Into Galicia

We slept well in Gijon last night despite a bit of evening excitement.

I've absolutely no idea what was happening, but most of the motorhomers here are Spanish and they were all standing around in groups chattering away with rather serious expressions.

The main group we're about 8 or 10 strong and we're talking to two policemen while another policeman stood by his patrol car messing with his phone.

There was no argument, just talk and serious expressions.

I hung around for a few moments hoping to get the jist of what was happening, but no chance.

Nobody seemed interested in explaining to British bloke either, so I just left them to it.

When I looked an hour later most had gone but some were still nattering away.

We left Gijon this morning and headed further west and into Galicia.

Some more photos of the countryside along the way 

Entering Galicia reminded me of going over the Tamar bridge from Devon into Cornwall except the bridge at Ribadeo is rather smaller.

Our destination was Playa de Las Catedrais, or Cathedral beach.

What a beach it is too, absolutely beautiful with soft white sand and the most amazing rock formations.

Think Durdle Door in Dorset on steroids.

The time to visit to get the best view of the stone arches is at low tide. Today low tide is 8 am or 8 pm.

So I'll be having a walk down later to get some photos. I just hope there will be enough daylight as 8 pm is dusk here.

Photos to follow . . . . . Edit, it started to rain at 7 pm so unless it clears up quickly, I'll try again in the morning.

The beach is quite strictly monitored by an officious lady in the tourist kiosk by the steps down.

I asked if dogs were allowed on the beach and was told si. 

Great except further down is a sign saying no dogs.

She also informed me I needed to register on a website to go on the beach - never heard of that one before and didn't bother registering as it was all in Spanish and I'd no idea what I was signing up for.

I was also getting excited about the idea of kayaking around the stone arches but asking at the kiosk it seems that's not allowed either 🤬

I was going to tell the young lady there was a time when Britannia ruled the waves and it was an Englishmans right to sail to the seven seas . . . but thought better of it, lol.

So I went for a swim instead and the water is fabulous, colder than in the bay at Laredo but very refreshing with beautiful views, crystal clear water and soft sand.

There's some interesting geology here, sedimentary layers eroded over the centuries.

With all these rules imposed by the tourist office, surprisingly the parking just metres from the beach is completely free.

I'm sure that won't last forever, it's a very popular place with locals and tourists.

I'm hoping we can stay here overnight and I'm sure the other motorhomes here are thinking the same, but I wouldn't be surprised if we get asked to move, we'll see later.

I'm staying until low tide that's for sure.