Navia / Asturias / Spain

Situated on the northern coast of Spain between Gijon and Ferrol lies the stretch of coastline known as Navia. It is a good spot for surfers, wind surfers and kite surfers of intermediate and expert abilities. It is not advisable for beginners to practice here because there are rocks situated in and around the shoreline. The beach here doesn't get as busy as other beaches in the area so it is possible to surf here all year around.

The beach here is relatively small (only around 300-400 meters in length) and there is a river to the left and cliffs to the right of the beach. It is a sandy beach and is not too crowded, even during the height of the summer. To get here you drive either east from Coruna/Ferrol or west from Gijon on the N634 until you see signs for Navia. The beach itself is to the north of the town, in the entrance to the river mouth. You can park here.

The wind here is pretty changeable but the predominant direction is north east, which is also the best direction to surf here. The bay is sheltered so it will only work in north or north east directions. If you get a northerly breeze here it is directly onshore. The water is clean and is flat to choppy most of the time. However, when the wind is strong enough and in the right direction it is possible to catch some small waves of around 1 meter in height. It is fairly shallow and there is a sandbar right in the middle of bay where the waves break The water temperature never really gets warm and falls somewhere between 10-18 degrees depending upon the time of year, so during the winter a 5mm wetsuit is probably needed.

There is not a lot here apart from parking. If you require shops, bars and restaurants, then you need to take the short walk into Navia town. If you want to let your hair down then you may want to drive back to either Gijon or Ferrol.

Surfers need to be careful of the cliffs and also to watch out for the rocks in the water. Also keep an eye out for swimmers and bathers in and around then water during the summer months.