Mataleñas beach is located in Cueto, in the municipality of Santander.
We're sorry. In the natural theater that is Mataleñas beach the main protagonist of the scene is not you, is the Cantabrian. But not a furious and dramatic one, like the one that hits hard on other parts of the Cantabrian coast, but a calm and fabulous one, whose crystal clear turquoise waters they contrast with the saturated green of the vegetation that surrounds it. For something it is considered by many (with Somo's permission) as the most beautiful beach in Cantabria.
Access – more than difficult – entertaining (you will have to go down a steep staircase with more than 150 steps), this small horseshoe-shaped sandbank is protected by a cliff that stops the ravages of the wind, but also mobile coverage. So when we talk about that in Mataleñas the disconnection is absolute we are also referring to the technological aspect.
situated in Cueto, in the municipality of Santander, It cannot be considered a typical urban beach, because it does not have services (except for the small artisan ice cream stand that is stationed above, next to the road), but it is not as isolated as it seems either, since it is linked to the Sardinero by a promenade that surrounds the golf course and boasts a viewpoint, that of Cabo Menor, which gives incredible views of the city of Santander.
Aerial view of Mataleñas beach, Santander.
TWO BEACHES IN ONE
As in the great majority of the beaches of the Cantabrian Sea, The aspect of Mataleñas beach is dual and depends on the tides: at low tide you will have to walk meters and meters through the wet sand until you reach the shore and at high tide you will end up a few centimeters from the neighbor with the towel next to you to not lose your privileged place in the fine golden sand.
And even though is open to the sea (hence the water is always clean and transparent), the waves are not usually dangerous, so the green flag flutters in the wind on a regular basis for pleasure and enjoyment the little ones, who feel it like a natural pool where it barely covers, and tranquility of their parents, who also see themselves supported by lifeguards in their role as Baywatch.
Cabo Mayor lighthouse in Santander.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Two wonders guard the beach: on one side, the Mataleñas park, with its hundred-year-old and singular trees, such as the banana, the yew or the magnolia, and, on the other, the Cabo Mayor lighthouse, whose coastal path crosses a wild area of great landscape value until reaching Liencres, leaving behind the spectacular and abrupt Costa Quebrada. For those who want less intensity, they will only have to finish the route in La Virgen del Mar.
The Coastal Interpretation Center, located in the old coastal defense battery of San Pedro del Mar (from the 17th century), in La Maruca, it appears with its renewed contemporary profile half way through and houses a permanent exhibition on native flora and fauna. And, although it is now closed for health reasons, it continues with its training and educational work through its website, where they explain from the erosion in the sandstone strata of the area to what are the potholes or pot holes that are found in rocks.
Coastal Interpretation Center, in La Maruca.
because we already know that Cantabria is infinite, but in Mataleñas, in addition, it is wild, singular and beautiful enough to compete with Somo And those are big words.