30th August

Still heading west along the north coast and into the province of Galacia, the road once again became a ribbon of sea cliffs, coves and beautiful sandy bays winding through dense forests of extremely tall eucalyptus.

Eucalyptus forests

Bays along the way

The wow factor of the day was Cabo Ortegal the highest sea cliffs in Europe.  Linda calls this place “Cabo Heebee Jeebees”.  It is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Bay of Biscay.  It is also a migration point for whales, dolphins and birds.

Cabo Ortegal

Sunset surfers at campsite

Our camping stop for the night was Valdevino, a surfing hang out that likes to party into the early hours.

31st August.

Time for a change of direction, today is the start of our journey south. The first stop for the day was planned to be Pontedeume but that turned into a let's get out of here, mayhem traffic, nowhere to park sort of place, so plan B made our midday coffee break in the laid back medieval town of Betanzos.  Along the river bank we listened to some Galacian music, the percussion section had the unusual instrument of scallop shells played like a like a skiffle washboard.

Musicians in action

Scallop player

Our overnight base for today was a campsite in Santa Cruz on the other side of the bay of La Coruna, this spot enabled us to visit the city by public transport, which the takes pain out of having to drive through a big city (the capital of Galacia) and find parking. The plus factor is public transport forces us to speak Spanish which is not our strong suit as English isn’t a common tongue in this neck of the woods.

La Coruna: Plaza de Maria Pita