

Very special review of local history with which the comedian and language academic leaves his mark...

We tour the Crane ride until its end and we arrive at a large space, with high retaining walls, from which we get a close view of the Cantabrian Sea. Above us rises Monte Corberu, a promontory with exclusive views. From the area where we are located we can easily ascend it by stairs. At the top is The Guide Hermitage, a small chapel that is the seat of the Virgin of the same name, the patron saint of the sailors' guild since ancient times. In the surroundings of the hermitage we discovered authentic cannons pointing towards the horizon. It is about the weapons that the ancient Rio de Janeiroians used to protect themselves from any threat that will come from the sea, call pirates or foreign conquerors.

From the mountain of «Guide» we get an exact map of the villa, with its two clearly differentiated parts, its enormous beach, the wide estuary and the high mountain ranges that surrounds the town by the south, with its maximum level located in the Mount Mofrechu. At the end of the beach is the Monte Somos, which together with the Corberu, in which we find ourselves, give the mouth and the beach an aspect of a shell. If we look further down we discover the pedrales. The coast at the foot of the cliff is made of rocks and boulders and we can admire it in situ, in a unique way, standing on a water scooter, touring the dinosaur coast and entering natural caves within the cliffs themselves.

Aquatic bikes

Aquatic bikes

110
double motorcycle

Discover the cliffed coast of the dinosaurs on a jet ski. An unforgettable experience along the coast of Ribadesella and Llanes….

We descend from the chapel through a path that runs through Mount Corberu and that will leave us in the old town, specifically in the Atalaya Park. Nearby we find the beach of the same name, one of the two most frequented bathing areas of Ribadesella. The Atalaya Beach It is an advanced pedral in its evolution and has traditionally been the "solarium" favorite of the inhabitants of this area. To the right and left, the Pedral of the Watchtower extends into more stone coves and privileged bathing areas, with swimming pools and natural pools to enjoy the sea in its purest form.

The old town of Ribadesella

From here, and redoing the sense by which we arrive at the pedral, we can enter into the historic helmet from the locality. It is a restored and pedestrian environment, with architectural jewels such as the House of the Ardines, the Palace of Prieto Cutre, current City Hall building, or the house of the Shield, which among other buildings grant the area a deserved title: «historical artistic".

Guided tour of Ribadesella

Guided tour of Ribadesella

12
person

A beautiful tour of the fishing village of Ribadesella, discovering all the curiosities with the help of a tour guide...

The parish church of Santa María Magdalena, and its adjoining square, in the heart of the old town, is well worth a visit for its aesthetic singularity and for the pictorial jewels that the temple itself keeps inside. Highlight the four huge fresco murals by the brothers Bernardo, Celestino and Antonio Uría Aza, located on the four sides that finish the cruise and are a clear allegory against all wars.

The historic center also houses the oldest "shopping center" in Ribadesella, its Wednesday's weekly market, inaugurated next to the town itself in the 13th century. In it, the small producers of the region offer the public the council's vegetables, seasonal fruits, "fabes", seasonal fruits, chestnuts, hazelnuts and walnuts, cheeses, apple sweets, "pantricks» or corn flour, essential for fried tortillas and for the consistent «borona», baked and filled with sausages. The weekly market is also a showcase for stalls selling clothing, various utensils, antiques, florists, etc.

The Artistic Historical set presents a medieval court and lets glimpse buildings with cantilevered balconies, glazed galleries, loft-shaped penthouses, facades with noble and arcaded shields, with buildings dating from the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The rest of the urban area on this shore of the Sella extends on a platform gained to the waters of the estuary throughout the last centuries, and the relative modernity of its foundations has allowed it to have a layout of streets with a great sense of amplitude, in accordance with the urbanistic norms of Carlos III, under whose reign the expansion of the town and port was undertaken.

In in the contemporary widening we discover Sober and solid buildings with a 19th-century square plan that are combined with others of more recent construction.

The beach of Ribadesella

On the other side of the estuary, after crossing the bridge, we access the Arenal de Santa Marina. Here in the year 1907 the Marchioness of Argüelles launched a unique urbanization. The luxurious residences and hotels that we can observe today in this part of Ribadesella are a legacy of the aristocratic and Indian constructions like the most cited of Villa Rosario, currently hotel. Right on this shore of the Sella, at the foot of the beach, part of the bourgeoisie of the time found an appropriate balneal environment for sun and sea baths, and a perfect place to reside in long summer stays. In this urbanized area new buildings are intermingled with the modernist building samples of the early twentieth century. Walking for the beach promenade It is a valid exercise at any time of the year.

Santa Marina beach

Santa Marina beach

There are few beaches in the Cantabrian Sea that draw such a spectacular panoramic view and that are surrounded…

In its eastern slope, the beach of Santa Marina concludes in the call Punta Arenal, where the estuary of the Sella takes its last curve before flowing into the sea. This prop was formerly a much larger territory, dune zone, boathouse and solar of whaling industries. The subsequent urbanization of the area known today as "The tip" was changing the use of this area and its physiognomy.

The attractions of the west bank of the Sella are more than the beach itself and its architectural jewels. Very close they are the caves of Tito Bustillo and the massif of Ardines, an environment of Paleolithic settlements with numerous samples of Magdalenian rock art that make it one of the prehistoric sanctuaries in the world.

Tito Bustillo Cave

Tito Bustillo Cave

The cave of Tito Bustillo is one of the great sanctuaries of the Palaeolithic art of Europe. Shape …

At the top of the Ardines massif itself we also find another great viewpoint of the village. Taking the N-632 towards Gijón, and just after leaving the urban area, we ascend the AS-341 towards the village of Carmen. After 100 meters traveled we left this road to continue to the left towards the recreational area of ​​La Moría. This plain is a very popular recreational place in good weather and a unique watchtower to enjoy the view of the town. The panoramic view is extensive: Ribadesella and its port, the bay and mouth of the Sella, the Guía hermitage, the Santa Marina beach...

Ardines viewpoint

Ardines viewpoint

This viewpoint has privileged views of Santa Marina beach, has road access and has …

We also discovered the extensive Malecón Natural Park, an elongated marsh that delimits to the South the promenade of the Beach. The Malecón has a great ecological value and is a place of passage for migratory birds. You can discover its fauna and flora walking through the park itself. There is an asphalted road and a series of footbridges and turrets to see everything very closely.

If we decide to go up Monte Somos, ascending a narrow road that starts right at the western limit of the beach, we also discover an unbeatable view of the beach and discover that the town still continues towards the west in extensive developments that have been built since the 80s. At its western end , the beach connects with a short route under the slopes of Mount Somos to the splendid viewpoint of the Punta del Pozu, a unique place to contemplate the force of the Cantabrian Sea during the tidal waves, but also to witness the most spectacular sunrises. At the end of this walk, on the vertical slabs of the cliff, there is a trail of dinosaur footprints. One of the most representative of the Asturian Jurassic coast.

Coast of the dinosaurs Asturias

Coast of the dinosaurs Asturias

On the eastern coast of Asturias every day that passes more fossils and traces of a fertile ...

The Sella estuary

We can still enjoy one more walk if we cross the bridge in the direction of the urban area and we turn to the right once it is over. From the same podium of the International Descent, the walk of Los Vencedores del Sella, which runs along the river until the neighborhood of Cobayu and that continues beyond. This trip reveals us at the end the natural area of ​​the Mediana. In front of us stretches a vast flat territory, a river jewel, fertile and beautiful that has been recently declared protected environment and that perhaps in the near future has the necessary to guarantee a walk, one of the many that Ribadesella provides to its inhabitants and tourists and that makes it one of the villas with more perspectives of itself.

Ribadesella and surroundings

The municipality of Ribadesella is not too extensive, so getting to all its attractions is easy and quick. For starting to all towns and villages that dot its enviable nature, each with its own idiosyncrasy, unique attractions and good gastronomy. Furthermore, in the vicinity of the town center we can find several must-see natural monuments, fabulous artistic heritage such as the church of San Salvador de Moru, wild beaches and numerous other attractions in the form of adventure activities or routes along the nearby coast, including the magnificent waterfalls or jesters.

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The Vega Beach

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Descent of the Sella by canoe

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Route of the Mills of Ribadesella

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Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com Copyright Ramon Molleda