Along the north coast of Galicia and Asturias

We have spent the last couple of weeks pottering along the North coast of Spain.
From the Islas de Sisargas, we went straight to la Coruna, passing the unmistakeable Torre de Hercules. We had already spent quite a bit of time exploring the city on previous visits, so after Dave had visited the fisherman’s stores, we decided to anchor in a new spot across the bay in Praia de Mera. A short walk ashore showed us some lovely sculptures, and a big lake teeming with ducks, geese and swans, but not a huge lot else.

Sculpture at Praia de Mera

We did, however, meet some other British cruisers. One couple had just come back from a 7-year round-the-world trip, and another, younger couple, Jake and Lucie, were just starting their cruise, having arrived from the UK a week before. Young cruisers are few and far between and Katie and Reuben were keen to spend some time with them. Happily they agreed to follow us around the corner to one of our favourite anchorages, in Ares.

The first day in Ares was lovely and sunny, with crystal clear water, and we spent a lot of time swimming off the boat. Sure enough, our new friends sailed in that afternoon and in the evening joined us for drinks on deck with another French cruising couple, while the kids swam some more!

We spent a fair bit of time with Jake and Lucie over the next couple of days. They are on an extended cruise on a lovely boat called ‘Ragtime’, which Jake’s grandfather had previously sailed around the world. Jake is a great swimmer and was more than happy to comply with Katie’s and Reuben’s pleas to “jump in off the bowsprit!”

Jump!

Jake and Lucie, with Katie & Reuben

He is also a great diver, but is allergic to seafood. Lucky for me, as I was the recipient of a handful of scallops collected from under our boat. We were all fascinated at the spectacle of live scallops slowly opening their shells, then suddenly snapping them shut. Apparently, this is how they move underwater!

I had never prepared scallops from scratch before, but after a brief search online, and a few fumbling attempts, I soon had a lovely plate of pan-fried scallops. Delicious!

live scallops, the one on the right is opening

ready to cook,yum

While in Ares, we had several torrential rain storms with serious bouts of thunder and lightning. We watched the first one from the safety of the wheelhouse, mesmerized as the hills opposite, and even the boats anchored nearby, got swallowed up in a white curtain of heavy rain.

hills opposite disappeared in rain

The next day, rain wasn’t due until evening and we made a plan with Jake and Lucie to kayak and row around the corner to a pretty little village called Redes. Grey clouds were gathering in the distance as we launched the dinghies but we set off hopefully, leaving Jake and Lucie to follow. Soon, we were engulfed in rain. We were too far out to return dry so decided to press on.

We could see Jake and Lucie behind us and surprisingly, they didn’t turn back! By the time we reached the corner, thunder and lightning was getting closer. One flash of lightning was almost immediately followed by an enormous crack of thunder. That was definitely a bit close for comfort! We paddled the rest of the way as fast as we could, and made it safely to Redes.

clouds closing in

heavens opened!

As we stood dripping on the shore, Dave pointed out that mine and Katie’s and my hair was literally standing on end. It was quite a sight, especially as Katie’s hair is so long, and I wish I’d taken a photo, but, having heard it could pre-empt a lightning strike, we hurried into the shelter of the nearest bar! 

There were a few surprised looks from the locals when we arrived, sodden, but they soon returned to watching Spain playing in the World Cup on TV. We slowly came back to life with beers for the adults and hot chocolate for the kids. Slowly the storm cleared and we were able to do the return trip. Dave towed us all in a convoy, adding a bit of excitement by squeezing through a tiny gap in the rocks!

towing the convoy home

about to squeeze through the gap

The time came to say goodbye and move on. We had made it a mission to visit our friend Jono, who lived somewhere beyond Gijon. We had passed this coastline five times without stopping, and decided this time we would make a point of finding him.

It is hard to squeeze everything into the day while cruising! As it was still officially school term, we tried to keep to short day-hops. This allowed us to do a couple of hours of school after breakfast, have lunch before leaving, then arrive in a new place with a little time to explore before tea.

First stop was Cedeira. We arrived late, with no time to go ashore, but we saw a staggering number of swimming crabs off the entrance. We have seen these tiny creatures all along the Atlantic coast - they swim on or just below the surface, but never in such big numbers

swimming crabs galore

better close-up

The following day, we actually had the wind in the right direction and managed to sail most of the way to the Ria de Viveiro. What stunning scenery! We passed steep, green hillsides, dotted with clusters of orange-roofed houses, all topped with a layer of cloud (we had blue skies at sea). Cabo Ortigal itself has a wonderful set of offlying jagged rocks, and a zigzag path down to its lighthouse. All very reminiscent of Cornwall or Ireland, with so many shades of green!

wind behind us

lovely green coastline

jagged rocks off Cabo Ortigal

anchorage in Viveiro

Arriving at Viveiro, we sailed most of the way up the deep wide ria, before anchoring off the beach at the end, with a lovely view of mountains in the distance behind. We took the dinghy up the canal to the town and wandered the narrow streets of the old town, taking in the old castle and large square, where they were in the midst of setting up for a medieval festival the following weekend. A big, shallow lagoon behind the marina was obviously the harbour in olden times, and now had become the perfect place for an evening waterside stroll.

colourful Viveiro town

medeival bunting

waterfront, Viveiro

Next stop was the Ria de Ribadeo, which was completely different in character. The entrance was much smaller and narrower and, after passing under a high road bridge, it opened out into a wide but very shallow bay with a big sandbank in the middle. We tried to follow the narrow channel around one side of the bank but it soon became too shallow, so we retraced our steps and, hoping the chartplotter was accurate, followed the opposite bank inland before crossing towards the town of Castropol. We touched bottom once but floated off with the incoming tide and anchored where our fishfinder showed deepest.

Castropol

looking down from top of Castropol

Castropol was a picture-perfect little town, winding its way up a steep hill and with a pointed church tower at the very top. The town surprised us with its elegant houses, many with glass-fronted turrets on top. These were apparently old merchant houses. A huge barometer was on display outside one shop, along with a plaque proclaiming it to be an English mercury barometer from the 19^th century. On top of the hill near the church was a neat little gardens and statue outside an impressive building that was once the casino. Obviously an affluent place in times gone by.

merchant house, Castropol

lovely carving, Castropol

plaque for English barometer, Castropol

Nowadays, apart from catering to tourists and hikers, the main business seemed to be in building lovely little sailing boats, to a special design with heart-shaped transoms. These pretty boats, in various colours, were dotted about the ria on moorings, and occupied a whole row in the marina. They have an annual sailing regatta in August, they must be quite a sight all together with their lateen-sails hoisted. 

 sailing boats in Castropol

heart-shaped transom

This seemed to be an end to the bigger rias, with fishing harbours taking over as places of refuge. Nearly all of them have a pontoon (or wall) available for boats in transit, and in many of them there is no charge. In Luarca, we picked up a buoy at one end of the boat and tied ropes from the front to the tall harbour wall. At first sight, this looked a pretty tight space, and rocky under the water, but in fact there was plenty of depth, and the water was perfectly clear for swimming (although chilly!)

Jono came and joined us here with his daughter Naia, who had never been on a pirate ship before, and was very excited. The novelty wore off a little the next day when she felt the motion of the sea, but a long sleep seemed to aid recovery. They sailed (motored – no wind) with us for 2 days, first to Luanco and then on to Lastres. We had a lovely time, with lots of swimming, stunning views of the coast, and a haul of sixteen mackerel at sea.

new crew at sea

swimming time

Jono relaxing at sea

 John had us sampling the local ‘sidra’ or cider, which is traditionally poured out from above your head. This is a tricky operation with even the slightest of roll on a boat!

Jono attempting to pour cider into a glass 

Reuben, Naia and Katie

From Lastres, John picked up his car and gave us a taste of the countryside inland. This area is close by the Picos mountains, which tower over the region, giving a picturesque backdrop and catching clouds. Below the mountains are steep green hills dotted with clusters of houses and farms, and everywhere the Asturian grain stores – large square wooden buildings with an overhanging roof standing on stone plinths well out of rats’ reach.

Pico mountains

Jono's house, with grain store opposite

Jono and Reuben in the tree house

Asturian grain store

Jono lives in a house in the hills, with a wonderful view over all of this. He has chickens and a dog, and a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs growing in the garden. A lovely rural retreat, but just 20 minutes’ drive from the sea.

He took us to some natural caves, full of stalactites and stalagmites. Outside the entrance, high above us, was a natural beehive, full of wiggly honeycombs. We visited the nearby towns of Vilaviciosa and Colunga. We picked up chunks of purple fluorite crystals from rocks outside an abandoned mine and jumped waves in the sea.

natural cave

inside the cave

 beehive outside cave

We visited a fantastic maritime museum at Luanco, and a dinosaur museum at Lastres. We were surprised by the sheer number of people on the beaches – they looked packed to bursting point. Apparently it is common for Spanish people to have a summer place on the coast, and all these towns seemed incredibly lively, not at all the sleepy fishing villages we had imagined.

'Ros Ailither' in Lastres

View over the rooftops, Lastres

dinosaur museum

wonderfully detailed model in maritime museum

busy beaches

We are now in a lovely river- and seaside resort called Ribadesella, where we are avidly watching the weather for a lull in the NE winds to get across Biscay. 

Ribadesella

Watch this space!