Salinas / Asturias / Spain

Situated west of the bustling city of Gijon on Spain's north coast, lies the beach at Salinas. It is a popular 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 large rocks to the south of the beach and a mole to the north. It does get fairly crowded here during the summer with tourists and beach goers, so there may well be time and zone restrictions imposed. It is advisable to check before you set off. If you want to avoid the restrictions and the crowds then October to April are your best months.

The beach here is a large beach that is around 2.5 kms in length, however its size does depend upon the tide. To get here you need to drive westbound out of Gijon an the A8 heading towards Aviles. Here you take the N632 following the signs for Salinas and the beach. There is plenty of parking here.

The best wind directions for surfing here are north, north northeast and north northwest, and these are predominantly where the wind come from. The winter months can bring about some quite gusty conditions and it is not uncommon for wind speeds to be in excess of 30 knots. However the summer winds are much lighter. The water quality is clean and the conditions are small waves most of the time. If the wind is strong enough and in the right direction it is possible to pick up some nice waves of up to 3 meters in height. The water temperature remains somewhere between 10-16 degrees depending upon the time of year, so a wetsuit is always needed.

There isn't really too much here apart from parking. If you need shops, bars, restaurants and accommodation then the nearest town would be either Aviles or Salinas itself. For some good nightlife, then head back towards Gijon.

Be on the look out for large rocks situated at the south end of the beach, also there is a large mole to the north. Also be vigilant for swimmers and bathers in and around the water during the summer months.