Northern Spain or Costa Verde (Green Coast) is a simply stunning combination of lush mountain landscapes with white sand beaches; elegant mansions and avant-garde buildings; seafood and cider – all infused with the un-mistakeable echo of its seafaring past. But this corner of Spain is also recognised as a great place for a golf break.
With Bilbao’s pintxos bars and Guggenheim Museum, San Sebastien’s La Concha Beach and multiple Michelin-starred eateries, Santander’s Magdalena palace and nearby pre-historic Altimira Caves, the awesome mountains of Picos de Europa National Park, the Unesco world heritage sites in Oviedo, the cider houses of Gijon, the canyons and rias of Galicia, and the cathedral of Santiago at the end of “The Camino”… you’ll be wondering how you’ll find time to play golf!
But find time you must.
For this is a region that has produced a host of top players (think Ballesteros, Olazabal, Rahm…) and a place that many golfers are now discovering and falling for, as there are some really memorable courses amongst the natural splendour.
You could play Seve’s home course at Pedrena and his design input at Santa Marina to the west or Izki in La Rioja. Add to this a round at the Olazabal-designed Uraburu near Bilbao or the exclusive La Barganiza course near Oviedo, and you’ve got yourself a golf break to cherish.
There are major international air and ferry ports, and with a superb motorway running along the coast it’s easy to move from one golfing hub to the next. You could even cross the border to enjoy some of courses that wind through the pine forests of south west France.
