The tiny beach of Gulpiyuri is surrounded by green meadows.
They say that it is the smallest beach in the world, and this peculiarity is what has made it gain fame and media interest: "Judging by the volume of queries at the tourist office and the influx observed, interest in Gulpiyuri has grown exponentially in the last three or four years, possibly as a result of previous publications that branded it as 'the smallest in the world' and various reports on the Asturian eastern coast that highlighted it", confirms Mario García to Traveler.es , technician of the Municipal Tourist Office of Llanes, Asturian council to which he belongs.
But its true singularity, beyond its small size (it measures about 40 meters), lies in the fact that It is closed to the sea by a cliff in which there is a cave that allows the passage of tides and waves.
This small sinkhole –which was once a cavern that, due to a subsidence, was transformed into a circular depression– was declared a Natural Monument by the Principality of Asturias in 2001, in addition to belonging to the protected landscape of its eastern coast.
On Gulpiyuri beach you can hear the roar of the Bay of Biscay on the other side of the cliff.
With reduced capacity – even when the tide is low and drainage begins – access is not complicated at all, you just have to walk about ten minutes from the nearby San Antolín beach along a flat track about three meters wide.
Of course, try not to forget to take everything you need since does not have any type of service (not even signaling) : You will be surrounded in front by the cliffs and behind you by the greenery of the meadows, located at a higher altitude. And the Cantabrian? It is intuited by the roar on the other side of the rocky vertical.
ALSO NEAR
The closest town to this inland beach is the village of Naves, whose visit is worth not only for its church of San Antolín de Bedón (a 13th century Benedictine temple), but also for its its traditional hórreos and paneras, the old Asturian granaries.
And if you're in the area and the sea gets rough, it's time to be impressed by the buffoons of the coast, that kind of geysers that sprout from the cliffs when the sea hits hard during high tide and causes the water to be thrown upwards through the natural chimneys, producing an overwhelming sound (snort). You will find those of Pría to the west of Gulpiyuri and to the east the jesters of Arenillas, both also declared Natural Monuments of the Principality.
It is impressive to see the buffoons of Pría, but much more to hear them.
FOR SLEEPING
There are in Ships a beautiful Indian house built for a Cuban emigrant by the architect Joaquín Ortiz García (1899 - 1983) that has been restored and converted into a rural hotel with only 16 rooms. Villa Marron is its name and it stands out for its impressive side galleries, for its entrance porch and for its landscape design, whose gardens are the work of Dstudio (seasonal, the reservation period opens at Easter).
Villa Marron, an old house of Indians restored.