Dornas in Corrubedo
Miles of beaches? We have them: write down the Ladeira - Vilar , with its more than 6 km. Or those of **O Castro (Aguiño) **, Xuño, Seráns or Coroso.
Dunes over 20 meters high? There they are, too, in the Corrubedo Natural Park.
Natural pools and waterfalls? Of course: in the Pedras river, in the Lérez and in Ribasieira.
Small islands where you can enjoy absolute tranquility? Of course: To Bensa, Vionta, Rúa, the Ínsuas dos Vaos…
What if we add one of the few viewpoints from which you can see the entire coast of the estuaries, from the Cíes Islands to Fisterra; a museum in Renaissance palace once owned by Valle-Inclán , a natural park studded with gaps or the legends that place the knight Roldán here, pagan priests who turned the Roman boats that came to conquer them into stone, or mythological characters such as the Ollaparo , our particular version of the Cyclops?
All that is what gives Or Barbanza a unique character. The region, around the mountain range that separates the Arousa estuaries of the of Walls and Noia , combines the best of the Rías Baixas with an atmosphere that, in a certain way, is already close to that of Death Coast and with the most important productions of mussels, cockles or preserves from Galicia.
That also carries over to the gastronomy , with a very appetizing offer, based on the product of the region and embodied in small unique projects. And all just over **45 minutes from the Santiago de Compostela airport ** and a stone's throw from the Atlantic motorway, so if you're not already discovering another version of the Galician coast, it's because you don't want to. This is our travel notebook, so you don't miss anything:
ENTERING THE REGION
If you arrive at O Barbanza from the motorway you will enter the region through Census . The first thing that will catch your attention is the change in landscape, full of coves and small villages by the sea. And in many of them, without trying too hard to attract attention, you will find small singular gastronomic projects.
Bridge over the river Sar in Padrón
This is the case of O Curral do Marqués, in Taragoña. You may have to make an effort to find it, but once there, this small traditional tavern updating will make it worth the time spent locating it. In summer they take some tables to the patio, at the foot of the palm tree, where you can enjoy a short menu of updated local products.
TO POBRA DO CARAMIÑAL
A Pobra surely has the best preserved historic center in the area. And that, together with the views of the estuary and its good hotel offer , makes it one of the nerve centers that must be known.
The restaurant Nojira , for example, is a typically poor product. Located in the Paseo do Areal, a few steps from the beach, in a 19th century bourgeois house , offers a current and changing menu in corners full of charm that in summer complements with a small terrace at the rear.
If you are looking to eat with a view, Sisal is your space: a large glass-enclosed restaurant on the top floor of the market where there is a casual offer of products from the estuary.
And if what you want is traditional cuisine, don't stop looking A for Pink , a classic eating house , and ordering their squid in its ink or, above all, the ray caldeirada . Or, in bar code, to look for the new bar -I know I've already talked about him on other occasions, but they're big fans- and his octopus sandwich with San Simón da Costa cheese.
A spacious glass-enclosed restaurant to enjoy the products of the estuary
TO THE CAPE
A little further south is palm tree , one of the towns that have best preserved its maritime atmosphere. There, in the heart of the old quarter, a stone's throw from the church, is mezzanines , a recent proposal that bases its letter on native accent snacks (try the zorza on country bread or the lacón with cheese and paprika), Galician beef fajitas and hamburgers.
In wink , a small fishing village surrounded by sandbanks, the Aunt Elizabeth offers up-to-date Galician cuisine in a pleasant place just a stone's throw from the port where there are still plenty of dornas , the traditional boats of the area.
O Castro beach in Aguiño
In Corrubedo , on the second of the two capes that finish off the peninsula, it is a good idea to stop at ** Benboa **, with its glass-enclosed room open to the sea and its fishmonger where the customer chooses the piece they want cooked, or at ** Balieiros **, the hostel where today Lara and Suso , trained in the Casa Solla team, present their personal proposal with spectacular views of the Balieiros beach and one step away from the lighthouse.
THE NORTH SHORE
We enter a territory of waves-battered beaches and smaller towns yes The north shore of O Barbanza is already part of the Ría de Muros y Noia and offers a less urban version of life in the area.
Porto do Son , with barely 2,000 inhabitants in the urban area, is the largest town on this stretch of coast. Here it is best to leave the car in the port and stroll towards the Plaza de España and the A Atalaia viewpoint.
Porto do Son
On the way, his thing is to make a stop at Pineiro Bakery and buy one of their famous empanadas (the one with squid is a show) or a tradition l sweet thread of the area. It is best to call before to order, because here the genre flies.
And back at the port, one of octopus , maybe some fried jurelitos in the Chinto Bar , some portion on the terrace of the Porto Bar , a squid sandwich in the Porto Nadelas...
THE INTERIOR OF THE RIVER
We finish the route in that inner part of the estuary, where the San Xusto and Tambre rivers , next to the Testal sandbank, where what many consider to be the best cockles in Galicia.
Noia has a really beautiful historic center of medieval origin where it is easy to spend hours wandering aimlessly. between the church San Martino and of Santa Maria A Nova , in a narrow passage that it is easy for you to pass by carelessly, is the office of Or Forno do Couto.
noya is a bakery village and the competition here is tough, but O Couto has a really high level of empanadas and local sweets, like the bread pudding (the older ones still know him as Calleiro ) that you should not stop trying.
A few kilometers away, already on the other shore, Or Freixo It is one of those enclaves whose name is transmitted among lovers of seafood cuisine due, above all, to two places: the restaurant ** Ríos and Pepe do Coxo **.
The first has a terrace open to the port and a wonderful selection of fish and shellfish from the estuary, including oysters, the fetish product in this town.
The second, with an atmosphere more like a port bar than usual, offers a good selection of classics of these types of establishments: octopus, squid, razor shells and, of course, also oysters.
From here, it only remains to continue exploring towards the north, entering Costa da Morte as you pass walls, or return to the cities, along the highway that connects Noia with Compostela and that in just half an hour it will leave you back on the highway.
Great classics from the Galician estuaries