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Latest UpdatesCountries Why Join?IL MagazineFree Daily E-LetterVideoOur ExpertsTestimonialsFAQsTopics Every month seems to bring another news report about North Americans relocating to Portugal… but almost none mention that just 100 miles northeast lies an exquisite slice of coastal Iberia that boasts all the same pull factors As for the north—Green Spain—it’s the information age equivalent of a blank space emblazoned "Here be dragons." in the spirit of pilgrimage-meets-quest narrative I find myself behind the wheel of a rented Fiat 500 on the A-8 highway white-knuckling my way between trundling 18-wheelers suicidal teens on dirt bikes… and possibly even dragons I’m here to explore a forgotten section of Europe that delivers an energetic port city reborn from its industrial past to a gastronomic I’ll bear west to the coastal towns of Llanes and Ribadesella Either of those could be the ideal choice for adventurous expats seeking an affordable beach life in a relatively undiscovered part of Spain I’ll travel inland and explore the high mountain country of the Picos de Europa range Learn more about the lower cost of living in Spain and other countries in our free daily postcard e-letter Simply enter your email address below and we'll also send you a FREE REPORT — Live the Good Life in Sunny and a little slice of Biscaya (since that’s where Bilbao is situated) Green Spain offers a mild microclimate and fertile landscape that’s a comfortable alternative to the arid extremes found farther south it’s a four-season wonderland of empty springtime beaches and shimmering russet falls Vast limestone crags rise abruptly from the coast and reach elevations of over 10,000 feet in short order The transition from beach landscape to highland forests is almost immediate as you head inland knife-edge ridges and peaks overarch the winding road the Picos de Europa is a tiny mountain range From the eastern foothills at the stone-built farming town of Potes to the royal mountain retreat of Covadonga on its western edge the influence on the local microclimate is immense The peaks trap moisture from the Atlantic Ocean airflow which then enriches the coastal plain with well-irrigated farmland and deciduous hillside forests Average monthly temperatures range from 77 F in August down to 47 F in February it’s a stark contrast to the arid expanse of wheat fields and citrus plantations that typify the rest of Spain and beach resorts clamor for elbow room in a temperate coastal strip Picture the Central California coast around Mendocino but with jagged peaks rather than rolling hills Europe’s oldest discovered cave paintings at Altamira—just inland from Ribadesella—suggest that Green Spain was as attractive to prehistoric dwellers 37,000 years ago as it is to present-day residents there are few sequences in the world that can compete with exiting the Artxanda-Salbe tunnel southward on the A3247 airport bus When 40 hard-chattering Spaniards go silent in a collective intake of breath Bilbao will forever be associated with superstar architect Frank Gehry’s titanium-clad Bilbao Guggenheim Museum in a (successful) bid to invigorate the city the building is a pivotal data point on the timeline of post-war world architecture it’s almost universally loved by visitors and residents alike The building’s polished exterior glares in the noonday sun and glows in the encroaching dusk With an exterior form that simultaneously evokes fish scales and the outline of a container ship organic lines echo Bilbao’s maritime heritage The structure is otherworldly… yet somehow appropriate to its surroundings Bilbao has had its periods of wealth and power the city was a post-industrial casualty of globalization Its economy—based on steel and heavy industry—was thrashed by Asian competition until an initiative to rebrand as an arts and tourism hub resulted in Gehry’s majestic Guggenheim It seems unlikely that the best view of it comes from the airport bus a natural cross-dissolve opens out to an elevated view of the brutalist La Salve bridge the murky flow of the Nervión river… and the glittering starship angles of a building which changed the fortunes of a city The gallery brought huge levels of positive media coverage Investment in trade and tourism infrastructure followed The result: Bilbao is now one of Europe’s most urbane or along the leafy neoclassical shopping boulevards around Gran Via and you’d be hard-pressed to imagine Bilbao’s gritty industrial past spotless trams from the Ribera food market by the old town to the conference centers and sports fields sector of San Mamés… and you have a cheap (€1.50 a ticket) sightseeing tour of the city’s finest parks Bilbao’s identity changes from neighborhood to neighborhood The Casco Viejo (Old Town) is simultaneously touristy and residential Sign up for IL's postcards and get the latest research on the best places in the world to retire Including boots-on-the-ground insights on real estate and rental trends Simply enter your email address below and we'll send you a FREE report - The World's Best Places to Buy Real Estate but within a few blocks becomes more eclectic and decidedly more affordable as it nears Calle San Francisco since a large police station was relocated there I saw a four-bedroom apartment listed for $149,000 low-rise apartment blocks cater to renters A two-bedroom apartment with a balcony in this area of the city is available for €950 ($1043) a month Basques—the locals of the Basque Country region stretching from Bilbao to the southeasternmost tip of France—pride themselves on having Spain’s finest cuisine (spoiler: every region in Spain prides itself on having Spain’s finest cuisine) They celebrate it by gathering at outdoor tables on every possible paved space the bar itself is nothing more than a tiny hall but the terrace out front might be serving 30 tables Grab a pintxo or two (small portions of finger-food lightly fizzy local wine—txakoli—and join the throng Though it’s not generally thought of as a coastal city be aware that Bilbao is less than 10 miles from the beach at Sopelana you can take a metro train to Plentzia or Sopelana both of which have fine cliff-lined beaches and amenities Sopelana is the rugged "surfing capital of Spain." but if your heart is set on coastal living (or indeed the stretch from Bilbao westward to Ribadesella is surely one of the last forgotten sections of the southern European coast… and it cries out to be discovered A 10-mile strip of flat grassland separates the beaches of the Asturias coast and the sheer walls of the Picos de Europa mountains and the sight of black-and-white Friesian cows meandering on the pale sand of a cliff-enclosed Asturian beach is commonplace The scent of honeysuckle and wild rose mingles with the ozone tang of sea air Much of this landscape seems more evocative of Ireland the geometric precision of apple orchards backed by the fractal outline of peaks that pass for the Scottish Highlands Renting in Llanes is a possibility too. A two-bedroom, ground-floor apartment in a modern building with a small outdoor patio area as well as access to a shared swimming pool and garage space goes for €550 ($604) a month Llanes is now a fortified fishing town with a seasonal tourist industry much of which is focused on the local beverage of choice: cider If anything is the unifying emblem of Green Spain it’s this mildly alcoholic apple brew (about 6% a.b.v.) It’s best sampled at a specialist sidrerías (cider bar) Sidrerías offer a range of traditional dishes—from grilled buttered clams to charcoal-grilled beef rib steaks—to complement their flagship drink Cider is more than just a drink here; it’s a marker of identity Green Spain locals pride themselves on the fact that the climate here is better suited to the humble apple than the highfalutin prissiness of the grape there’s a culture wars element to it that goes way beyond beverages—northerners see themselves as hard-working washing down the thirst of a long day’s toil with an honest tankard of cider Those indolent wine drinkers in the rest of the country spend half their day asleep and wouldn’t know which end of a pickaxe to swing Regardless of all that, it’s a refreshing tipple, and I seek out a suitably rustic sidreria in which to partake. Llanes is full of options. I chose El Antoju a place with wooden benches and barrels on the main walking street above the harbor where a 24-ounce bottle runs to a shade under $4 El Antoju’s lack of fanfare is typical of this elegant I had a plate of nibbles that was the essence of Green Spain’s singular mountains-meet-ocean surf and turf cuisine Three anchovy filets came from fish landed at the commercial fishing port of Santona The slices of nutty Cabrales cheese at their base came from the mountains just 10 miles inland The slivers of grilled and skinned red pepper that formed the middle layer were grown in the patchwork of neat backyard gardens which surround every village in the region The overall effect was magnificent: intense especially of such stridently fishy a fish as anchovy) it’s worth stepping off your preferred gastronomic path I can’t quite understand why property prices in Ribadesella come in at around 25% less than in Llanes and within a couple of miles of the A-8 highway that serves as the transport artery of the Spanish Atlantic coast and are waypoints on the most popular route of the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail devout Catholics walked the Camino in a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela’s cathedral where the remains of the apostle James are said to reside the trek (which has multiple routes through Spain depending on your starting point) is as much a lifestyle pursuit as a spiritual exercise and brings some 350,000 walkers to the region each year property prices are about the only significant difference between Llanes and Ribadesella The coast around Llanes is perhaps a little more rugged with sheltered coves and rocky promontories is significantly more affordable than San Sebastian despite being only a three-hour drive away Two-bedroom homes in Ribadesella hit the market at just €122,000 ($133,280) That’s for an apartment in the center of town rather than on the beach side of the river dividing Ribadesella in two Ribadesella pitches itself as the adventure sports capital of the region and the evidence for that is everywhere on a bright Saturday morning Camino walkers stride through town on their westward pilgrimage kayakers paddle down the slow-moving Sella river as it widens to form the sheltered town marina surfers longboard on the benign waves of the bay and roof racks stacked with expensive mountain bikes punctuate municipal parking lots the western spur of the Picos range dominates the southern horizon For the first few miles at the lower reaches of the Picos the plant didn’t arrive on the European continent until the 18th century Planted and propagated in the temperate regions of the world dense wood would have been ideal for building ships… except that shipbuilding graduated to iron and steel quicker than the slow-growing eucalyptus tree could fill the gap but it’s enough to scent the air with its sinus-clearing clarity as you pass through the lower slopes of the Picos particularly with the bright Spanish sun glinting through the finger-like leaves overhead the proprietor saves on utilities costs by cooling the bar’s stock of cider in the river out front which strongarms its way through the angular limestone of the Picos de Europa range passes within stretching distance of the stone-built hostelry Close enough that kitchen staff can lean over and drop a crate of bottles into the fast-flowing channel it’s churning with snowmelt from the high peaks It surely would be if it were better known 34) was the most isolated in Europe—access was by hiking track only you can visit Bulnes via a cable railway from the station at Poncebos village on the valley floor there is no vehicular access to the pristine little hamlet when the last funicular (picture a charmingly rustic trolley) of the day descends It’s uncanny that within a couple of hours of the shopping streets of Bilbao such deep tranquillity exists a few hikers sit at the outdoor tables of the bar and the river’s roar is a constant soundbed but the sense of calm has nothing to do with noise levels It’s a feeling of being cozy in a remote location I work my way through a bottle of water-cooled Asturian cider and enjoy the post-hike burn from the rough stone track that brought me here But Bulnes does have amenities and comforts. The hotel where I spent the night—El Caleyon—was among the nicest I stayed at during my trip a bookshelf stacked with a decent range of English-language volumes and the off-key clank of sheep bells from the paddock outside… it was all I could do not to doze the evening away in a post-hike miasma of content I headed to the main room/bar/restaurant downstairs and had a fresh-pulled espresso for €1.20 That’s the part I struggle to process: a captive market logistics to make an accountant weep… and yet the price of a coffee is the same as in the average Spanish town my evening meal of fabada and fresh-baked bread cost €12.50 In any comparable location in the Alps or Pyrenees Bulnes is an extreme example of what rural Green Spain has to offer… and it would be a rare expat who could settle here For all the undoubted romance of living in a roadless farming hamlet surrounded by 10,000-foot peaks and sheep pasture the reality of winter in such an isolated spot would be dark Although there is electricity and internet in the village now the staff of El Caleyon point out that storms can knock all that out in moments a flash thunderstorm of hailstones effectively locked me indoors for the evening and by morning a fresh coat of snow had settled on the upper peaks Those looking for the moderate version of Green Spain mountain life should consider one of the many farming villages lower down the mountainside 882) offer much of the same rural tranquillity but also provide such "luxuries" as vehicular access By local standards these are isolated properties but nowhere on the northern side of the Picos is more than 20 miles from the beach or 70 miles from a sizable city I easily could have spent another few months exploring Green Spain and I’d still only scratch the surface Bilbao—each is simply an example of the beach towns While these aren’t established expat enclaves of the sort you might find in Costa Rica if you’re adventurous and like the idea of settling into a local community there are hundreds of spots to choose from Meeting other expats in Green Spain requires a little effort on social media, but is by no means impossible. Northern Spain Expat/International Community is a friendly group on Facebook And while you won’t find clusters of expats in the countryside Bilbao and Santander are both multicultural cities with diverse populations—you won’t be the only North American in the city If you’re serious about a move to Green Spain it’s probably best that you brush up your Spanish skills Cantabrians and Asturians speak Spanish as their first Though you might come across English speakers working in the hospitality industry it’s not as common within the civil service or healthcare sector and the sort of English-speaking enclaves you might find on the Costa del Sol or Costa Blanca (traditionally popular with British retirees) do not exist here although do bear in mind that the Basque language is also used in the city and its environs You’ll see it written on signage and posters and hear its staccato rhythms in local bars and shares none of its vocabulary or structures It’s worth learning a phrase or two out of respect Spanish is by far the easier language to learn and Full immersion in the community and culture quickly follows even a basic grasp of Spanish It won’t be long before the region generates the same buzz among prospective expats that its n A cross between soul food and the dinner Grandma used to make is designed to fill the bellies of workers on their lunch break whether they’re in factory-floor overalls or bank clerk’s office wear That doesn’t mean that it’s low in quality Expect your waitstaff to take your order politely and deliver it to your table but don’t count on the zeal of tip-reliant North American servers a tip is not expected; if you decide to leave something You’ll find menu boards displayed outside bars and restaurants usually listing starter and main course options as well as the price A chalkboard is a good sign; it suggests that the chef is preparing options according to what’s in season or what was available at the market that morning (More permanent menu boards mean it’s likely you’ll be eating something that came out of the deep freeze.) I had menus that ranged from €24 at a fancy beachside fish restaurant in Santander to a delicious €10 range of choices at a Bolivian bar in Bilbao’s San Francisco district you get a three-course meal with bread and wine included barrel-aged symphony of velvety soft fruit texture with undertones of old leather and fine tobacco usually served cold and deposited without ceremony on your table The main meat or fish option is saved for the second course but be aware that it rarely comes with vegetables or greenery If scurvy is a concern (and after a few days eating in Spanish restaurants go for the mixed salad that will almost certainly be a first course option If more than one of your party chooses the salad it will probably come on a large plate for you to divvy up family-style This is important to know because if you’re having lunch with locals any self-respecting Spaniard will immediately drench the plate with olive oil and half a pound of salt and begin mixing the whole thing up with a fork and spoon The salad usually comes with a heap of tuna flakes so if you don’t want a tang of canned fish in every bite get in there quick before your local chum makes a cacophony of it you’ll find your salad consists of lettuce you’ll get the (dubious?) treat of a halved boiled egg on top restaurateurs are deservedly proud of their bean dishes just the same way no two Louisiana grandmas cook an identical sort of gumbo but you can count on at least one variety of dried bean or pulse slow-cooked to a silky Soak up the juices with a torn hunk of artisan baked bread and wash it down with a draft of that cold red wine… and realize that you’ve still got two courses to come I like to fill up on the first course and then opt for fish in round two there won’t be as much bulk to the second plate multiple fresh sardines (brace yourself if you’re not used to seeing fish heads as they’re left on in Spain) Meat choices generally include a pan-fried cut of beef Dessert options are much the same wherever you go: yogurt these are commercially produced and brought in But there’s almost always something that was freshly made in the restaurant kitchen so ask "hay algo casera?" (anything home-made?) It suffices to say that by eating a menù del día you are genuinely living like a local in Spain but the act of taking an hour in the afternoon to eat at a down-home Spanish restaurant is a tradition instilled in the local culture A Spanish town warned tourists who make noise complaints not to visit if they "can't handle" the natural soundscape of rural life.   and tractors are a part of their everyday life The poster reads: "Here we have church bells that ring out regularly roosters that crow early in the morning and herds of livestock that live nearby and at times carry cowbells that also make noise." told Insider that the poster has been a "total success" and was only shared in retaliation to noise complaints made by those visiting the town to enjoy nature but the only thing they seem to care about is whether their accommodation has WiFi and therefore they do not enjoy nature," he said adding that the town has less rural accommodation "Certain visitors complain about the noises and say that they interfere with their vacations They say that a rooster wakes them up early or that the cows make noise with their cowbells," he added and that you have to feed and maintain them." Canal confirmed to Insider that the poster was inspired by Saint-André-de-Valborgne a town in the French region of Occitania which has a population of about 400 people.  The French town tweeted a similar image in January to warn holidaymakers that they cannot alter the sounds of the countryside and they must enter at their own risk "We adapted it to our situation to give information with humor and a dose of irony The truth is that it has been a success that has left the borders of Spain and reached the whole world."  According to Asturias local newspaper, La Voz de Asturias, the town's deputy mayor said: "We have to know how to combine tourism with the rural world you have to be aware that it is rural and that this is daily life in the villages." It concluded: "Enjoy Ribadesella!"   Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Posters in Ribadesella warn visitors unhappy about reality of rural life they ‘may not be in the right place’ Some called in to complain about braying donkeys Other tourists dialled up officials in the northern Spanish village of Ribadesella to notify them of the mess left behind by wandering cows “Last week we had a lady who called us three or four times over a rooster that was waking her up at 5am,” said Ramón Canal “She told us that we had to do something.” likely fell short of what the grumbling tourists were hoping for: a tongue-in-cheek poster campaign that calls on city slickers to “assume all the risks” of rural life “Here we have church bells that ring out regularly, roosters that crow early in the morning and herds of livestock that live nearby and at times carry cowbells that also make noise,” reads the poster put up around the town in recent days you may not be in the right place,” it adds The aim is to bridge the at times yawning gap between urbanites and rural life, the mayor told the Spanish broadcaster Antena 3. “One needs to realise that milk doesn’t come in cartons and that you have to feed and maintain them.” The idea for the posters came from a village in southern France, said the deputy mayor, Luis Sánchez. About two years ago, Saint-André-de-Valborgne, home to about 400 people, pushed back against petulant urbanites with posters that warned of tolling church bells clanging cowbells and crowing roosters in the area ⚠ Atención ⚠#AyuntamientodeRibadesella #AyuntamientuRibeseya pic.twitter.com/sh84FSHyBo The poster is not just about warning tourists. For those eager to embrace roaming sheep and rooster wake-up calls, Ribadesella’s poster extends a hearty welcome. “If on the other hand you’re one of the privileged ones who can bear all this, you’ll enjoy the wonderful surroundings and the excellent products made by our fantastic farmers, ranchers or artisans,” it adds. “Enjoy Ribadesella!” ‘Here we have roosters that crow early in the morning and herds of livestock that live nearby,’ reads new poster campaign I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A village in Spain has told tourists who “can’t handle” the noises found in the countryside that they should consider going elsewhere Ribadesella in Asturias on Spain's north coast has launched a poster campaign warning visitors about the realities of rural life “Here we have church bells that ring out regularly roosters that crow early in the morning and herds of livestock that live nearby and at times carry cowbells that also make noise,” reads the new poster The messages were introduced in response to tourist complaints, including a woman who called up “three or four times about a rooster that woke her up at fivein the morning,” Ramón Canal, Ribadesella’s mayor, told Spanish broadcaster Antena 3 Other bizarre complaints included the noise made by braying donkeys “Realise that milk does not come in cartons the cows bring it and you have to feed and maintain them,” said Canal of the need to educate people visiting from urban areas “To hear a rooster crowing at night is normal,” added deputy mayor, Luis Sánchez, in an interview with newspaper La Voz de Asturias. “If you come to a rural hotel, you have to be aware that it is rural and that this is daily life in the towns.” He said Ribadesella got the idea for a poster campaign from Saint-André-de-Valborgne, a village in the South of France, which took a similar approach a few years ago following complaints from tourists more used to city living. Officials put up posters warning guests of church bells, cowbells and roosters crowing. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies while others huddled protectively around their kids A pungent farmyard smell hit our nostrils."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"We were at El Cabriteru a cheese farm near the small town of Las Arenas in Asturias Since 2016 the Ortega family have been making blue cheeses using raw milk from this goat herd This is just one of the many family businesses — producers fishers and farmers — that make this part of Spain a delight for food lovers."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"My partner and I were ushered outside the barn to a picnic bench laid with an"},"children":[]}]}]},"summary({\"maxCharCount\":200})":{"type":"json","json":[{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"The barn doors creaked open and the still mountain air was broken by the bleating of a 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shame because there are few stretches in Spain that offer such pristine beauty."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"Along this serrated"},"children":[]}]}]},"summary({\"maxCharCount\":225})":{"type":"json","json":[{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"As monikers go which is a shame because there are few stretches in Spain that offer such pristine beauty."},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":"Along this serrated coastline soaring peaks and piquant cheese await in fairytale Asturias on the Atlantic coast — a world away from Mediterranean heatwavesRibadesella is a low-key fishing townGETTY IMAGESHolly StevensonMonday August 07 2023 The Sunday TimesThe barn doors creaked open and the still mountain air was broken by the bleating of a hundred goats fishers and farmers — that make this part of Spain a delight for food lovers My partner and I were ushered outside the barn to a picnic bench Best in Travel is here! Discover 2025’s destinations The 30 best countries, cities and regions to visit in 2025 Plan your trip with Elsewhere, by Lonely Planet See where a Lonely Planet Membership takes you Subscribe to our weekly newsletters to get the latest travel news, expert advice, and insider recommendations Explore the world with our detailed, insightful guidebooks Stay ahead of the curve with our guidebooks Uncover exciting new ways to explore iconic destinations Every month, we release new books into the wild Search Search Close search menu Explore Best in Travel 2024 Africa Close menu Countries Antarctica Antarctica Close menu Regions Asia Asia Close menu Countries Australia & the Pacific Australia & the Pacific Close menu Countries The Caribbean The Caribbean Close menu Countries Central America Central America Close menu Countries Europe Europe Close menu Countries Middle East Middle East Close menu Countries North America North America Close menu Countries South America South America Close menu Countries From beautiful beaches to exciting cities to charming country villages the delights of Spain are just a train ride away © Getty Images Lonely Planet’s team of writers and editors answers your travel problems and provides tips and hacks to help you plan a hassle-free trip Andalucía-raised travel expert Isabella Noble Question: I want to visit a city, an off-the-beaten-track destination and a beach in Spain by train Isabella Noble: With a raft of new routes launching it’s a bumper year for train travel in Spain – and there’s never been a better time to explore the country by rail that will let you see the best of this magical country by train A lesser-known pocket of Spain with divine beaches? Head to the wonderfully green north coast. There’s a go-slow beauty to trundling through this region on the narrow-gauge FEVE railway hopping off and on as you make your way east from Oviedo Buy tickets at stations or on board; at the smallest stops you might have to flag trains down Next, hop on the FEVE to Arriondas (90 minutes), a peaceful little town in the foothills of the Asturian Picos de Europa mountains. It’s a great base for hiking, with serene rural bases such as Posada del Valle a restored 19th-century home with its own organic farm You can prebook media distancia tickets; cercanías tickets are easily bought at the station on the day of your travel Moorish and Mudéjar relics; it’s easily reached by bus (75 minutes) an 18th-century mansion turned boutique hotel Antonio Morgado (UAE Team Emirates) won stage 2 of the Vuelta Asturias on a cold The Portuguese neo-pro out-sprinted Movistar's Albert Torres for the stage win while teammate Isaac Del Toro kept the race lead with third place in the sprint Five riders tried to foil the sprinters on the hilly 199km stage but could not withstand the relentless chase of UAE Team Emirates A late attack by Samuel Fernandez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) also didn't work "The race was long and the day cold and with a lot of rain," Morgado said "The team trusted me and all my mates did a great performance in trying to give me the opportunity to win so I tried to sprint exploiting a super good lead-out she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track Laura has a passion for all three disciplines When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads UCI governance and performing data analysis The world’s leading publication for data science Lag-Llama was open sourced in February 2024 The authors of the model claim "strong zero-shot generalization capabilities" on a variety of datasets across different domains they also claim it to be the best general-purpose model of its kind I showcase my experience fine-tuning Lag-Llama and test its capabilities against a more classical machine learning approach I benchmark it against an XGBoost model designed to handle univariate time series data Gradient boosting algorithms such as XGBoost are widely considered the epitome of "classical" machine learning (as opposed to deep-learning) and have been shown to perform extremely well with tabular data [2] it seems fitting to use XGBoost to test if Lag-Llama lives up to its promises By the way, I will not go into the details of the model architecture, but the paper is worth a read, as is this nice walk-through by Marco Peixeiro The data that I use for this exercise is a 4-year-long series of hourly wave heights off the coast of Ribadesella, a town in the Spanish region of Asturias. The series is available at the Spanish ports authority data portal The measurements were taken at a station located in the coordinates (43.5 from 18/06/2020 00:00 to 18/06/2024 23:00 [3] I have decided to aggregate the series to a daily level taking the max over the 24 observations in each day The reason is that the concepts that we go through in this post are better illustrated from a slightly less granular point of view the results become very volatile very quickly our target variable is the maximum height of the waves recorded in a day There are several reasons why I chose this series: the first one is that the Lag-Llama model was trained on some weather-related data I would expect the model to find this type of data slightly challenging while meteorological forecasts are typically produced using numerical weather models statistical models can still complement these forecasts I think statistical models can tell us what we would typically expect and how far off it is from what is actually happening The dataset is pretty standard and does not require much preprocessing other than imputing a few missing values. The plot below shows what it looks like after we split it into train, validation and test sets. The last two sets have a length of 5 months. To know more about how we preprocess the data, have a look at this notebook We are going to benchmark Lag-Llama against XGBoost on two univariate forecasting tasks: point forecasting and probabilistic forecasting The two tasks complement each other: point forecasting gives us a specific whereas probabilistic forecasting gives us a confidence region around it One could say that Lag-Llama was only trained for the latter I believe that humans find it easier to understand a single number than a confidence interval so I think the point forecast is still useful There are many factors that we need to consider when producing a forecast Some of the most important include the forecast horizon the last observation(s) that we feed the model or how often we update the model (if at all) Different combinations of factors yield their own types of forecast with their own interpretations we are going to do a recursive multi-step forecast without updating the model This means that we are going to use one single model to produce batches of 7 forecasts at a time corresponding to the dates that it just predicted this means that we will produce a forecast of maximum wave heights for each day of the next week For point forecasting, we are going to use the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) as performance metric. In the case of probabilistic forecasting, we will aim for empirical coverage or coverage probability of 80% Let’s get our hands dirty with the experiments Skforecast is the one-stop shop for developing and testing all sorts of forecasters I honestly can’t recommend it enough Creating a forecaster with Skforecast is pretty straightforward We just need to create a ForecasterAutoreg object with an XGBoost regressor On top of the XGBoost hyperparamters that we would typically optimise for we also need to search for the best number of lags to include in our model Skforecast provides a Bayesian optimisation method that runs Optuna on the background The search yields an optimised XGBoost forecaster which 21 days of maximum wave heights to predict the next: let’s look at how well the XGBoost forecaster does at predicting the next 7 days of maximum wave heights The chart below plots the predictions against the actual values of our test set We can see that the prediction tends to follow the general trend of the actual data we have used Skforecast’s backtesting_forecaster function which allows us to evaluate the model on a test set our model is better than a simple logical rule Skforecast allows us to calculate distribution intervals where the future outcome is likely to fall. The library provides two methods: using either bootstrapped residuals or quantile regression. The results are not very different, so I am going to focus here on the bootstrapped residuals method. You can see more results in part 3 of this notebook The idea of constructing prediction intervals using bootstrapped residuals is that we can randomly take a model’s forecast errors (residuals) an add them to the same model’s forecasts By repeating the process a number of times we can construct an equal number of alternative forecasts These predictions follow a distribution that we can get prediction intervals from if we assume that the forecast errors are random and identically distributed in time adding these errors creates a universe of equally possible forecasts we would expect to see at least a percentage of the actual values of the forecasted series we will aim for 80% of the values (that is To construct the prediction intervals with Skforecast we generate forecasts for our validation set; second we compute the residuals from those forecasts and store them in our forecaster class; third we get the probabilistic forecasts for our test set The second and third steps are illustrated in the snippet below (the first one corresponds to the code snippet in the previous section) Lines 14-17 are the parameters that govern our bootstrap calculation The resulting prediction intervals are depicted in the chart below An 84.67% of values in the test set fall within our prediction intervals it may also mean that we are overshooting and our intervals are too big Think of it this way: if we said that tomorrow’s waves would be between 0 and infinity meters high To get a idea of how big our intervals are Skforecast’s docs suggest that we compute the area of our intervals by thaking the sum of the differences between the upper and lower boundaries of the intervals but it can help us compare across forecasters The authors of Lag-Llama provide a demo notebook to start forecasting with the model without fine-tuning it The code is ready to produce probabilistic forecasts given a set horizon or the amount of previous data points to consider in the forecast We just need to call the get_llama_predictions function below: The core of the funtion is a LagLlamaEstimatorclass (lines 19–47), which is a Pytorch Lightning Estimator based on the GluonTS [5] package for probabilistic forecasting I suggest you go through the GluonTS docs to get familiar with the package We can leverage the get_llama_predictions function to produce recursive multistep forecasts We simply need to produce batches of predictions over consecutive batches In lines 37 to 39 of the code snippet above we extract the percentiles 10 and 90 to produce an 80% probabilistic forecast (90–10) as well as the median of the probabilistic prediction to get a point forecast If you need to learn more about the output of the model I suggest you have a look at the author’s tutorial mentioned above The authors of the model advise that different datasets and forecasting tasks may require differen context lenghts The chart below shows the results of the 64-token model Lag-Llama is not meant to calculate point forecasts but we can get one by taking the median of the probabilistic interval that it returns Another potential point forecast would be the mean although it would be subject to outliers in the interval while the MAE of the 128-token model was 0.77 as well These are all higher than the XGBoost forecaster’s dummy model that used the previous week’s value as today’s forecast (MAE 0.84) With a predicted interval coverage of 68.67% and an interval area of 280.05 the 32-token forecast does not perform up to our required standard which gets closer to the 80% region that we are looking for The 128-token model overshoots but is closer to the mark with an 84.67% coverage and an area of 399.25 We can grasp an interesting trend here: more coverage implies a larger interval area This should not always be the case – a very narrow interval could always be right in practice this trade-off is very much present in all the models I have trained Notice the periodic bulges in the chart (around March 10 or April 7 the bulges represent the increased uncertainty as we move away from the last observation that the model saw a forecast for the next day will be less uncertain than a forecast for the day after next The 128-token model yields very similar results to the XGBoost forecaster which had an area 348.28 and a coverage of 84.67% Lag-Llama’s performance is rather solid and up to par with an optimised traditional forecaster shows how we can conduct a small grid search: we also calculate some test metrics: Coverage[0.8] Coverage[0.9] and Mean Absolute Error of (MAE) Coverage Coverage[0.x] measures how many predictions fall within their prediction interval a good model should have a Coverage[0.8] of around 80% measures the deviation of the actual coverage probabilities from the nominal coverage levels a good model in our case should be one with a small MAE and coverages of around 80% and 90% One of the main differences with respect to the original fine-tuning code from the authors is line 46 the original code does not include a validation set not including it meant that all models that I trained ended up overfitting the training data with a validation set most models were optimised in Epoch 0 and did not improve the validation loss thereafter most of the models in the loop yield a MAE of 0.5 and coverages of 1 on the test set This means that the models have very broad prediction intervals The model that strikes a better balance is model 6 (counting from 0 to 8 in the loop) with the following hyperparameters and metrics: we are going to run it through the tests that we have with the other forecasters The chart below shows the predictions from the fine-tuned model Something that catches the eye very quickly is that prediction intervals are substantially smaller than those from the zero-shot version the model reaches a coverage of 56.67% over the 7-day recursive forecast Remember that our best zero-shot predictions This means a 55% reduction in the interval area the fine-tuned model is too far from the 80% coverage that we are aiming for whereas the zero-shot model with 128 tokens wasn’t which is not an improvement over the zero-shot forecasts and worse than the XGBoost forecaster the fine-tuned model leaves doesn’t leave us a good picture: it doesn’t do better than a zero-shot better at either point of probabilistic forecasting The authors do suggest that the model can improve if fine-tuned with more data so it may be that our training set was not large enough let’s ask again the question that we set out at the beginning of this blog: Is Lag-Llama better at forecasting than XGBoost Zero-shot forecasts with a 128-token context length were at the same level as XGBoost in terms of probabilistic forecasting Fine-tuning Lag-Llama further reduced the prediction area making the model’s correct forecasts more precise albeit at a substantial cost in terms of probabilistc coverage This raises the question of where the model could get with more training data so we can’t say that Lag-Llama beat XGBoost These results inevitably open a broader debate: since one is not better than the other in terms of performance we’d need to consider other variables such as ease of use deployment and maintenance and inference costs While I haven’t formally tested the two options in any of those aspects I suspect the XGBoost would come out better pretty robust to overfitting and time-tested are hard-to-beat characteristics But do not believe me! The code that I used is publicly available on this Github repo [2] Shwartz-Ziv, R., & Armon, A. (2021). Tabular data: Deep learning is not all you need. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.03253 [3] Puertos del Estado. (2024). 3106036 – Punto SIMAR Lon: -5.083 – Lat: 43.5, Oleaje. https://www.puertos.es/es-es/oceanografia/Paginas/portus.aspx. Last accessed: 25/06/2024. [More info (in Spanish) at: https://bancodatos.puertos.es/BD/informes/INT_8.pdf] [4] Amat Rodrigo, J., & Escobar Ortiz, J. (2024). skforecast (Version 0.12.1) [Software]. BSD-3-Clause. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8382788 [5] Alexandrov, A., Benidis, K., Bohlke-Schneider, M., Flunkert, V., Gasthaus, J., Januschowski, T., Maddix, D. C., Rangapuram, S., Salinas, D., Schulz, J., Stella, L., Türkmen, A. C., & Wang, Y. (2020). GluonTS: Probabilistic and neural time series modeling in Python. Journal of Machine Learning Research, 21(116), 1–6. http://jmlr.org/papers/v21/19-820.html Step-by-step code guide to building a Convolutional Neural Network A deep dive on the meaning of understanding and how it applies to LLMs A beginner’s guide to forecast reconciliation This article explores the relationship between a movie’s dialogue and its genre, leveraging domain-driven data… This sophistication matrix can show you where you need to go A hand-picked “listening list” on the questions and stakes at the forefront of artificial intelligence… Your home for data science and Al. The world’s leading publication for data science, data analytics, data engineering, machine learning, and artificial intelligence professionals. HomeDestinationsInterestsTop Places to Travel by MonthSearchMenuBest time to go to Spain is a prominent event celebrated annually on the first Saturday of August It features a thrilling 12-mile (20 km) canoe race along the Sella River in Arriondas attracting participants and spectators from across the globe Organized by the Spanish Federation of Canoeing it is renowned as one of the most significant canoeing competitions worldwide The festivities kick off at 11 am as vibrant crowds flock through the streets of Arriondas to witness the excitement unfolding on the river The commencement of the competition is at 12 pm Attendees can partake in the festive parade adding to the cultural richness of the event The revelry continues into the early hours as night falls The Descenso del Sella starts with the anthems of Piraguas and Asturias at noon volunteers open the specially designed "cepos" to ensure a synchronized launch for all participants Facing challenges like the rushing rapids and fluctuating water levels canoeists navigate through various stretches of the river From the gentle La Raíz to the challenging Fuentes rapid each segment offers a unique test of skill and endurance Highlights include the serene Llordón area and the exhilarating Rapid of the Devil Spectators line the riverbank at strategic points like La Requexada and Llovio cheering on the competitors as they approach the finish line at Ribadesella Bridge The final stretch through the Peñón area and Tito Bustillo Cave culminates in a triumphant finish Tickets for the event typically range around €30 per person inclusive of transportation to and from Arriondas saw its inception in 1994 with the Asturian School of Canoeing's support Held annually on the Sunday preceding the International Sella River Descent the adapted race covers 11 kilometers from Arriondas to Llordón with a competitive section spanning 5 kilometers with Jonás García leading with eight victories earning him the title of the "King of the Adapted Sella River Descent." The history of the International Sella River Descent traces back to 1929 when Dionisio de la Huerta embarked on a canoe trip along the Piloña River Dionisio and friends ventured to navigate the River Sella downstream from Arriondas Despite encountering challenges and interruptions their journey planted the seed for the iconic Fiesta de las Piraguas facing interruptions during the Spanish Civil War but resiliently resuming post-war The participation of international competitors in 1951 marked a turning point propelling the Descent onto the global stage With the establishment of the Spanish Canoe Federation in 1960 the Sella River Descent stands as a testament to resilience attracting thousands of canoeists annually and earning acclaim as a premier international competition in river descent Beyond the exhilarating International Sella River Descent Asturias beckons with a wealth of other thrilling activities ranging from water sports to land adventures Jet ski excursions in Ribadesella offer an unforgettable coastal adventure guided by experts who navigate the stunning landscapes Horseback riding allows nature enthusiasts to explore the region's beauty from a different perspective while paintball fields in Ribadesella offer adrenaline-pumping fun for groups or team-building events 2016Decorator Lorenzo Castillo with his pet chicken at the entrance to his getaway in northern Spain.Save this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by our editors we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links the glamorous Marquesa de Argüelles cast her eyes upon the tiny Asturian whaling port of Ribadesella and its small but perfectly curved On that stretch of sand facing the Cantabrian Sea the white stucco walls and red-clay roof tiles echoing the region’s farmhouses Inspired by fashionable resorts on Normandy’s Côte Fleurie the aristocrat hoped to entice rich Spaniards to summer in Ribadesella and residences bristling with towers and spiky ironwork began to sprout Castillo’s paternal grandparents fell in love with the town in the ’30s snapping up the marquesa’s pioneering retreat as an escape from Madrid’s sweltering heat It’s where the family was relaxing when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936 and it was where they safely stayed put—warmed only by fireplaces during the damp winters—until the bloodshed ended three years later I had spent every summer of my childhood there,” Castillo remembers adding that to make matters worse subsequent owners turned the property into a hotel But a couple of years ago he and Alfonso Reyero were on holiday in Ribadesella and looked up at the house right at the moment a for-sale sign was placed in a window recalling that he fumbled for his mobile phone and rang the real-estate agent immediately and he hoped to make it an important part of his life again restoring the original spirit of his grandparents’ home though with a decor designed to be more fun and carefree And he installed central heating so the rooms could be used year-round “The beauty of creating a home for yourself and not for a client is that you can use only what you absolutely adore,” Castillo says notably the flamboyant yet cozymaking layers of pattern that are the decorator’s hallmark velvet curtains crisscrossed with a medieval-style motif make an unlikely alliance with throw pillows fashioned of faux zebra hide and a sectional sofa clad in a giant windowpane check A Castillo-designed wallpaper depicting trompe l’oeil tortoiseshell edged with gold smolders in the main stairway Purple-and-white cotton stamped with ancient Roman scenes saturates one bedroom while another’s twin beds are upholstered in a punchy fabric printed with life-size cocoa pods and butterflies The master suite’s centerpiece is a sweepingly curtained bed at whose foot stands an unexpected pairing that says everything about the breadth of Castillo’s taste: a Venetian grotto table nestled beside a lean David Hicks love seat and wall—18th-century French landscapes with fiery sunsets nacreous seashells begging to be held against one’s ear—in this Wunderkammer by the sea If Castillo had adhered to family tradition none of that would exist; he would be a doctor Instead he studied art history and then opened a captivating little antiques shop in a rough part of Madrid charmed by what the decorator calls “the unorthodox way I combined pieces from different eras.” Becoming a decorator was the next logical step As for what is arguably his most personal project the Ribadesella house has become a family refuge once more has a suite; so do their mother and their artist brother And though Castillo and Reyero live and work in a glorious former convent in Madrid where they host spectacular parties—one had a Burning Man theme with “lots of feathers and lamé”—life in Ribadesella is practically monastic “We make no effort to socialize at all,” Castillo admits He prefers to dive into his cookbooks and then stroll to an open-air market in search of freshly caught lobster or the shellfish he uses in his fabes con almejas the lost-and-found house has become an anchor for a new generation Castillo’s young nephews frolic on the beach as he did “They are very happy here,” the decorator observes and as the grin on his own face bears witness The Feve network is a long way off high-speed … which is perfect for taking in the coast mountain views and charming towns of Cantabria My plan to traverse the northern coast of Spain on the Feve (Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha) railway was questioned by hotel hosts sidrería owners and once (justifiably) by a taxi driver who rescued me when the train failed to show one day I’m far from fluent in Spanish but I’m pretty sure a waiter in Oviedo mimed the carriages falling off the rails The Feve – unmarked on most Spanish railway maps despite being a division of state-owned Renfe Operadora – is a trio of 1,000mm narrow-gauge lines stopping at more than 100 stations along the way With so many high-speed inter-city routes available across Europe it may seem bloody minded to take a six-day journey on the continent’s longest narrow-gauge network – but wait until you see where these narrow rails can take you boxy little train with commuters tapping away at their phones; once free of the city the stations grew smaller and the train passed between the pristine Picos de Europa and the coast immersing me in an astonishingly green landscape The Feve at Oviedo Photograph: Huckleberry MountainAn hour outside Santander a tranquil old town that takes its name from its former salt markets thread past ancient casas señoriales (noblemen’s houses) built on the wealth of this precious local commodity I ambled in the early evening light to El Jardín de Carrejo this former stable has been stylishly restored and is now a hotel Its pride and joy is an abandoned canal in the back garden I dangled my legs over the empty channels and watched lizards scuttle on wet stones The only sounds were bickering blackbirds and the distant chime of cow bells Cabezón de la Sal stationThe next day a down-to-earth seaside town in the sweeping “S” of the river Sella a barman was arranging cider barrels outside Sidrería La Marina (Plaza Santa Ana 19) he came over and raised the bottle high in his right hand and sloshed an inch of dry earthy cider into my glass without looking “It adds oxygen and gives the cider crispness,” Elena The seaside town of RibadesellaAs we inched our way through the bottle Elena circled hidden beaches and blow holes on a map and drew a picture of the fish I promised to ask for at lunch “A meteor struck in Mexico and moved the ground up in Asturias scrunching up the map to demonstrate the continental uplift that created the Picos de Europa which painted a ragged line behind the town An escanciador pouring ciderAt Casa Basilio locals thumbed through newspapers while tucking into piles of mussels; everybody was unashamedly daytime drinking I ordered rodaballo (turbot) and then unfolded Elena’s map to seek out the region’s marvels I wandered along an avenue of ornate Indiano mansions – built by rich Spanish mariners returning from the Americas – and stepped over the clints and grykes of the Acantilados de Castro Arenas (limestone pavement just down the coast and dotted with blow holes) I arrived to find hosts Dave and Javier taking a batch of sourdough from the oven; they tutted as I told them how many raciones I’d recently gotten through Eating rodaballo at Casa Basilio“I didn’t have time to be interested in cooking when we lived in Brighton,” said Dave explaining how they’d swapped Sussex for this hamlet “Asturias gives you that space to slow down.” Red-roofed homesteads and hórreos (granaries on stone pillars) dotted the fields Asturians have traditionally focused on fishing and farming: rearing cattle maturing cheese and fermenting their own cider View from the terrace at El Gran Sueño guesthouse Dave served up soup (“It’s made from Jerusalem artichokes and I’ve forgotten the English for it … leeks!”) where a brief stop in Oviedo the following day allowed me to fill my bag with vacuum-packed fabes beans and spicy Asturian sausage By this point the route was cutting across deep valleys and pulling into tiny platforms in the middle of nowhere the hotelier at the elegant La Torre de Villademoros met me at Cadavedo and we chatted about his memories of riding the Feve as a child A cat stared down from a window in the station building above a disintegrating tile map of the route “We used to have our own station master,” said Manolo “He still lives in the building but now he has to work at a larger station in a nearby town,” explaining why this remote stop is now unstaffed La Torre de VillademorosThe Feve has resisted modern life: it used to take three hours to drive between Cadavedo and Oviedo now with the Autovía A-8 it takes 50 minutes commuters sit away from other people,” Manolo said It’s a chance to meet people and reach the culture of nearby towns.” My slow journey wound up in Galicia and I couldn’t resist jumping off at one of the tiny platforms. From Loiba, it was a 2km walk to the Praia do Picón, where I sat on the “most beautiful bench in the world” (as voted in a photography competition) watching waves crash into the tilted granite coastline A street scene in Ortigueira Photograph: Huckleberry Mountain“Galicia lets you live slowly,” Mónica and Alex who run El Castaño Dormilón in nearby Ortigueira we used to run past our neighbours because they wanted to chat,” Alex said “Now I love spending 20 minutes talking about how clear the river is that day.” Evidently time spent in the Asturias and Galicia has the power to help people decelerate Jo Keeling is a freelance writer, festival curator, and editor and founder of Ernest Journal WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUILDING A MINERAL COLLECTION Prized by science lovers and aesthetes alike fine minerals continue to grow in popularity among collectors across the globe is the pursuit of all things beautiful and awe-inspiring,” says Tama Higuchi Fine Minerals Department Coordinator at Heritage Auctions “Minerals are the perfect blend of artistic aesthetics and incredible feats of chemistry and science and that is what leads people to become obsessed with the hobby.” These naturally formed crystalline structures – including highly sought-after species such as tourmaline amethyst and topaz ­– are nature’s sculptures and they can be found in an infinite number of colors there are many factors to consider when choosing a specimen to add to your collection View Item A mineral’s color comes from the trace elements in its chemical makeup gets its red hue from its manganese content while azurite and malachite get their green and blue colors from an elevated content of copper “The standards for color vary depending on the species the more valuable a mineral is,” Higuchi says View Item While beauty does lie in the eye of the beholder there are certain characteristics generally believed to make a specimen more attractive but the aesthetics of a specimen involve how the specimen presents how the crystals are oriented on the matrix (or host rock) and how ‘sculptural’ the specimen is,” Higuchi says nice large crystals on matrix are the standard for aesthetics.” View Item “Many collectors refuse to purchase specimens that have even small chips on their crystals,” Higuchi says So before you add a specimen to your collection look closely at the provided photos and descriptions View Item which refers to a mineral’s light-reflective qualities but both contribute to a specimen’s desirability View Item Locality is the place where a mineral specimen was excavated and it can often affect the desirability of a specimen “Some localities are famous for the minerals that come from there making those specimens more valuable,” Higuchi says “or they are so obscure that specimens from that locality are scarce and highly sought-after.” Usually the locality of most vanadinites on the market is Mibladen Mining District in Morocco while many amazonite specimens come from Crystal Peak in Colorado a specimen will be found in an uncommon locality which will increase its value in the eyes of some collectors you’ll see an amazonite that comes from another location “And because that specimen is much more rare some collectors might consider it more valuable than an equivalent amazonite from a more common locality.” View Item Keeping accurate documentation is a vital part of mineral collecting The labels associated with a specimen document its source history and previous ownership – and also contribute to its value very important to create a label for each specimen and to also keep the labels that came before it,” Higuchi says and those stay with the specimens as they carry on to different owners.” View Item Just because a specimen is large doesn’t mean it’s more valuable many collectors specifically seek out small but high-quality specimens “We call this thumbnail connoisseurship,” Higuchi says “Thumbnails are any mineral that can fit in a 1-inch cube or 2.54 centimeters These days a lot of younger collectors are gravitating toward these smaller sizes these collectors are exchanging size for exceptional aesthetics.” View Item it’s very easy to take care of minerals,” Higuchi says you do have to be careful about UV rays and heat.” Most minerals won’t be affected by light but light-sensitive species such as blue or pink topaz can fade to white if left in sunlight “Even more minerals can actually degrade in sunlight,” Higuchi adds View Item so if you focus on purchasing specimens that bring you joy as opposed to those you think might be good investments It’s also important to remember that mineral collectors are mere curators of these geologic wonders the mineral specimens continue to display their beauty and will for years to come,” Higuchi says “It is our duty to preserve these natural works of art and to ensure they continue to be appreciated.” RHONDA REINHART is editor of Intelligent Collector Click here to download and save as a PDF When I first visited Asturias 30 years ago filled with fantastic food and natural beauty waterfalls and rolling green hills came at a price I hadn’t been prepared for – near-incessant rain I holed up in cheap hotel rooms and missed much of the region’s magnificence and a more mature me is ready to see why the Asturias region – home to this year’s Capital of Gastronomy Oviedo – is drawing visitors keen to swap the sweltering south for cooler climes and classic cuisine in the north of Spain Asturian days are milder and drier than they once were so if your clients share the growing preference for ‘coolcations’ over the 40C temperatures of the Med Food and drink is affordable to all – a three or four-course menú del día complete with wine costs about €15 – and unlike some areas of Spain which have hit the headlines for overtourism in recent weeks attractions are first-class and reaching them all from the UK is easily done via a sub-two-hour flight or even by train or ferry Our exploration began in the beguiling seaside town of Cudillero the short drive from the airport making us feel we were in Switzerland rather than Spain dairy cattle and alpine-style houses gave way to a colourful near-vertical coastal town set around a picture-perfect bay But what really won us over was the food: hearty fabada (Spain’s answer to French cassoulet) garlic-rich razor clams and robust blue cheese unlike anything we’d ever encountered in Spain all washed down with the region’s famous uncarbonated natural cider Asturias’s many beaches feature arresting rock formations and clifftop hikes connecting them Leaving behind Cudillero’s Playón de Bayas and Playa de Aguilar we ventured west to the stunning Playa del Silencio for a four-mile hike around the Faro de Cabo Busto headland Next came the medieval town of Avilés to explore the Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre – which regularly hosts plays concerts and food-focused events with a cultural twist – and Gijón a port city with a wealth of maritime heritage Gijón is known for its Jardín Botánico Atlántico – seen in the recent BBC series Monty Don’s Spanish Gardens – and Museum of Asturian Life where the region’s unique grain stores known as hórreos are explained in absorbing detail wave after wave of gentle breakers are perfect for fledgling surfers plus a two-mile promenade lined with magnificent buildings – including the imposing San Pedro church and the cobbled lanes of the city’s oldest barrio Cimavilla – make it possibly the loveliest urban beach in Spain Views from Cimavilla’s Cerro de Santa Catalina Park and Eduardo Chillida’s arresting monument Elogio del Horizonte give a great sense of just how rugged and spectacular this coastline is as we discovered heading farther east towards the Picos mountain range – via more clifftop walks at the Bufones de Pría blowholes and beaches like the Playa de la Griega and Playa del Sablón Yet Asturias isn’t just about its coastline a short drive up the Sella valley from the pretty estuary town of Ribadesella where enthusiastic guides led us along a 700-metre gallery filled with unforgettable wall paintings dating back to 22,000BC – all for a bargain €4.14 Sights of a different kind are equally memorable along the route west from Ribadesella to Ribadedeva where grand Indiano mansions exhibit the wealth amassed by made-it-good miners returning from the Americas Heading inland to the Picos de Europa via Arriondas where adventure sports on the fast-flowing Riba de Sella river are becoming increasingly popular we took a funicular ride in Bulnes and crossed picturesque stone medieval bridges to the Sanctuary of Covadonga and its nearby lakes both spectacular attractions that show off the region’s man-made and natural wonders But if there is one wonder from Asturias that is unlike any other we sampled some of its many cheeses – which together make it Europe’s largest cheesemaking region – while admiring traditional and intricate bread loaves that wouldn’t look out of place in an artisan market Our final day in Oviedo took in the Asturias Museum of Fine Arts followed by an evening climb to Santa Maria del Naranco one of a clutch of gorgeous 9th-century churches And it finally gave us an appetite big enough to manage a whole four-course menú del día – washed down of course with plenty of cider Fellow Spanish province Catalonia – home to 54 Michelin-starred restaurants and 300 wineries – will be 2025 World Region of Gastronomy lunamarina; Carranza; Shutterstock/Alex Segre Jacobs Media is a company registered in England and Wales 2023 © Sociedad Pública de Gestión y Promoción Turística y Cultural del Principado de Asturias S.A.U Asturias has wonderful beaches to enjoy unforgettable moments with your family Here we suggest some of the best beaches to go with children Summer is an ideal time to enjoy the coast And one of the most pleasant ways to do so is with the family it is highly advisable to go with children to places where you can enjoy with them to the full and with the best conditions for bathing and playing with total guarantee and safety in the broadest sense of the term Asturias has wonderful beaches along its 350 kilometres of coastline where you can go with your children and experience unforgettable days of family moments sunbathing and soaking in the more than healthy waters of the Cantabrian Sea Here you have an itinerary of some of the best beaches to go with children Penarronda beach is very special and you will see for yourself when you visit it with your children It is an impressive open space of great beauty with a stream that divides it and a large rounded rock in the middle of the sandy area It is located between two councils in western Asturias: Castropol with Barres being the closest village to the beach It has good facilities for a perfect day of leisure a species in danger of extinction that you will not find anywhere else in Asturias But it is undoubtedly a spectacular and very spacious spot to enjoy with your family and friends whose author is the photographer Gonzalo Azumendi.. it is part of the Biosphere Reserve Río Eo Serantes because it is in the vicinity of green meadows It also has a dune and marshland ecosystem and in the immediate vicinity is the castle site of El Castelón both from a natural and cultural point of view in a very rural setting - ideal for children - and has easy access and a small car park it is also very popular with anglers and scuba-diving enthusiasts Frexulfe is one of those enormous beaches of great ecological value Bordered by the coastal path - ideal for a stroll - on its shore you can see birds such as shaggy cormorants it is also true that a stream flows into the easternmost part of the beach which makes it very comfortable for families and it is very close to the beautiful fishing village of Puerto de Vega So spending the day in this Natural Monument is a real privilege Aguilar beach is known for its beautiful rock formations as well as a range of hotels and restaurants It also has a small promenade and is the starting or finishing point of the Ruta de los Miradores (Viewpoint Route) an incentive for a stroll at some point during the day It is also accessible and is a perfect corner of the coast for anchoring pleasure boats The truth is that Aguilar has it all for a varied day in the middle of nature Bañugues beach as it has very little waves and forms natural pools at low tide it is a kind of wide and peaceful cove where bathing is very calm and pleasant sports or conversation can last all day long It is also located where there are important Palaeolithic sites And of course it is accessible and has all kinds of services including a wide range of hotels and restaurants So in Bañugues you will enjoy yourself in the midst of prehistoric remains Rodiles beach one of the largest and busiest in Asturias has an extensive wooded area of pine and eucalyptus trees as well as a wooden promenade along one of the banks of the Villaviciosa estuary Nestled in the Natural Reserve of the Villaviciosa estuary Rodiles offers endless possibilities for lovers of water sports is accessible and has a wide range of accommodation you can choose to enjoy one of the beaches of the estuary which are authentic natural swimming pools Rodiles offers you a unique natural environment If there is one thing that characterises the beach of La Griega In the eastern part of the beach there is a path of just over half a kilometre that will take you to the ichnites which are the largest ever discovered in the world where the river Libardón flows into the sea is ideal to go with children because it has the advantage of forming natural pools at low tide is accessible and has a wide range of accommodation and a campsite nearby In La Griega you will have a Jurassic bath The beach of Santa Marina is a marvellous and extensive urban beach in the heart of this historic town where the charismatic river Sella flows into the sea Its famous promenade has notable examples of Indian architecture which makes it unique in the whole of the Cantabrian Sea and the beach itself has all kinds of services important remains of dinosaur footprints have been found So in Santa Marina you will enjoy the beach in a safe and fun way The beach of Barro with usually calm waters and fine white sand Protected both to the east and west by islets this beautiful sandy shell with crystal-clear waters is completely sheltered from the wind and the open sea It also has a wide range of restaurants and terraces with beautiful views as well as a famous beach bar on the beach with beautiful panoramic views and excellent gastronomy Due to its serene beauty and magical sunsets Barro has been featured in numerous films and commercials a family day out in Barro will be a memorable one If there is a beach where bathing at high tide is very calm, pleasant and safe , that is Poo That is why it is highly recommended for children Its funnel shape means that when the tide comes in the water from the Bay of Biscay flows through the channel that has been formed over hundreds of years leaving it in the form of a saltwater pool It also has a wide range of bars and restaurants with beautiful terraces overlooking the beach Surrounded by meadows and with a small stream At full tide it is a kind of great open-air spa La Franca is one of those ideal beach refuges for the whole family which marks the border between Llanes and Ribadedeva in La Franca it is just as healthy to swim in the sea as it is to swim in the river Its fine golden sand takes on a special glow in the sun and the truth is that it is a very spacious place to enjoy in peace and quiet With a triangular shape and moderate waves La Franca has a large islet called El Castrón a regular stop for seagulls and other birds It is accessible and has all kinds of services including a wide range of restaurants and beautiful terraces overlooking the sea It is very easy to reach and has a large car park at low tide it connects with other beautiful coves such as El Oso It is a place of tradition and tourist tradition as it had a seaside resort in the 19th century Subscribe to our newsletter and take advantage of offers there seems little alternative these days than to travel abroad by boat To be honest it always has seemed the best way of getting anywhere There's something about arriving at a destination on a ship that fosters the spirit of the explorer in us all There's none of the disorienting rigmarole of the airports with their duty free shops that seem to suck all the kids' spending money right out of their purses the endless security checks and the knowledge that even when you get on the plane there's every chance you'll have to get straight back off again Instead you just roll out onto the quayside with one of those lovely orange Michelin road atlases propped on the dashboard and you suddenly feel drawn to experiencing all that continental Europe has to offer speeding down autobahns through the vineyards of the Mosel rumbling across the cobbles squares of Flemish market towns or down arrow straight roads flanked by plane trees that you feel you may have seen before in the Tour de France or a film by Truffaut Many years ago we took a battered Fiat 127 on the ferry from Plymouth to Santander There were four of us packed inside with our luggage The car was so heavily weighted and so sluggish that when we motored up the steep inclines that surround the port one of whom was an elderly lady with half-a-dozen bags of vegetables hanging from the handlebars That night we stopped in a town in the hills midway to Bilbao and ate moist dark ham that had apparently been cured by hanging it above the bar and letting people smoke under it for several weeks At one point a donkey crashed in through the front door and had to be chased out by the barman who seemed to have a stick specially for the purpose (I'm not making this up) When we left at midnight joiners were hammering away at the barricades for the following night's bull run. We got in the car and drove away. It was one of the happiest evenings of my life, and yet I still have no idea where it was. I doubt we'd ever have found it all if we'd flown.Harry Pearson is the author of A Tall Man in a Low Land The Plymouth-Santander ferry service is a cruise with none of the crap French steak and frites in the on-board restaurant and enough time at sea to sit out and get tanned – or weatherbeaten – on the Bay of Biscay Santander (population 180,000) is often overlooked But stay for half a day to see its medieval cathedral and El Sardinero beach and to eat dishes from the sea and the mountains to the Picos de Europa for hiking and biking – but a westward drive along the front provides a new twist on the costas The A67 leads to Torrelavega and the road to Santillana del Mar, described as "the nicest village in Spain" by the narrator of Jean-Paul Sartre's Nausea. It's gorgeously ancient and largely car-free. Stay in the 14-room Casa del Márques (+34 942 81 88 88 Nearby are the prehistoric caves of Altamira boars and other animals were discovered in the 1870s The Cotentin peninsula just south of Cherbourg is great for an active trip with plenty to fire kids' imaginations. Half an hour from the port is Barneville-Carteret, which has the beach and crêpe stands of a proper French seaside resort. To the north are miles of empty sands and windswept dunes, and the harbour has plenty of restaurants. The Hôtel des Isles (+33 2 3304 9076 De Pastorale Restaurant in Reet, Belgium.After coming off the ferry in Ostend, head for Mons, south-west of Brussels. Just off the N51 to the west is Grand Hornu an early-19th-century mining complex that is now a contemporary art and design museum The summer exhibition is built around a major work by Christian Boltanski the old abattoirs have been converted into an exhibition space From Mons, head towards Liège on the E42, stopping off in Charleroi at the crusading BPS22 gallery which has an art and football exhibition over the summer, to coincide with the World Cup. In Liège the magnificent Grand Curtius museum is a cluster of ancient and modern buildings on the river with collections of fine art The summer exhibition is on Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava If the art of food is more your thing, head east on the N34 from either Ostend or Zeebrugge, and turn inland at Knokke, taking the N49/E34 towards Antwerp. Here, in the village of Boechout, you will find De Schone Van Boskoop (+32 3 454 19 31) presided over by Wouter Keersmaekers He's got one Michelin star and favours local ingredients Stay in Antwerp at the Maison Delaneau (maisondelaneau.com from €125) – a very sophisticated small hotel with a spa And the three-Michelin-star don of the Belgian kitchen, Peter Goosens, runs the Hof Van Cleve (+32 9 383 5848), west of Brussels off the E17 between Ghent and Kortrijkis, which is still regarded by many as the best restaurant in the country. His trademark style is an update of classic Flemish cooking. In lovely Ghent, the Hotel Verhagen (+32 9 265 0760 Children will enjoy Belgium's gentle sandy beaches. Ostend has a certain dilapidated belle époque charm and the Ostend Queen restaurant (+32 59 445610) has fabulous beach views and a children's menu editor-in-chief of Belgian lifestyle magazine The Word With thanks to food critic Filip Verheyden Esbjerg is the perfect starting point for the islands of the Wadden Sea, which will be designated a national park later this year. From Esbjerg harbour, take the 12-minute ferry to the island of Fanø, which has some of the area's best beaches. On its southernmost tip, the Sønderho Inn (+45 7516 4009 doubles from around £125) has been in business since 1722 and serves local gourmet cooking including oyster hunting and seal spotting For information on cottages and campsites see visitfanoe.dk. DFDS Seaways (0871 522 9955) sails four times a week from Harwich to Esbjerg (17 hours overnight). The ferry to Fanø, operated by Nordic Ferry Services leaves Esbjerg harbour every 20 minutesLars Eriksen is a Guardian writer based in Copenhagen Or head to one of the world's great industrial landscapes which can be reached by crossing the river Ijssel at the site one of the British army's heroic failures and most visitors give it only a cursory glance as they head north towards Antrim's majestic coast and mountains But they are missing out on an equally enchanting chunk of Northern Ireland to the south from £75) on the water's edge makes a nice place to stay County Cork is rightly famed for its food, and Kinsale, half an hour south of Cork city, is the gourmet destination to head for. Its coastal setting is idyllic, and there are many good seafood restaurants – Fishy Fishy (+353 21 470 0415) is a good bet Further west is the pretty town of Clonakilty whose shops sell produce such as the famous local black pudding From here, take the N71 westwards, turning off at Tulligee to see Galley Head lighthouse, then continue west to the beautiful coast at Baltimore village, south-west of Skibbereen. Casey's of Baltimore (+353 28 20197 from €96) is a great overnight stop and its restaurant serves excellent seafood walk up to the beacon for fantastic views over to Sherkin island From Baltimore, go back towards Skibbereen and continue west. Island Cottage (+353 28 38102) on Hare (Heir) island in Roaringwater Bay is a special place for dinner – you're collected by ferry from Cunnamore pier and the restaurant is a short walk away along a pretty path