Camping Ribadesella

As well as being gorgeously scenic, this part of Spain is full of history to explore: the Tito Bustillo cave, rock paintings and Rock Art Centre are within five minutes’ drive of the site. Too close to the present day? Head to the Jurassic Museum of Asturias 20 minutes away, where a collection of more than 8,000 fossils is on display. There’s history of a different kind a little further afield: Asturias is famed for its cider, so fans of the sweet stuff may want to venture immediately to the cider museum 45 minutes from the site, where there’s tasting and cidermaking galore. Prefer to stay out in the fresh air? Start with wanders along the Bufones de Pría (cliffs where impressive waves shoot into the air, so dress accordingly) or Guadamía beach, both within 20 minutes, or pile into the car for the 40-minute journey to the spectacularly scenic and mountainous Picos de Europa National Park. City days of two kinds are nearby too: it’s 35 minutes to the Laboral City of Culture, a centre of art and industrial creation, and the city of Gijón – with its gardens, beaches, Roman baths, palace, museums and aquarium – is 40 minutes from base.