Playa Silencio, Natural beach in Cudillero, Spain.

Playa del Silencio, also called Playa de Gavieiru, is a pebble beach about 500 metres long in Castañeras, Cudillero. It lies at the foot of quartzite cliffs, with a sandy cove at one end and a narrow fenced path along the right edge.

The cove lies within the Paisaje Protegido de la Costa Occidental de Asturias, a figure included in Asturias's Natural Resources Management Plan but still not formally declared. It also falls inside a ZEPA bird protection area and a Site of Community Importance. Until about a decade ago it was frequented by nudists; since then summer access roads and surrounding plots have filled with cars, a trend linked to the Asturian Coastal Management Plan (POLA) and its coastal paths, car parks and viewpoints.

The beach's name, Playa del Silencio, is a later coinage; locals know it as Playa de Gavieiru or El Gavieiru. Until about a decade ago it was frequented by nudists, and on the best summer days the access path and surrounding plots fill with parked cars. Its clear water draws snorkellers and spearfishers, who need a Principality of Asturias licence.

The beach is reached via a paved path that takes about ten minutes on foot from the Castañeras parking area. Check tide forecasts before your visit and wear sturdy shoes, since the rocky ground can be uneven underfoot.

The cove is a textbook site for coastal geomorphology: studies highlight its marine terraces and cuspilitos, small beach cusps formed by wave action. Researchers describe it as a suitable place to recognise landforms typical of the Cantabrian coast, and the photographer Enrique Ros Wagener has pictured it.