Rias Baixas, Spain

The Rias of Spain are best known for the lower rias that come after the rounding of Cape Finisterre. They are a series of four estuaries located on the southwestern coast of Galicia, Spain. These are Ria de Muros e Noia, Ria de Arousa, Ria de Pontevedra and Ria de Vigo.

Overview

We rounded Cape Finisterre to spend two days in Muros then traveled to A Probol do Caraminal- in the Ria de Arousa.

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From Ria Camarinas to Ria Muros

We set out early to enjoy a fairly easy sail from our anchorage in the Camarinas. It was overcast and drab, but before long we were delighted to watch dolphins playing beside our vessel as we moved forward. After we passed Cape Finisterre, the sun came out and blue skies with puffy white clouds brightened up the day. It was an easy sail to the next Ria along, Muros, where we anchored again.

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The Rias of Spain are stunning! They are fringed by beautiful quiet beaches, clear water and the supermarkets sell cheap beer!

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Another Day another Ria

This video was made in Ria Arousa where we anchored for a few days at Probo do Caraminal. We caught up with Rob & Paulyne, who we met in La Rochelle in March. They had crossed the English Channel before Christmas and sat out winter in La Rochelle. Their boat was a very nice Moody 40 with a cute little dog called Tealey. It is always a lovely feeling to see people you know.

Guests in the Video

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Our route from Muros

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A Pobra do Caramiñal, Ria de Arousa

We checked the speed and wind direction and decided to anchor near the beach to the east of the marina. It was an easy dinghy ride to shore. Deciding where to tie up proved more difficult. A fisherman excitedly pointed us to a place next to his boat. He helped us tie up and off we went to have a look around and do some provisioning. Swaying under our load of shopping we arrived at the gate to the pontoon only to find it locked with no one in sight. It was lunchtime and in Spain that means nothing gets done for two hours. Eventually, a fellow came to go out on his boat who let us in. So we were able to liberate Gumnut to return to Eucalyptus and have a quiet drink!

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Museo Valle Inclán

Ramón María del Valle-Inclán (1866 – 1936) is one of the most noted Galician writers of literature in the Castilian language. He is so revered, that his family home was declared an historical Art Monument in 1976. Later it became a museum. Its purpose is to preserve and disseminate the work of the great writer but it was not open when we were there.

More wanderings

The architecture of this area is a tribute to the ‘The Way of St James’ and is part of the Camino Trail. The scallop-shaped tiles on the roof of some of the buildings and the statues of St James above the entrance to ‘Igrexia de Santiago’, give testament to his influence in this area. Continuing from the church we follow the curve of a 15th Century wall. This wall forms part of Pazo Torre De Xunquiera. Military architecture is built for function rather than aesthetics.

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Such a variety of boats

This is a working port, so all manner of boats were coming and going most of the time. But not all boats were in constant use. Some boats look less well cared for, judging by the peeling paint and the green growths on the bottom of the hulls. This variety just adds to the interest of a place.

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Plenty more to see

This area is rich in Galician places of interest. There is the Mount A Corota viewpoint, the Museum-Valle-Inclan, the Pazo Torre De Xunquieras fortification and nearby Boiro, where there is a wealth of well-preserved archeological relics. We barely scratched the surface before we moved down the coast towards Portugal.

Shelley Beer 12- 15 June 2019