Cambados

On Sunday 26 May we moved across the eastern side of the Ría de Arousa to anchor overnight at what looked to be a nice anchorage near Isla Toxa. On the way over we were escorted by a school of dolphins feeding. The day-trip boats spotted them too but we were lucky and got the better view as they swam right alongside BV.

Where we wanted to anchor

The bay we’d chosen to try and anchor in was very pretty but sadly, with the spring tide, was just too shallow for BV so we moved around the corner for the night. In the morning we moved back the way we had come, about a mile and a half north, to get closer to Cambados.

BV at anchor nearly a mile away from Cambados

Anchoring and then using the dinghy to get ashore is not normally much of an issue provided the weather is pleasant. At Cambados we had to do this because the deeper-water marina (still very shallow) is reserved for fishing boats but, unusually, we had to anchor nearly a mile away from the town because the approaches to the harbours are so shallow too.

Cambados has a lot of character and the stone buildings date back to medieval times. There is even the ruin of a tower built as a defence against Viking raiders. It is apparently a key tourist destination in Galicia but was very quiet during our visit.

The shoreline, however, was far from quiet and there was a lot of activity collecting shellfish. We judged there to be over 100 people raking up clams and razor shells; definitely backbreaking work being bent over almost double for hours on end.

The other key activity in Cambados is wine making. It is the home-town of the Albariño white wine we have been enjoying. Sadly we were too early for the annual wine fiesta which, according to our pilot book, takes place on the first Sunday in August. But at Plaza de Fefiñáns we were able to get a glimpse of the old and new wine production barrels and stock up on a bottle or two of the fruity and dry Albariño wine which we have found goes very well with seafood.