logo
The Spanish coastal region with fewer than 2,000 Brits a year that has ‘endless' beaches

The Spanish coastal region with fewer than 2,000 Brits a year that has ‘endless' beaches

Scottish Sun16-06-2025
And the quiet beach town in Spain that is compared to California
SI YA The Spanish coastal region with fewer than 2,000 Brits a year that has 'endless' beaches
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A COASTAL region in Spain is one of the least visited area by Brits in the country - despite having more than 60 beaches to visit.
Mariña Lucense is in the north-east of the country, with the nearest city being Lugo.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
5
A coastal region in Spain has barely any British tourists visiting it
Credit: Alamy
5
The natural rock formations are the main attraction
Credit: Alamy
According to the Spanish Tourist Office, just 1,800 Brits visited the entire region in 2023.
This works out to just 0.01 per cent of UK tourists in Spain, which hit 18.4million in total last year.
Manuel Butler, UK director of the UK Spanish Tourist Office said: "Tourism is focused in several areas and we have too much to offer, so diversification is something that we are looking for, for the prosperity of the people living there and the tourists as well.
"These are just a few of the many examples that you can discover or rediscover in Spain, which are not touristy.'
With 62 miles of coastline and 'endless' beaches, one of the most famous is Playa de las Catedrales.
The huge stretch of sand has no tourist strips of bars or clubs, and just one restaurant.
Instead, the main attraction is the natural rock arches in the middle of the beach that you can walk through.
Tourists can only visit it during low tide, and in the summer you have to reserve a free spot to avoid overcrowding.
One person wrote: "You don't have to go to Thailand to realize what we have in Spain."
Also nearby is the town of Ribadeo with the main attraction is the Torre de los Moreno, build by a disciple of Gaudí.
Villajoyosa the Spanish town that smells like chocolate
5
Make sure to visit Torre de los Moreno, built by a disciple of Gaudí.
Credit: Alamy
For the best views, tourists head over to Pancha Island Viewpoint, connected to the mainland by footbridge.
Other towns in the area to visit include Viveiro, with the shell-shaped Covas beach.
Or there is the fishing town of Burela, which has empty beaches to explore as well.
But if you want the skip the beaches, there is also the Río Eo, Osco y Terras de Burón Biosphere Reserve - with 160,000 hectares of protected countryside.
The best way to get to the region is to fly to Santiago de Compostela, with both Ryanair and Vueling offering the two hour flights.
The coastline is then less than a two hour drive from there.
5
Walk to Pancha Island Viewpoint for the best views
Credit: Alamy
If you want to head elsewhere in Spain, then there is a beach spot in the south of the country where you won't spot any Brits,
Traveller Lee Bell, who visits the country once a month, explained how El Palmar de Vejer is a great alternative.
He explained: "Spanish locals love it - especially those from Madrid, who drive down for the summer holidays.
"Locals even call the area 'Cádizfornia' because it's got that same laid-back, surfy vibe you get in California."
Here are some little-known Spanish islands with no crowds or cars.
And this is the cheapest Spanish seaside town to visit.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Spain holidays warning for Ryanair passengers as strikes set to hit 12 major airports
Spain holidays warning for Ryanair passengers as strikes set to hit 12 major airports

Daily Mirror

time19 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Spain holidays warning for Ryanair passengers as strikes set to hit 12 major airports

Valencia, Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Santiago airports are due to be impacted by workers downing tools over the coming weeks Brits heading for Spain are facing more travel chaos as 3,000 striking workers target 12 airports. ‌ Valencia, Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Ibiza, Palma, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote and Santiago airports are due to be impacted by workers downing tools over the coming weeks, which are among the busiest travel weeks of the year. ‌ The strikes involve more than 3,000 Azul Handling baggage handlers and are due to kick off on August 15, 16, and 17, and then every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until the end of the year. By law, the workers have to provide a "minimum service" yet to be determined, but the action could still have a major impact on travellers. ‌ Azul Handling provides baggage handling services to Ryanair at its Spanish bases. The strikes have been announced after hospitality workers on 12 Spanish islands revealed their own walk-out plans. The industry action will coincide with the long bank holiday weekend at the end of August and the days before most children return to school, potentially spelling major headaches for UK holidaymakers. Around 18 million Brits head to Spain each year, with the bulk of those trips coming during the school holidays. ‌ The strike will affect all bases and work centres in Spain and will take place between 5am and 9am, noon and 3pm and 9pm to 11.59pm. The union has said its decision to strike is based on what it sees as a lack of stable job creation and consolidation of working hours for permanent part-time staff, as well as a disagreement with bosses over bonuses. It has also claimed there are issues with how workers are sanctioned and what it sees as an "abuse of overtime". The strike is motivated by sanctions imposed on workers who refuse to work non-mandatory hours, with penalties of up to 36 days without employment or pay. "UGT regrets having to go to these extremes and all the damages that may occur, for which the direct responsibility will be solely and exclusively the company and its reckless action with the workforce," the unions said in a statement. Jose Manuel Perez Grande, federal secretary of the FeSMC-UGT Air Union, claimed Azul Handling maintains "a strategy of precariousness and pressure on the workforce that violates basic labour rights and systematically ignores union demands." The FeSMC-UGT Air Sector demands that the company withdraw the sanctions, comply with the opinions of the Joint Commission and immediately open a real negotiation process, which will improve the working conditions of the more than 3,000 workers affected throughout the national territory. A Ryanair spokesperson said: "Ryanair does not expect any disruption to our operation as a result of these third-party handling strikes in Spain."

Brit stuck in Greece on ventilator with £14K bill after holiday insurance mistake
Brit stuck in Greece on ventilator with £14K bill after holiday insurance mistake

Daily Mirror

time19 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Brit stuck in Greece on ventilator with £14K bill after holiday insurance mistake

Alan Kirby, 67, from Somerset, is currently on a ventilator after falling ill during a vacation with his family - he faces a £14,000 hospital bill due to issues with his insurance A British man is stranded in Greece after suddenly dropping ill on holiday - leaving him with a £14,000 hospital bill. ‌ Alan Kirby, from Somerset, fell ill just three days into his vacation. The 67-year-old was enjoying time with his partner Helen Whitemore, 62, his stepdaughter Liza and her three daughters, when he took a turn on July 5. ‌ They were enjoying dinner in Tsilivi, Zante, when they noticed Alan looked 'dreadful, grey and pale'. Alan, who is a car valeter, went back to the hotel and woke up in the morning feeling breathless. He sought medical advice, and doctors advised he return to the UK for a biopsy on a mass in his lung they feared might be cancer. It comes after the best and worst GP surgeries across the UK were named - check your area. ‌ But before they could get home, Alan's health deteriorated and he was put on a ventilator - prohibiting him from taking a commercial flight back to the UK. He was then airlifted to a private hospital in Athens. Hospital officials called his insurance company who disclosed Alan was aware of the mass - something he says British doctors deemed to be a benign fatty tissue, and told him not to worry about it. This made it a pre-existing medical condition, which he had not declared to insurers, invalidating his cover and landing the family with a £14,000 bill. He's now on a ventilator in a hospital covered by his Global Health Insurance Card, and is too unwell to fly home on a conventional flight, but without insurance to cover a £45,000 private medical flight home. ‌ His family are unsure if he has cancer, or if his symptoms are caused by pneumonia he is now battling. Liza, 40, who is a private care assistant, said: 'We know we've made the mistake [with the insurance] - that's the problem. My mum had gone into the bank that she had insurance with and they said, 'just go on holiday, you don't have to do anything'. They didn't know about the mass. 'And he was well before - he was working as a car valeter the day before the holiday. He's still on a ventilator. There's a talk about him going into a coma, but we don't know if it's cancer or pneumonia doing the damage. He's fine, then he's not, he's fine then he's not. He's really breathless - on the phone he can't say more than a few sentences. We're just desperate to get him home." Speaking about the moment they realised something was wrong, Liza added: "At dinner he had aching pain all down the right side of his torso. He thought it was from throwing my kids while playing in the sea earlier in the day." He woke up breathless and went to a local clinic in the morning, and after extensive testing was sent to a local hospital. ‌ The couple say they thought he had a chest infection and needed antibiotics. 'But the doctor, who must have had the clinic's test results, said, 'antibiotics won't cure cancer'," said Liza. 'Everyone was petrified, nobody knew what was going on. After five hours, they told my mum she needed to go back to England for a biopsy, because they couldn't tell from the X-ray if Alan had cancer." The hospital spotted a mass in Alan's right lung, which he was already aware of, but says British doctors had told him was a benign fatty tissue mass in December 2024. Lisa added: "The insurance didn't know about it.' Two days later Alan was 'fitting' in his hospital bed, disoriented and dehydrated with oxygen levels of only 36%. "They put him on a non-invasive ventilator and there was talk that night of putting him in a coma but then they said he might not come round because of his lungs," said Liza. The insurance company agreed to fly Alan to a private hospital in Athens via a helicopter ambulance. But when Alan arrived in Athens, the insurance company contacted Lisa to say they were checking Alan's pre-existing conditions. The checks took five days and the insurance company requesting Alan's UK GP records - and discovered Alan's 'pre-existing condition', the mass in his lung. Now, the insurance company has told Alan's family they will pay for Alan's care up until the checks started - five days of private hospital care costing £14,000. Alan was moved to Athens' General Hospital where his care is covered by his GHIC card. He remains on a ventilator and antibiotics. Alan's family are now back in Somerset, trying to raise the £45,000 to bring him home via air ambulance. To donate to the fundraiser, visit here.

People flying to Greece may get 'strange' text that could cost them £300
People flying to Greece may get 'strange' text that could cost them £300

Daily Mirror

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mirror

People flying to Greece may get 'strange' text that could cost them £300

Holidaymakers jetting off to the Greek island of Corfu may been stung by an 'welcome to Albania' text message Holidaymakers jetting off to Greece may face an unwelcome surprise that could leave them hundreds of pounds worse off this summer. Some British tourists visiting the Greek island of Corfu have been receiving 'welcome to Albania ' text messages, only to discover eye-watering phone bills afterwards. ‌ This travel blunder is called inadvertent roaming or network drift, and it can cost holidaymakers up to £300. A spokesperson from eSIM travel firm Airalo has revealed why this occurs and shared advice on dodging the fee. ‌ Whilst Corfu belongs to Greece, it sits geographically nearer to Albania, reports the Liverpool Echo. The island's north-eastern point lies mere kilometres from Ksamil, one of Albania's most picturesque seaside destinations. ‌ Because of this proximity, Albanian mobile signals can be detected by visitors' phones whilst in Corfu, triggering this expensive mix-up. The Airalo representative commented: "This cross-border signal interference isn't new, especially where countries are separated by just a few miles of water or land. "It usually happens because holidaymakers' phones accidentally connect to the networks of nearby nations, which are not part of the EU's Roam Like at Home (RLAH) regulation. Tourists can avoid accidental connections to the wrong provider by manually selecting a Greek network or using a Europe eSIM." ‌ They noted that an eSIM enables travellers to maintain control over their mobile data whilst overseas. "By activating a Europe eSIM before travelling, you can significantly reduce roaming charges," they added. "In some cases, you can avoid and start using your data as soon as you land, even if your phone briefly connects to the wrong network." Holiday hotspots where tourists need to be cautious: Experts at Airalo have noticed that holidaymakers have been tripped up by this travel blunder in several locations, not just when visiting Greece. They advise that travellers exercise caution in the following destinations: In Corfu, mobiles can inadvertently connect to Albanian networks, even if you haven't left Greece, leading to non-EU roaming charges. In Dubrovnik, some users report connecting to Bosnian networks, which are outside the EU roaming zone. Unintentional roaming is possible in border areas like Germany/Switzerland or France/Monaco. Switzerland and Monaco aren't covered by Roam Like at Home, so roaming fees may apply depending on your provider. When island-hopping in the Eastern Aegean, mobiles may latch onto Turkish networks, especially on islands like Kos, Chios, Lesvos, or Samos. It's safest to manually select a Greek network. ‌ What is an eSIM? An eSIM (embedded SIM) is a digital SIM that enables you to activate a cellular plan from your carrier without the need for a physical SIM card. You can purchase an eSIM tailored for Europe from different providers, guaranteeing data coverage across several countries without facing roaming charges. eSIMs offer a handy and cost-effective way to stay connected whilst travelling, removing the hassle of physical SIM cards and potential roaming charges. For example, Vodafone offers a Travel eSIM for Greece, which can be purchased and activated either before or after your arrival. ‌ What can you do to avoid the problem? When travelling, your mobile typically connects automatically to the strongest available network. But in certain border areas, this might accidentally connect you to a network from a neighbouring country (such as Turkey on some Greek islands). To prevent this, navigate to your phone's settings, find the network options (usually under "Connections" or "Mobile Networks"), and switch from automatic network selection to manual selection. You can then choose from a list of Greek networks like Cosmote, Vodafone, or Nova (previously known as Wind). By manually selecting a Greek network, you can guarantee you're only using a Greece-based provider, thereby avoiding any potential charges from other countries, as highlighted by EE.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store