Day 22 - Franco’s Pazo de Meiras and A Coruna

Well despite running alongside Camino de Santiago paths all along our journey we have never seen so many walkers as we do today. They are in ones and twos but we pass twenty or more in as many minutes. Must feel good that Santiago de Compostela is now on road signs. 

Crossing the Rio de Ferrol we can see the huge docks and industry at Naron and Ferrol and it’s starting to feel like we are heading towards busier places. But there are still pretty inlets to come first with the crossing at Cabanas giving lovely estuary views. 

Looking at the map to not miss anything interesting as we drive along, I notice Pazo de Meiras, which seems to be some lovely gardens on the estuary edge. A little more research and it’s apparent the house was Franco’s summer home and is now in state ownership which is interesting enough to be worth the ten minute diversion after we cross the Rio Betanzos. 

It’s an interesting story of misappropriated funds and a long fight between family and state but state finally won in 2020 and it’s now free for anyone to walk around the beautiful gardens with stunning estuary views. 

The house itself has grand origins but an ugly modern extension that could be a premier inn. The house has very limited visiting- certainly not open today but the whole site was well worth the stop. And once again we are the only visitors! There are a couple of other cars parked but perhaps the owners are at the bird hide on the waters edge. 

Not much further until we reach the outskirts of the city … it’s vast in comparison with the places we’ve been to recently and it takes both of us to do the navigation as the roads become more complex but we make it to the marina and the camper park within a high fence. A quick chat on the intercom and we are in. It’s a largish carpark with spacious marked bays, right by the water, adjacent to the marina facilities. It’s not cheap but we are in the town centre and it’s secure and spacious with toilets and showers.

Once we are settled we head for the main square. We start off heading west and are soon passed by a runner with a live parrot on his shoulder! Not something you see every day. The route to the old city from here involves more flights of steps than is ideal and everywhere is very quiet as it’s lunchtime. It’s not long before we emerge into a large and very empty square with a city hall at one end. Coffee time! Feels like we are two of only a handful of people using the restaurants around the square despite it being lunchtime. The square is named after Maria Pita, who it transpires is a local hero having led a defence against Drakes attack in 1589. Another bit of history we were unaware

 We decide to give the fine art museum a try. It’s only ten minutes away. On the way we pass a square with a number of cartoons of famous people on the floor and statues on the benches, everyone from Socrates to the Flintstones but no explanation that we can see. The museum is a fine building and free to enter and the guy on the front desk even gives me a token so I can use a locker for my walking pole! 

We look at a couple of sculptures on the ground floor and some somewhat disturbing but interesting photos of dead animals by Manuel Vilariño then we head straight up to the top floor to see the most recent works from the 19th/20th century. There’s a good mixture of artists and styles with local links in most cases. We see a few cartoons that are drawn by Alvaro Cebreiro  a famous cartoonist who lived in A Coruna and realise that he’s one of the artists celebrated in the humour square’ earlier. Not many artists that are familiar names, some Picasso ceramics and a room of Goya etchings but they look to be from the same series that we saw at his home last year.

 When we come out the town has picked up from lunch and is far more buzzy. We head to the marina frontage to see the glazed buildings but on our way we eat empanadas on a bench beside a church and have a coffee opposite the theatre (unfortunately nothing on tonight). It’s good to people watch from the  comfort of a seat and an umbrella when it starts to drizzle a little.

When the rain stops it’s only a couple of minutes to get us to the waterfront where there’s a beautiful long promenade alongside the hsrbour and the famous glass fronted buildings opposite it. It’s all quite dramatic now the sunshine has come out and it all looks lovely. 

We can walk along the waterfront back to the campervan, an easy walk than our walk into town earlier. We pass a castle on the way which, until relatively recently, has been used as a jail, though it seems much too small to hold many people. Its now a museum so that might be somewhere to look at in the morning. Back at the van it’s quite early, but we have tea and a drink and settled down for the night. It’s very quiet but there are helicopters overhead I guess the Coast Guard is out. It may be that this is a bit of an expensive overnight but it’s been nice to be in a city and see a busier lifestyle. Tomorrow we’ll head just that little bit further and maybe get ourselves onto the West Coast. 

Cumulative Mileage: 977

Overnight: Marina A Coruna 

Spending: Coffees €4, Empanadas €9.60, Coffees €3.90 Marina fee €29