Stumbling Upon A Hidden GEM On Spain's North Coast. Welcome To Llanes, Asturias...

I was really just here for the train journey and alighting in Llanes was a random decision based more on time available more than anything else. Boy was that a good decision! Enjoy the video.

Filmed on 5th March 2024
Thumbnail designed using Canva
This video is not sponsored and all opinions are my own

I don’t pretend to be a travel expert, but I love what I do and would be honoured if you came along with me. My channel focusses on the wide-eyed wonder and excitement of finding somewhere new, and my genuine reaction to it. You may not get a history lesson in my videos, but who knows, you might pick up some useful travel tips along the way, add a few destinations to your bucket list and hopefully be entertained by what you see. Thanks for watching, it means a lot to me :)

I do ALL of this myself. Planning, filming, editing, promoting, all with a weekly upload schedule, so please understand not every video will be an epic adventure. But my pledge is to always do my best in any situation and KEEP THE CAMERA ROLLING :)

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FAQs:
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I was born in Glasgow but have lived in Carnoustie, Dalgety Bay, Stonehaven, Edinburgh, Montrose, and further afield (Salamanca, Spain & Devonport, New Zealand)
WHEN DO YOU UPLOAD?
Saturdays at 10am Scottish time. Occasionally a bonus midweek video will pop up (in which case, likely to be Tuesday at 5pm)
WHY IS THERE A DELAY BETWEEN TRIP AND VIDEO APPEARING?
This is a result of doing all this myself I’m afraid. Editing takes time and I also like to schedule videos a bit in advance in case of any problems/illness/cancellations etc. Keeping my uploads appearing every Saturday morning is important to me, so I don’t want anything to get in the way of it. Also, I occasionally need some time off to recover from trips!
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?
WHY DON'T YOU SPEND LONGER AT DESTINATIONS?
The usual suspects I'm afraid - time and money! Hotels especially these days make my eyes water like a true Scotsman. Also my weekly upload schedule means I need to keep on the move.
WHERE'S ALICJA?
Alicja will feature whenever possible, but she has her own life and a proper job so it can take a while for our schedules to match up. Trust me though, I prefer it when She is there too!
DO YOU PAY FOR YOUR OWN TRAVEL?
Yes I do. I've only ever accepted a complementary ticket as compensation for a previous problem. All my opinions are frank and honest reflections of travel as I experience it.
WHY THE ADS?
It's my income, I can't do this for free. Notice I don’t have mid-roll ads though!
CAN I CONTACT YOU?
I used to list my email address but felt bad not having the capacity to respond to everything so took it down (and I got a LOT of spam so missed many genuine messages along the way).
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Watching my videos is of course support enough, but if you'd like to support further, I'll pop links in here for Paypal and Patreon. All kind donations are super-appreciated and will go 100% towards future filming trips.
DO YOU ACCEPT SPONSORSHIPS?
I don't like to upset the flow of my videos, so I don't even include mid-roll ads anymore (at significant loss of income to myself), so I prefer not to include sponsorships either. I'm open to a small slide at the start/end of each video, but I don't want to get into talking about products, it's something I don't like as a viewer myself (especially as a viewer who pays for YouTube Premium). So it's probably a polite no, although all of this goes out the window if you offer me something which can give me the chance to make a video for my audience that would otherwise be impossible.

#SteveMarsh #Spain #Asturias

[charlesfulcrum]

I can’t put my finger on it, but you capture travel in such a brilliant way. No ‘influencer’ nonsense, just your own views and on a budget. Thank you and keep them coming.

[yosoydavidfm]

Hey Steve,

Welcome to Asturias 👋

The painting of the ship that mentioned Glasgow depicts "Corveta Nautilus", which was a training ship of the Spanish Navy between 1886 and 1925. It was built by Randolph, Elder, & Co. in Govan in 1868 and was originally called "Carrick Castle".

The painted cubes are called "Cubos de la Memoria" or "Cubes of Memory". Those blocks of concrete are regular protections of harbours around here, but Basque painter Agustín Ibarrola made this little piece of art.

DPTM means "Dominio Público Maritimo Terrestre" (Maritime-Terrestrial Public Domain), which in short includes the coastline, Spanish territorial waters and the natural resources found there. That boundary post is just marking where that area begins. You can find them all around the coastline. The number is just the ID of that particular post.

The lovely looking old houses are called "casas de indianos". In the late 19th and early 20th century loads of Spaniards emigrated to Latin America. Some, the "indianos", made loads of money and then came back. Then, they built houses in the style they saw over there. "Indiano Architecture" is a thing in Asturias. There are loads of houses, similar to the ones you saw, everywhere here. One interesting thing about them is that they all used to have a palm tree in the garden, to show that they had been to lands where you could find one.

Finally, the lighthouse is a working lighthouse that has been in service since 1860. It's a public building belonging to the entity that manages the Port of Gijón.

I'm glad you had a good time. Please, visit us again! 🙂

[dominicskelton]

The ship mural is commemorating a Spanish navy sail training ship called the Nautilus, which before they brought her into service was the Carrick Castle, built in Glasgow in 1866.

[tonyprice]

I've spent many a nice holiday in Llanes. Lovely place, which I tried to keep quiet about. Now you've only gone and given it all

[joefeinstein]

Great tour - I was there 10 years ago and it's nice to see it hasn't changed at all. My ancestors came to America from Llanes and I was the first person to return for 200 years. I can't wait to come back again with my kids!

[tomcarr]

This is where spaniards from southern Spain come for the cooler climate and their summer holidays. Good time of the year for your visit. It can be heaving from June onwards.I was there with my son about 5 years ago via FEVE

[grahamstubbs]

Northern Spain is so beautiful. A bit further along the coast is San Sebastián. Not to be missed.
Your tastebuds will thank you forever.

[seanclark]

The whole north coast of Spain is amazing, and apart from the pilgrims walking the Camino is almost exclusively only visited by other Spaniards .
Anyone thinking of walking the Camino is in for a treat if they take the chance and go for it.

[Rallarberg]

I love small, compact towns like this, especially when they have easy access to longer distance public transport :) And those colourful wavebreakers are definitely a step up from the regular dull grey of concrete in my eyes! An absolute gem of a town, indeed.

[stu]

If anyone cares (i did, how sad am i) the tunnel is a water treatment plant

[joseramonvillarflecha]

How lovely you came to Asturias!!! I knew you'd love it!
So, don't hesitate and come traveling around, you'll never get disappointed here!

[susannabouwhuis]

What an absolute beautiful town you took us to, thanks so much.

[williamelgin]

You are right Steve, a hidden gem. Don't tell too many people!
In my many stays in Llanes I have found Spanish tourism far out numbers foreign. But I always do notice foreigners, mostly from the UK and the US.
It is a busy place in the summer, but never seems over-crowded. Not easy to find a parking space. Many good restaurants at all price ranges. I have eaten several times at Uria where you had your calamares! For another hidden gem, take the FEVE further west to Cudillero, a smaller Llanes. It is in a valley that leads to the sea. Has a plaza full of seafood restaurants where the road meets the see.
Thanks for bringing back memories.

[Kent.]

You were right about a hidden gem. If you Google it says... Llanes economy is boosted by tourists mostly from the rest of Spain in the summer. The town has traditional shops and restaurants, both in and around the town, and the zona de copas is lively at night in summer. Looks like a very nice place👍

[timothyrobson]

I was there in February Incredible storms and massive waves with spray gushing up through blow holes on the cliffs

[dancingmidgephotography]

Hi Steve.... My wife & I walked the Camino Frances in Oct 2022, starting from SJPP France - Santiago 780km, it was fantastic.... life changing. We walked 'the way' again in Oct 2023 & I'm getting ready to return this Oct with my youngest son, we cant wait. If you haven't seen the movie 'The Way' - Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, it's definitely worth a watch.

[amtrakharry]

OMG !!! Steve you keep on pulling rabbits out of the hat 😀😀😀 You and Alicja are walking machines !!! Thank you for showing us this amazing place...:):):)

[martiwilliams]

Beautiful little town! What a lovely Breath taking scenes! Thank you Steve, for taking us along.

[janinehawkins]

Camino de Santiago. That would be a great one. Loving the Llanes Lizard. Brilliant Steve, as always 😊

[hughcrawford]

What a lovely area of Spain with the ancient habour; walkways, narrow roads surrounded by quaint well built buildings. A great tour and coverage.