Cantabria's coast is the Atlantic on its best behaviour: green headlands, long sandy beaches that empty the moment August ends, and small fishing towns that still land the fish you will eat at lunch. From Casa Agara it lies about forty minutes north — close enough for an afternoon, far enough that you sleep in valley quiet rather than seafront noise.

What is the coastline actually like?

Wilder and greener than most people's mental picture of coastal Spain. Fields run to the cliff edge, big tides pull the sea a long way out and back twice a day, and the beaches are broad and sandy rather than pebbled and packed. The light changes constantly; this is ocean weather, and the price of the green hinterland is the odd squall marching in off the Bay of Biscay. Outside high season you can walk a serious length of beach and count the other people on one hand. On a clear day the Picos de Europa stand up inland behind the coast — a view that sells more return visits than any brochure.

The water is honestly Atlantic. Swimmers call it refreshing for most of the year and warm by September; surfers wear wetsuits and get on with it.

Where should you walk on the coast?

Start with the coastal path at San Vicente de la Barquera: around eleven kilometres and flat, with the sea for company the whole way. It suits mixed abilities and tired legs, which is exactly why we rate it — after a proper day in the Saja-Besaya hills, a flat path with salt air is a recovery, not a compromise. One practical note: check the tide before building any walk around low water, because the sea here moves quickly over flat sand.

Can a beginner really surf here?

Yes, and at every age. The surf beaches are about forty minutes from the house, the waves suit first-timers, and the local schools are patient with adults who never imagined themselves doing this. Guests in their forties, fifties and beyond have stood up in their first lesson — learning to surf at 50 describes what that actually feels like, wetsuit and all. Surf plans stay flexible on a hosted week, because sessions run to the conditions rather than the other way round.

Which towns deserve your time?

Three, for different reasons. Comillas is pocket-sized and architecturally startling — El Capricho, the villa a young Gaudí built, is here. San Vicente de la Barquera is the working one: a proper fishing harbour and lunch that came off a boat that morning. And Santillana del Mar, just inland and about thirty-five minutes from the house, is the preserved medieval town, with the Altamira museum and its cave art alongside; a culture day to Santillana and Altamira shows how that day fits together. Wherever you stop, somebody will offer you sobaos — the local butter sponges — and you should let them.

What should you take on a coast day?

Less than you might think, plus two things people forget. Swimwear for most of the year; a windproof layer, because Atlantic beaches make their own weather; and sun cream even under high cloud, which catches out more walkers here than rain ever does. If a surf lesson is on the cards, the school provides the board and wetsuit, so you only need to bring the nerve. The fuller kit list is in what to pack for walking and surf in Green Spain.

When is the coast at its best?

September, if we are pushed to a single answer: the sea at its warmest, the crowds gone, the light long and forgiving. Spring has its own drama, all showers and sudden brilliance. Even winter earns its keep — a big Atlantic sea watched from a harbour café is a spectacle in itself. August is the one month the coast feels genuinely busy; conveniently, that is when the shade of the valley is most welcome anyway.

How does the coast fit into a hosted week?

As punctuation. A typical week alternates: a mountain day in the reserve, then a sea day — the San Vicente path, a surf lesson, a harbour lunch — then back up the valley. Riding weeks include low-tide beach rides, which are exactly as good as they sound: hooves on wet sand with the tide freshly out. Painting weeks head for the harbours when the light is right. Whatever the mix, evenings end the same way, back at the casona with dinner at one long table and house wine that needs no deciding.

You join any of these weeks as an individual, with no forced single supplement, and every booking runs through Spice Escapes, Casa Agara's exclusive booking partner, hosted-holiday specialists for more than 45 years.

If a week that mixes valley and coast sounds right, the scheduled weeks are here — or ask Rob and María what the sea should be doing when you want to come.