Playa de Gulpiyuri

Gulpiyuri is a sinkhole: the sea eroded a cave into the limestone from the cliff, the roof collapsed inland, and what remains is a small hollow in a meadow about a hundred metres from the coast, connected to the sea by a submerged passage, so tidal water flows in and out and waves break on a curve of white sand roughly forty metres across, with grass and cattle above the rim. It is a natural monument and one of the shortest beaches in the world. Access is by a walk of about fifteen minutes across private farmland from a lay-by near Naves. At high tide the sand is largely covered; at low tide the water drains almost away, so timing matters more than at an ordinary beach.

What you'll find

• The inland beach - forty metres of sand in a meadow hollow.
• The tidal connection - water arriving through a submerged cave passage.
• The waves in a field - small breakers a hundred metres from the coast.
• The farmland approach - a walk across pasture from the road.

When to go

May to September for swimming; mid-tide gives the best combination of sand and water, since high tide covers the beach and low tide empties it. Summer weekends bring more people than the hollow can hold.

Good to know

The beach is tiny and can hold only a few dozen people before feeling crowded, which it regularly is. There are no facilities of any kind and no shade. Access crosses working farmland and parking is a small lay-by.

Nearby

Llanes lies east; the Bufones de Pria are along the same coast to the west.

Key facts