In the footsteps of ancients

Christmas time in Asturias is very low key compared with the extravaganza that is Christmas in the UK. This provides the perfect opportunity to get out and about on some brilliant walks. The weather has been really good for the past week and with day-time temperatures of up to 22 degrees C, it has been wonderful to walk off some of those heavier meals.

One walk we took this week was a very scenic coastal walk from La Isla to La Griega. The majority of the walk is a well trodden coastal path that skims the cliffs, meanders through meadows and guides you through steep woodland paths eventually bringing you out on the beach at La Griega.

La Griega boasts a splendid set of dinosaur footprints best viewed from the viewing platform. There are a couple of different types clearly identified but it still takes a lot of imagination to visualise the landscape as it once was, being occupied and terrorised by such large exotic creatures. In nearby Colunga, there is a whole museum dedicated to the populations of dinosaurs that once roamed here.

The beach at La Griega is golden yellow with many small shells decorating the shore. A perfect place for lunch, watching the waves breaking in the distance and wading surfers waiting for the right wave to come along. If you want to extend the walk you can continue by road to explore the cliff-side town of Lastres a couple of kilometres further on.

There are many highlights on a walk such as this but watching the cattle egrets feed in and around the cattle, the misty morning views across the bay and walking in the footsteps of ancients and dinosaurs take some beating.