During our stay in Candas we took a short drive west along the beach to another erstwhile fishing village which has turned to tourism, Cudillero.
Cudillero is much smaller than Candas and to some extent the village reminds me of the Cinque Terre in Liguria (Italy) in that it is made up of pastel coloured houses built into steep hills in a semi-circle around a small bay. There, I think, the similarity ends; it isn’t nearly as pretty as the Cinque Terre. The different colours of the houses in Cudillero are almost lost against the dark green foliage that forms the town’s backdrop while the colours of the houses in the Cinque Terre appear more vibrant against the stark rock which forms their backdrop. That’s just my view.
Whatever, Cudillero is a pretty place and it sits on an amazing coastline of sheer cliffs and fine sandy beaches. Not far away is the Playa del Silencio, surely one of Spain’s most beautiful beaches. It’s a long silver sandy cove of a beach backed by a rock amphitheatre.
There are two roads into Cudillero; the first enters the village from the top of the cliffs and the second more attractive route (and one that is considerably more suitable for large vans) skirts the village and curls down to the harbour. This harbour approach is interesting. Most people park up just short of the village and then walk along the harbour road to the town but; there’s a short cut which runs through the hillside and up into the town. This short cut begins behind a small artificial waterfall. Step behind the waterfall and there’s a 300 metre tunnel which leads directly into the town. Nala and I set off up the tunnel not realising Vanya had demurred and was opting for the more circuitous route along the road. Whoops!
Cudillero is not a particularly large village but it was packed with tourists when we arrived. That is to be expected in July and August. I hoped we would be able to avoid the large crowds in September but it wasn’t to be.
One place I wanted to visit, so as to take photos along the coast and out to sea, is a mirador (a lookout point) which we had seen perched high above the harbour. There are at least two (La Garita and La Atalaya) but I simply couldn’t find the access point. I tried going up from the lighthouse but met a dead end and Vanya and I walked well up into the town but, again, no luck. I have since discovered they are sign posted from the main square at the bottom of the village. That perhaps explains why I couldn’t find them. The bottom of the town was packed with tourists and I couldn’t get out of there quick enough.
In conclusion, you only have to look at some of the photos to see how pretty the village of Cudillero is and I certainly wouldn’t rule out a return trip. However, I would not return at any time during early July to mid September. Too many tourists filling the streets, bars and restaurants.
