28 September 2022 - A wet day on the Ria de Arousa

Miles driven today = 77

Total Miles to date = 1,738

Well our luck with the notoriously wet Galician weather finally ran out today.  We left our fantastic free overnight spot in a light drizzle and it didn't really dry up properly until late in the afternoon so I'm a bit short on photos to show you today.

We didn't really have much on the agenda for today anyway.  We drove over the headland to follow the north shore of the wonderfully named Ria de Arousa and took the coast road, which we thought would be a bit more interesting than the quickest route selected by Google Maps, but we just ended up driving through a succession of drab towns, made even drabber by the weather.

We gave up at Boiro and picked up the motorway heading towards Padron (of Padron Peppers fame).  Crossing the bridge at the head of the Ria we noticed big gangs of people out on the mudflats raking for shellfish.  We really didn't envy them in the conditions.

We took a sharp right to head back down the Southern shore of the Ria de Arousa and were soon trundling over the 2km long bridge taking us to what we thought was our final destination for the day on the Illa de Arousa, where there is a motorhome aire providing electric hook up.  The only problem was, we couldn't actually get there.  The road through the island's main town was blocked by roadworks and all the alternative roads were alarmingly narrow and often reserved for the use of residents only.  There are two campsites on the island but recent reports indicate that both appear to have closed early for the season.  So we were left with little option but to move on if we were to find the illusive hook up tonight.

Somewhat grumpily, we drove back over the bridge and on to the next town of Cambados, which is known as the centre for the Alberino white wine we have been enjoying a few bottles of since we have been in Galicia.  

We spotted that the town has a market on a Wednesday, so we went to have a look.  The outdoor section was a bit non-descript, mainly being cheap clothing stalls, although I did spot some of the famous local Peppers on a fruit and veg stall.

The indoor Market was a lot more interesting with predominantly fish stalls selling a huge variety of their catch of the day.

The old town in Cambados is supposed to be well worth a look around but as we started to wander in that direction the heavens really started to open.  So we decided to call it a day and got back to the van for lunch in a somewhat bedraggled state.

I did stop for long enough to snap a picture of this statue which gives a nod to the town's shellfish gathering heritage.

We got the ACSI book out to see if any of their discounted campsites were nearby and spotted a couple on the O Grove peninsular.  The first we tried was a top of the range €22 per night offering but we really weren't impressed so we have ended up at the €18 option at Camping O Espino in San Vicente do Grove, which seems perfect for our needs.

The rain finally gave way to blue sky at about 4pm so we decided to take a wander round the resort.  I'm sure this place is heaving in the summer months but it's very much got its shutters down now and is practically deserted.

The resort is built around a small port and then along a series of small sandy beaches interspersed with rocky outcrops.

There were a couple of interesting statues along the seafront.  This one seems to be depicting a woman and her child watching their seafairing husband/father sail away, not knowing if or when they might see him again.

And this one was really odd.  Again it seems to depict people gathering baskets of shellfish but they are wearing facemasks so presumably it has recent pandemic references.

We've seen plenty of lizards scuttling around on this trip but they are usually of the small brown variety.  This handsome fellow and his mate were a good 9 inches from snout to tail tip and beautifully coloured

We barely saw a soul as we walked along the seafront until we spotted a bar which was was not only open but was also playing some pretty funky tunes.  It was only when I popped inside to order "Dos Estrellas por favor" in my very best Espanol that I realised the music was actually courtesy of a live band.  It was almost like being back at our local, the Bay Horse.  Almost!

29 September 2022 - Poio, Portevedre & Baiona