Playa del Arbeyal

Playa del Arbeyal is an urban beach in Gijón, next to the port of El Musel and bordering the neighbourhoods of La Calzada and El Natahoyo. It has golden sand and a shell-like shape, and a large breakwater shelters it from the open sea, so the water has very little swell. The sandy area ranges from about 22,800 m² at high tide to more than 100,000 m² at low tide. Facilities include lifeguards, parking, a children’s play area, showers and toilets, as well as accessible parking, ramps, toilets and rest areas. It regularly hosts rugby, canoeing, kite and swimming tournaments.

For some years it was known as Playa de La Casera, after the industry that stood around it. After decades of being sidelined by the area’s industrial growth, it was reopened in 1995 with its original appearance restored. On the beach stands a sculpture dedicated to the “children of the war”: the figure of a boy sitting on a stone, looking towards El Musel, the port from which 1,100 children and 50 teachers departed on the night of 23 September 1937.