Day 19 - Lighthouses, cliffs and

 Proper blue skies and warm temperatures!! Great nights sleep and when Graham pops out to take some photos we are joined by three Spanish Mastiffs who have abandoned their goat flock and have decided to watch over us instead! 

In daylight the location is a quirky one… little sign of its original use but lots of empty buildings and graffiti, would make a great Dr Who set! 

We start the day with s return to the lighthouse, having realised that’s it’s Spain's most northerly point Graham can’t resist going down to scramble the last few rocks to get as north as possible.

We are going to continue the coastal road around the next headland until we reach the next lighthouse.  The next headland has some of the highest cliffs in Spain and sound worth a look and it looks like a rugged road to get there.

Before we get far we realise we really we should pop down and visit the village of Bares itself.  It’s a steep drive and a one-way street through the town that gets us to the port. We’re the only vehicle in the car park and the beach is stunning. It’s only small but with the tide out there is lots of sand and it’s very sheltered. Whilst we walk a couple of other people do come join us but the beach is effectively our own the tide is making really pretty patterns in the sand and it’s sparkling with all the granite particles in the sand. 

It’s one of the prettiest beaches we’ve been at and well worth a paddle as it’s very sheltered and the water is relatively warm.

In an ideal world, there’d be a café open here but not today, there are some lovely looking restaurants and baths but obviously the season hasn’t started yet and they’re all closed up

When we get back on the road It’s a beautiful drive if a bit challenging. It hugs the coastline and the views are stunning.  

We make a brief bakery stop at Ortigueira and then carry on towards Carino where we take one of the most convoluted journeys through a village down tiny streets, hardly wide enough for a car, thank goodness our van is no bigger! And this time we can’t blame Google as we are following road signs! 

Out of the village and up to the headland where once again the lighthouse stands on a large paved plinth on some very high and very rugged rock. It’s blustery but well worth the trip to see the impressive cliffs to come.

The route back out to the main road is a little less daunting but feels like farm tracks at times.

 Continuing on the coast we are taking the ‘route of the miradors’ which is certainly well named! As the road reaches its highest point it feels more like home than Spain, with ponies and cows grazing amongst gorse, though not sure the wind turbines would work in the New Forest. But when you walk across to the viewpoint at the peak it’s a good reminder than we are in fact driving on a cliff edge with a huge drop and a view all along the coastline. 

A little further along and we stopped again at the mirador of the cross. A bit of a clamber but another lovely view, this is a stop on the ‘sardines’ pilgrimage and there is a pile of stones left by pilgrims on their way to the nearby village.

 There’s also a memorial to the actor Leslie Howard and his fellow flight passengers brought down by the Luftwaffe during the second world war. This is a fine example of discovering an interesting story by chance and worth the time researching the story back at the van.

As we walk back to the car I realise that I am taking photos of cows in front of gorse bushes that would look the same if I’d taken them 200m from my front door at home, true tourist

 From here it’s not far to the tiny village of Santo Andre de Teixido. We have to park on the village edge and walk in and when we get there it’s easy to see why cars aren’t permitted with only a few buildings and a tiny church. They have a very distinct style with natural stone showing within bright white render…looks high maintenance! It is an important pilgrimage destination and the few locals selling souvenirs from their front doors are well aware of that, with plenty of votives and candles on offer. I do fall for a bunch of tradition salt dough offerings though that definitely have Christmas tree potential! 

As the road curves on through Ceidra (looks like good one for a return trip?) and across the enormous bay formed by the  estuaries of  Rio Condominas, Ponte Viella and Rio Des Mestes, we stop to look at the sun sparkling on the water it really is a distinctive coast and offers constant treats!

We arrive at Valdovino beach carpark which looked like a possible park-up. It’s 7.30 and it’s heaving with people enjoying the 20 degrees plus temperature and is completely sheltered in bright blue skies. The carpark itself is level but with so many people and a bar full of people partying, we choose the option of a campsite … it’s steam wash time! The site is really quiet in comparison with the beachfront and looks out over a pretty lagoon. We park next to an English VW and whilst we are chatting with them the Dutch couple from Foz walk past and say hi! 

Just got time to walk across to the beach to watch a lovely sunset and see a siege of eleven herons flying out overhead. first time we’ve ever seen this so was a real surprise. The water between the sea and the lagoon creates some fearsome currents as they meet, it’s a lovely place to sit and watch the water swirling, before an evening of chats with home, a ‘proper’ dinner and half a bottle of Rioja….

Cumulative Mileage: 924 

Overnight:Camping a Lagoa,Valdovino

Spending: Bakery €3.50 Souvenir at SA de Teixido €6, Campsite €21