A Galician Favorite: Praia das Catedrais
Sitting high on the Galician tourism pride list is Cathedrals Beach aka Praia das Catedrais in the local Galician language. Having risen to great popularity in recent years, tourists must now register their visit online for FREE during the busy season of July 1st - September 30th and during Holy Week. The web link for reservations is:
Located in the municipality of Ribadeo, capital of A Mariña oriental, in the province of Lugo, Cathedral Beach is home to spectacular slate rock sea architecture and boasts incredible series of natural arches. You can also expect to find local produce for sale in the parking lot, local artists selling Galician inspired goods at the stairway's entrance path, and the regular bagpiper (pictured above) spreading his traditional tunes across the sands while they last...
While wide open sands appear inviting to pack a picnic and set up camp for a full day on the beach, unsuspecting guests are often ransacked by impressive tidal changes completely swallowing the beach in a matter of 1-2 hours. Guests are urged to use extreme caution, especially in winter months because Costa da Morte (Death Coast) is not far off and landlubbers can easily be whisked away by Mother Nature.
After making your way to the east side of the previously pictured formation, you'll find the most popularly pictured and arguably most grandiose arch of all as you shift your gaze westward. As eager as you may be to show your inner monkey, on behalf of everyone yet to lay eyes on this beauty, the municipality kindly requests you contain your climbing urges to protect the formations and most importantly, yourself.
Lucky enough to have visited 5 times over 2 years living in A Coruña, I strongly encourage you to plan out your visit accordingly with the tide tables. It is best to arrive 1 full hour or more before low tide to allow at least 2 full hours of full exploration without the tide chasing you away. If you head as far east as you can on the beach you'll arrive to the less popular but equally impressive slab cliffs that jut straight out of the sand.
Besides the impressive cliffs, arches, and distant views, there lie infinite layered textures and shadows to be found around every corner.
Once you've made it to Cathedrals Beach, you're just under an hour from one of my absolute favorite Spanish small towns, Cudillero. Beautifully colored homes situated at the foot of oceanside cliffs, this quaint fishing village (like many others in Asturias) delivers that stopped in time feel, delicious fresh seafood, authentic Asturian cheeses, and the famous beverage Sidra. I assure you, Cudillero is not to be missed.
When you turn off the A8 highway you'll wrap around eastward and head downhill. Shortly after your decent you'll see a small car pull off....PULL OFF! Look out over the fence and take in this view.
One of the Cudillero harbor jetties.
Once you've found your way into town, take your time to wander around the tiny streets and follow the stairways upward to reach the various lookout points for an alternate perspective on this town. Don't forget cold beverages to enjoy while you drink in the views.
