PETER CUNNINGHAMwas reminded of home when he joined the captain and crew of a yacht sailing along the fjord-indented coast of Galicia – and they stopped off at places he might never otherwise have visited.
SUNDOWNER,a 38ft sailing yacht, set out in midsummer from Ceuta, in Morocco, destined for Sada, in the Spanish region of Galicia, a journey of some 1,500km. Its captain and crew were mainly members of the West of Ireland table of the Frères de la Côte, an esoteric sailing organisation of South American origin that has members all over the world. I'd never been farther west in northern Spain than Bilbao, so when the opportunity came to join Sundownersailing up the coast of Galicia I went for it.
Galicia is Spain’s Celtic province. It is widely thought that the Milesians, who according to legend were the final wave of invaders to settle pre-Christian Ireland, were Celts from Galicia. The similarities with Ireland are immediately apparent: the countryside is green, misty and fertile, the people often look as if they could be coming home from a 1950s fair in Cahirciveen, and it rains quite a lot. Hospitality is taken very seriously. This is a very different Spain from that of Malaga and the Costa del Sol.
The joys of a boat include the likelihood of visiting places that one might never otherwise do. Galicia’s jagged western coast is indented with hundreds of pine- capped fjords, and A Pobra do Caramiñal, a small seaside village on a bay known as Ria de Arousa, is a bucket-and-spade destination for Galician families, and has a tidy marina.
It’s a friendly little place, with a beach and a nice promenade for a pre-dinner stroll, which is where I met Heather McKeever from Derry with her husband, José. The De Misa McKeevers have lived in Caramiñal for 30 years. Heather said the Galician sense of humour is the same as the Irish. So, it seems, is the local economy: lots of new apartments here were purchased by people from Madrid at the height of the boom, but now they’re in negative equity.
Heather and José brought us to Mesón Don Miguel, where the eponymous landlord produced his signature meal of langoustines followed by lamb. The warmth of the welcome was memorable. It was at last time, too, to stop trying to wonder why a little place like Caramiñal can produce and serve such a banquet, lasting several hours, including the best of Rioja, for €30 a head when a dried-out bap in Ireland can cost €10.
We set out north before 7am the next day under a dull sky with a following wind, our destination, Camariñas, 100km north, or 10 hours’ sailing.
Galicia, which is about the same size as Belgium, has a population of three million people, and the majority of them live on or near the coasts. Fishing and forestry are major industries. In summer the winding country roads along the headlands burst with colour: fuchsia, wild roses and, above all, hydrangea. Eucalyptus trees grow like weeds.
By 1pm we had passed Cape Finisterre. Marinas de Galicia, the umbrella organisation that manages the province’s chief marinas, has produced a useful map for sailors, with all waypoints on the west coast suggested.
Camariñas, a small village with a large breakwater, is a more modest settlement than Caramiñal. Known for its lace making, the village rises steeply from the port, in a series of narrow lanes and back streets. Delicious knuckles of pork were being barbecued on the footpath across the road from Bar a Ria. Customers ate free.
Much of the yacht traffic we met was going south to the Mediterranean, from the marinas of A Coruña – aka Corunna – and Sada. Sada was Sundowner's final destination, where it would be lifted out of the water after its long voyage.
We again slipped out of Camariñas just after dawn, and by midday we had switched our course from almost due north to 90 degrees.
Galicia’s history has long been marked by mass emigration, particularly during the early decades of the Franco dictatorship. Fidel Castro’s father came from Galicia. The greatest number of people of Galician descent outside Spain live in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
Sada is a seaside town with a large, modern marina. It is a quieter place to spend a few nights than at A Coruña, its larger and industrialised neighbour. Having taken down and bagged Sundowner's sails, and arranged for its overwintering, we set out by bus for Galicia's most famous destination, Santiago de Compostela.
The bus from Sada to A Coruña clings to the coast, passing tiny houses and cottages with blooming gardens that overlook the sea. The journey south to Santiago, by way of Galicia’s modern motorway system, takes a further hour.
A pilgrimage destination since the ninth century, the city of Santiago lies high in the Galician hills. The old city is a Unesco World Heritage site. The destination of pilgrims is the cathedral in which the remains of the apostle St James, or Sant Iago, are reputed to be buried.
The cathedral, begun in 1075, is a massive Romanesque affair whose towers and belfries are a riot of filigree. Inside, laid out in the shape of a barrel-vaulted cruciform, a huge incense-laden thurible, suspended 20m above the main altar, is swung into smoky action during Mass by a team of deacons and altar boys.
In the lighted confession boxes along the walls, waiting for their penitents, sit priests, for all the world like exhibits at Madame Tussauds.
By the most extreme good fortune, the crew of Sundowner, who had travelled 1,500km to get to this holy place but had made no bookings, found lodgings at La Estela, a 17th-century hostel built into the side of the steps beside the square in front of the cathedral. The rooms were small and basic but very cheap, and the location was unbeatable.
Santiago is a city into which groups of pilgrims arrive every day, around the clock. Most of them have walked, many barefoot, for at least 100km. Others have made their way here on crutches, in wheelchairs or on bicycles. Some ride donkeys. The voices of young children and the elderly, of every colour, from every country in the world, can be heard, often to a background of Galician bagpipes.
The pilgrimage to get here is probably Europe’s most popular, and many pilgrims use the opportunity to raise money for their favourite charity. Whatever their motivation, most pilgrims arrive at the cathedral in a state of high elation, making for an atmosphere of continuous celebration. Songs are sung throughout the night; dancing is still taking place at dawn. The old city seems to be on a perpetual high.
On the other side of the square from La Estela, Ferdinand and Isabella built a pilgrim’s hostel, now a modern hotel, on whose ramparts can be seen statues depicting the many who slogged their way here, including one gentleman airing his sore haunches.
Directly opposite the steps at the southern façade of the cathedral, the enchanting Rua do Vilar curves gently out of sight. With a cobbled central way wide enough for a coach and four, enclosed colonnades on either side provide a walkway to shelter pilgrims from the elements during their final kilometre.
Santiago is a fun-loving, busy, crowded medieval city that has remained wonderfully preserved yet lived in. Rua do Franco, running parallel with Rua do Vilar, seems to have a tapas bar every few metres. The best of them, following prolonged research, is A Taberna do Bispo.
Go There
For more information about marinas in Galicia, see marinas degalicia.com
In summer, Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies from Dublin to Santiago. Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Santiago via London Stansted.
Where to eat and drink at your ports of call
Castelo
2 Calle Diaz de Rábago, A Pobra do Caramiñal, 00-34-981-833130. A fun bar where a bottle of the best Rioja crianza costs €10. Delicious free tapas for two hours from 8pm each evening.
Mesón Don Miguel
40 Rua Castelao, A Pobra do Caramiñal, 00-34-981-832105. Serves platters of langoustines, lamb shanks and Rioja to hungry sailors for little more than €25 a head. A find.
Bar a Ria
Overlooking the port, Camariñas. They start barbecuing sausages and ribs on the footpath at about 8pm. Great craic with the locals.
Restaurante Arnela
Plaza del Carmen, Camariñas, 00-34-981-705477, puerto arnela.es. Situated in a tiny hotel; serves fresh fish from the harbour, plus excellent veal, for €20 a head, including wine.
Bar Nordeste
30 Avenida del Puerto, Sada, 00-34-981- 622276. Tapas to remember, especially the meatballs and the tongue in gravy.
A Taberna do Bispo
37 Rua do Franco, Santiago, 00-34- 981-586045, atabernadobispo. com. The best tapas bar in town. Try the grilled prawns and scallops. Ask for Beth.
Café Casino
35 Rua del Villar, Santiago, 00-34-981- 577503. A Santiago institution on the town’s most prestigious street.
Vinoteca O’Beiro
3 Rua Raiña, Santiago, 00-34-981- 581370. Specialist wine bar on the tapas trail.