Playa el Portillu

Portiello (Portiellu or Portillu in Asturian) is a small, shell-shaped beach on the coast of Llanes in eastern Asturias, roughly halfway between the villages of Celorio and Poo. Its name comes from an old gate that once marked the boundary of grazing rights between the two villages. At low tide it joins the neighbouring San Martín beach to form one long sandy stretch that also connects to the island of Poo; the Spanish Naturist Federation recommends visiting then. The setting is dramatic: white sand and huge boulders between high rock walls, within the protected landscape of the eastern Asturian coast. At low water fresh groundwater can be seen bubbling up through the sand. Because the beach can only be reached on foot, it stays fairly quiet, and the federation lists the stretch as a beach of nudist tradition. Its size changes a lot with the tide, so at high water there is little sand left.