24 September 2022 - Laxe and Camarinas
Miles driven today = 43
Total Miles to date = 1,529
We've noticed that a few campsites have already shut up shop for the season and a lot more will do so next week as September draws to a close. So we filled our fresh water tank and emptied the others before we left Camping Os Delfin this morning, not knowing how long it will be before the next opportunity will arise. Not very long as it transpires but we weren't to know that at the time.
First stop was Lidl in Carballo to top up on a few supplies. Then, having consulted our Rough Guide for interesting coastal towns to visit we plumbed the first of these into Google Maps.
30 minutes later we swept down a hillside to see a glorious crescent of golden beach with the quaint harbour town of Laxe (pronounced la-shay) sheltered at the far end.
We parked on the street a little way from the centre and made our way along a boardwalk though the dunes to the beach. There were a few people exercising and a group of kids having a swimming lesson but it was otherwise pretty much deserted.
We wandered up to the harbour. It's a busy looking working environment and so they disuade pesky tourists from getting too close.
Instead we had a look around the church which overlooks the harbour. There was a service of some description going on inside so we didn't intrude.
We took a stroll up to the Mirador de Insua viewpoint where we could see west along the coastline. They call this area the Costa da Morte (coast of death) due to its perilous reputation to seafarers.
We've seen loads of these structures today. The first couple were wooden and had crosses at either end of the roof so we initially thought they were tiny churches. But we started seeing dozens of them so Lisa did a little research. They are called Horreo or Galician Granaries. Made from wood or, in this case, stone, they are used for storing crops.
Most of Laxe's buildings are relatively modern and uninspiring, although there are a number of older stone properties around the harbour.
Unfortunately a lot of older homes are left abandoned and are ultimately replaced with ugly corrugated iron clad apartments.
It was fast approaching lunchtime and Galicia has a reputation for phenomenal seafood. There were plenty of beachfront options and we sat ourselves down on the terrace at Mar da Laxe. We really fancied the navaja (razor clams) but they didn't have any so these clams in a tomato based sauce were a fantastic replacement.
Next up were these scallops, grilled in their shells and incredibly sweet. Together with a Russian Salad starter, a tuna and egg salad, a big bowl of crusty bread and a couple of soft drinks the whole lot was €52. We rolled back to the van - stuffed.
We moved a little further along the coast to Camarinas, where we parked up in a free aire. Fresh and waste water and toilet emptying services are provided without charge and its next to a small beach so we pretty much decided there and then to stay for the night. It's about a 15 minute walk into the town so I had a quick siesta first.
Camarinas prides itself as being the capital of lacemaking. It has a lace museum and even a lace festival every April.
My Mum would be in heaven here. Before arthritis deprived her of the ability she was a very keen lace maker and I have to say the stuff she used to churn out was far superior to what we saw in the shop windows here.
The town also has a working harbour and a marina where the well heeled come to do their yachting stuff.
There's an impressive array of statues and art installations around the harbour. Here's Lisa about to have a crack at doing the double Dutch. Or maybe not.
It's Saturday and the sun is shining, so when in Galicia....
Finally before retiring to the van we noticed there is a path through the small woodland at the other end of the beach we are parked next to, which in turn leads to another beach.
Yet more powdery soft pure white sand but this time with millions of dazzling fleks of what we assume to be quartz. Lisa went for a paddle and looked as though she had dunked her feet in a bucket of glitter when she emerged. If our festival fancy dress experiences are anything to go by, I'm sure we will be finding it in the van for weeks.
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