We have been in Galicia for around a week now and it’s some five days since I actually found the time to write up our diaries. We awoke this morning (Saturday) to a bright, cold and sunny day. The calm after the storm as we have just endured some horrendous rain over the previous 24 hours. We have now cleaned up and everything is drying out and hopefully it will stay that way until our departure tomorrow to the Capital of Galicia.
This is the first time we have visited Galicia and the Costa del morte – or the Coast of death. Renowned for it’s stunning scenary and cliffs, the Costa del morte runs for 10s of Kilometres along the North Western coast of Spain in the A Coruna region. It acquired it’s name due to the more than 600 shipwrecks which have occurred off the coast. The rugged costline and hidden rocks make this one of the most dangerous areas for shipping in Spain, if not the world.
We have been out on the bikes most days and our longest journey was to the town of Carnota.
Whilst it’s impossible not to notice all the similar built grain stores in Galicia, Carnota has the largest. These granaries, or “Horreos” in Spanish, created an elevated and ventilated storage system for grain but buiding the largest became somewhat of an obsession and various competitions were invented to see who could build the longest.
This one is the longest in Galicia and was completed in two stages in competition with the parish of Lira which has a similar building. It was built in 1760 and 1783.
It’s a very popular tourist destination in Galicia.
After the morning in Carnota, we cycled into Muros for lunch at A Darsena where we enjoyed some Pizza, later taking a stroll around the old town of Muros.
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Friday we drove to the end of the world – Fisterra. Also known as Cap Finistere which leant its name to one of the largest and former Brittany Ferries Spanish-route boats. This is the most westerly point in Spain and the next continent to the West is America.
Until the end of the Middle Ages, the Costa del Morte was indeed the last known piece of land. The place where pre-Roman people believed that souls ascended to heaven. A mythical and symbolic space that would have left Roman conquerors speechless when they saw the sun disappear behind the immense ocean. Since then, as a result of it’s mystical powers, Fisterra has become one of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrim routes and it’s around a four or five day hike to / from Santiago.
After our visit to Fisterra, we headed to the Ezaro waterfalls. Above the waterfalls is a dam and reservoir – Encoro de Santa Uxia – and the waterfalls were only allowed to flow again since 2011. The site also houses 5 hydro-electric power turbines.
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We have had a fantastic week here at Camping A Vouga. The facilities might be a little tired but are kept very clean. We have eaten twice at the on-site bar / restaurant and the food is excellent and reasonably priced.
The view from our pitch is simply the best. Watching the pods of dolphins making their way around the bay is just fantastic.
We are sorry to be moving on but we have other parts of North West Spain to explore. Adios Camping A Vouga.