Description
Atlantic Majesty
Sailing west is one of the great adventures of the
Galician coast. Here can be found the Galician
islands, the Cíes, Ons, Sálvora and Cortegada. An
archipelago whose waters are turquoise enough
and whose sands are white enough to conjure up
Caribbean beaches... “until you dip your finger into
the water”. This was stated as a point in its favour
by The Guardian daily newspaper, which
considered the Rodas sands of the Cíes to be the
best in the world. Cold waters with the best ocean
properties for marine life, and odd stories of
sunken ships.
From a boat on the Ría de Vigo one can discern the
outline of the three islands that play at being two.
They are known as the Cíes because we continue
to call them by their Roman nickname of Siccas, the
dry islands, although, on their own, each has its
own name. That in the north, the Monteagudo, and
that in the middle, the Faro (Lighthouse), are joined
by the narrow sands of Rodas and a lake which
completes this heavenly picture. The island to the
south, San Martiño, is separated from the others
by a canal called "Freu da Porta".
The archipelago also includes a series of small
islands that are united beneath the sea in an area
of enormous and fragile biodiversity, ranging from
the microscopic beauty of the fields of algae to the
grandeur of the cetaceans that are frequently to be
seen.
Ons and her sister isle, the Onza or Onceta, and the
small island of Las Freitosas, close the Ría de
Pontevedra, with a coastline rounded off by sandy
beaches. On the other hand, the part which cannot
be seen from land is extremely wild and favourable
for the formation of undersea caves (furnas) and
reefs. The underwater scenery of this part of the
ocean is made up of vertical walls, teeming with life
thanks to the outcrop of deep water which is rich in
nutrients. This is well-known to the people of this
island, the only one in the National Park to be
inhabited now, who work as fishermen, especially
of octopus.
Sálvora, in the extreme west of the Ría de Arousa,
with its whole constellation of islands full of
legends and sea stories, such as Noro, Vionta and
Sagres, is a most complete reserve, both in terms of
sea bottom and surface. As with the Cíes and Ons,
man has left his mark with buildings for religious
(chapels, altars or churches), civil (lighthouses),
military (forts) and industrial use. In Sálvora the
salting factory was turned into a two-towered pazo
(country house) and there is also a fine, traditionallooking
village with eight hórreos (raised granaries)
and a chapel.
Cortegada and neighbouring Malveiras enjoy the
proverbial biological richness of the Ría de Arousa.
To observe production activity, the quay and the
promenade of Carril with their clams and cockles
breeding grounds provide a remarkable insight into
shell fishing. The tides are the only borders of the
Isla de Cortegada, which looks as if it could be
conquered on foot. Sometimes guided visits are
organized, which, as well as covering the island’s
history, also show the island’s plant treasure,
represented by the laurel forest with trees up to
twelve metres high, located behind a thick pine
grove.