Cathedrals Beach, memories of a getaway in Northen Galicia

Today, I will write about some more memories of our family trips to let them kept on the blockchain. In the summer of 2010, we went to Galicia in Spain for the first time to visit my sister-in-law. She lives there with her family.

One of the weekends we were there, we decided to make a quick getaway to the North Shore of Galicia with the idea of visiting one of the most visited destinations on the north coast, Cathedrals Beach, or Praia das Catedrais.

I've mentioned this getaway in the past when I wrote my experience of a somewhat terrifying night in what boasted to be the quietest campground in Spain. By the way, we were traveling with three children between 9 and 5 years old ;). But other than that experience at the campsite, the getaway was wonderful, and that's what I'm going to tell you about now, and if you would like to check on my experience at the campsite you can read The quietest campsite, which I never want to go back.

Cathedrals Beach - Praia das Catedrais

This beach is located in the province of Lugo in Galicia and is one of the most visited destinations in northern Galicia. It is in one word, impressive.

_{Cathedrals Beach, Galicia}

The beach can be visited when the tide is low. But now to visit it, you have to make a booking in advance, but not at that time.

So with low tide, we had the chance to visit it.

_{Cathedrals Beach, Galicia}

The original name of this beach is Playa de Aguas Santas, but its name has changed over time to Cathedrals Beach because the rock formations of the beach are reminiscent of the arches and towers of churches.

_{Cathedrals Beach, Galicia}

Although the tide was low, to walk among some of the huge rock formations and enter in some of the caves, it was needed to dive a little into the sea.

_{Cathedrals Beach, Galicia}

In some rocks in the sea, you could see the Barnacles (Percebes) so typical of Galicia.

_{Percebes in Cathedrals Beach}

It was difficult to take a picture that did not show a lot of people. At that time, it was not needed to book in advance the visit to the beach, nor was it regulated the number of people who could visit in a day.

It must be amazing to be able to go to that place alone and contemplate those huge rock formations.

_{Cathedrals Beach, Galicia}

Ribadeo

In the afternoon, with much better weather as the sun was out by this time, we spent the time exploring the nearby town of Ribadeo.

_Ribadeo

There, from a viewpoint, we saw the Bridge of Los Santos. A long bridge that crosses the ria of Ribadeo and connects at this point the Communities of Galicia and Cantabria.

_{Puente de Los Santos, Ribadeo}

I remember Ribadeo as a very pleasant little town. We spent the afternoon walking through some of its streets and having a coffee or maybe two in some of the coffee shops in the main square.

_Ribadeo

In the evening, after dinner and before going back to the terror camp, we went to a concert in one of the squares. I can't remember which band was performing. But that summer, it was a Jacobean year in Galicia, and there were many concerts in parks and squares.

Cape Ortegal

The next morning, after we left the camp, we drove along the northern roads near the coast and came to a small town called Cariño where there was not much to see apart from the beach, but I remember we ate in a restaurant which turned out to be owned by a man who had lived in Venezuela for many years. After a pleasant conversation and a meal, I remember it as great, but of which, unfortunately, I have no photos. We continued along the coast and came to the lighthouse at Cape Ortegal.

_{Cape Ortegal Lighthouse}

From there, we enjoyed stunning views of the coast and the cliffs.

_{The Coast view from Cape Ortegal}

_{View from Cape Ortegal}

Cedeira

Then we drove along the coast to Cedeira. A beautiful little village. Where the river Condomiñas flows into the sea.

_{Cedeira, Galicia / Playa a Magdalena - Cedeira}

We got out of the car and walked along the beach. It was cloudy and a bit cold, so the sea was freezing. However, there were a couple of brave people who were swimming.

_{Cedeira, Galicia}

The kids played in the sand, and we sat down for a while to enjoy the proximity of the sea. After that quick stop, we returned to the cars and headed back to Santiago.

_{Cedeira, Galicia}

This was a nice short getaway despite the overnight camping experience and a destination I would recommend to anyone visiting Galicia.

All the images were taken during a trip in August 2010.

Thank you for reading!

_{All images and writing are my own unless otherwise stated.}

© CoquiCoin

August 16, 2022