Galicia recommendations?

[Tim Good]

We're currently in Aviles and about to enter Galicia which everyone seems to rave about. We have about 3 weeks before heading to Porto.

We like to anchor.
We don't like marinas
We like to fish
We like to scuba dive from the boat
We like wildlife
We have a mast of 18.5m and a 2m draft

Given all of that can I get some personal recommendations of things not to miss please. Specific Anchorages, inland adventures, nice towns, cheap mooring or particularly nice harbours.

 

[Wansworth]

Off the beach in the bay to the east of Cangas de Morrazo the offshore islands but you may need permission

 

[westhinder]

I am in A Coruna at present, returning from a first visit to the Rias Baixas, just spent 2 weeks there and they are superb.
We anchored at the Islas Cies, a small bay on the South coast of the Northern Island. Very beautiful and quiet, good holding in sand and totally protected from the northerly wind. You do need a permit, which you can apply for on line. Once you have the permit, you simply give notice on line where you want to anchor. That can be done on the day you intens to anchor.
We also stayed in a number of small, welcoming marinas: Camarinas, Cangas, Combarro, Cabo de Cruz, Porto Novo, Muros, Muxia. They are relatively cheap, but if you prefer, there is nearly always room to anchor next to the harbour.
It was very quiet everywhere, as the holiday season is not yet in full swing, I do not know whether it gets really crowded in the high season.
We are moving to the Rias Altas now, before we head back across Biscay.

 

[Yngmar]

We've done it from Cedeira westwards and then south last year. Liked the quieter Rias Altas best and found some excellent spots there. Would suggest spending most of the time there - further south it got too busy, noisy and expensive for our tastes. Corme anchorage was quiet, good swimming and free wifi. Muxia marina was very cheap and sheltered in a gale, with shops, laundry, showers, sweaty pilgrims, wobbly rocks and a cursed church. Can anchor right outside too. Porto is great - we left the boat at Leixoes and ventured into town. You can anchor in the harbour there, but lots of cargo shipping - the marina was considerably cheaper than on the Douro and there's a tram going from Matosinhos(sp?) - or a much slower bus straight from Leixoes. Read from here and following articles for our notes about the area: https://sdfjkl.org/blog/2017-08-01-spanish-rias-a-coruna/ - we also left comments on Noonsite for most of the places we've visited.

Further down, beware of strong afternoon winds just when you want to enter a port. They often got much stronger near land, so get your sails down in time. Atlantic swell can be big but fairly large wave interval, so relatively friendly. Not much anchoring along Portuguese coast, except Sao Jacinto (near Aveiro) was nice (fast flowing tidal river though) and Sines was excellent, despite ugly oil refineries in outer harbour. Horrible night off Sesimbra beach with 45 knots wind off the mountain, avoid. Lisbon tricky to get a berth, but can anchor off Cascais while waiting (or take a longish train ride from there). Worth seeing, but not as amazing as Porto we thought.

 

[RobbieW]

Good anchorages in Camarinas and Muros, plus some interesting coastal walking at both places.

Ria de Arousa has a number of nice anchorages, a couple that stood out were off Playa de Barrana, E of Escarabote, and to E of the Isla Toxa Grande, follow the channel ! Cambados was an nice town, home of Albarinho, but very exposed anchorage. I've spent a couple of weeks hanging around in this Ria, the marina in Vilagarcia is ten minutes walk from the mainline train station to Santiago and A Coruna but has a nightclub that opens around midnight and goes through to dawn ! There are clear channels through the many mussel frames and watch out for the boats working those.

As said earlier the Isla Cies is stunning. Oh and theres always the Ensenada de Barra on the N side just in the Ria de Vigo - good walking there too.

 

[LadyInBed]

Go into La Coruna if you must but then go across the bay and anchor in Ensenada de Mera (43 22.8N 08 20.6W) you wont regret it

PS I've allso anchored off
Ribadio up past marina and commercial dock
Viveira in covas bay
Cedeira
Laxe
Camarinas
round behind Finisterre
Muros
Moana
Cangas
Icla Toxa Grand - Ria de Arousa
Cambarro
Baiona

these may not be in order, but check website for pics.

 

[dgadee]

Ferrol entrance channel - under the castle.

Edit: Mate is a morning mile swimmer and gave 10/10 for the public pool in Muros. You can anchor over towards it off beach.

 

[jimbaerselman]

I wrote a cruise guide for the area in 1995, and still keep it up to date. Google "jimb galicia" and it will probably be at the top of the list.

 

[HunterWanderer]

Ria Arosa is my favorite, With A Proba do Caraminal one of the best. Anchorage just near the marina entrance. The marina let you tie up a dinghy to the pontoon and also moor up to the pontoon to take on water if you ask. Dive down for clams on the permitted days.