Castro-Urdiales has one of the best harbour fronts on the whole Cantabrian coast, and it knows it. The Gothic church of Santa María de la Asunción stands on a rocky headland above the old port, its buttresses and pinnacles silhouetted against the sea, flanked by the remains of a castle that now holds a lighthouse and by a medieval bridge leading to a little chapel on a rock. Built from the thirteenth century onward, the church is one of the finest Gothic buildings in northern Spain, and it lies on the coastal route of the Way of Saint James, which is part of a UNESCO listing that covers the pilgrimage roads of the north.
The town grew from a Roman settlement into a busy fishing and trading port, and the harbour is still full of colourful boats, with seafront promenades and glassed-in balconies on the old houses. Inside the church, look for the strong Gothic columns, the ambulatory and the way the light falls through the high windows. Outside, the view over the harbour is just as rewarding.
Riding to Castro means a choice between the motorway, which is quick and easy, and the old coast road, which is slower but more interesting, passing through villages and offering glimpses of the sea. Head inland and things get much better: the valleys of the Asón and the Cantabrian mountains offer superb twisting roads, with climbs like the Alto de los Tornos, gorges, beech forests and green pastures. Surfaces are generally good, but rain is frequent and the roads can be damp and mossy in the shade.
Castro is a lively town of some thirty thousand, and petrol, beds and lunch are never a problem. The seafront is lined with bars serving pintxos and fresh seafood, and the anchovies of the Cantabrian coast are famous. Try grilled fish, squid in its ink or a bowl of marmitako, the tuna and potato stew of the fishermen.
June and September are the sweet months here, warm enough for the terraces and free of the August crush. In August the town fills with holidaymakers and parking becomes a sport. Walk up to the church in the evening, when the sun lights the stone gold and the fishing boats rock gently below; few town stops on this coast are quite so satisfying.