Costa Quebrada

The Costa Quebrada, the broken coast, runs about twenty kilometres west from Santander and it is a textbook of coastal erosion: rock layers tilted by tectonic movement and then attacked by the Atlantic, producing sea arches, isolated stacks, wave-cut platforms exposed at low tide, and small coves between headlands. The Urros de Liencres, two rock islets off the shore, are the best-known formation. Behind Playa de Valdearenas at Liencres lies one of the largest dune systems on the Cantabrian coast, formed by sand blown from the Pas estuary and stabilised by pine planting, protected as a natural park. A geopark project interprets the coast, and a coastal path links the beaches and viewpoints.

What you actually see

• The Urros de Liencres - rock stacks standing off the shore.
• The wave-cut platforms - tilted rock layers exposed at low tide.
• The Liencres dunes - a large dune system behind the beach.
• The coastal path - a route linking beaches, arches and viewpoints.

When to go

April to June and September to November; low tide reveals the platforms and arches and shapes any visit more than the season. Summer fills the beaches and parking. Storm days give the most dramatic sea.

Honest expectations

Access to the formations depends heavily on the tide. The Atlantic here is cold and has strong currents, with drownings recorded at several beaches. Dune areas are fenced and must not be walked on.

Nearby

Santander lies east; Santillana del Mar and Comillas are west along the coast.