Take me to church...
After living in Spain for three years, I'd never ventured north until this past winter when I had the opportunity to explore the Basque Country. I honestly wasn't planning to visit more places either, having already been invited on over half a dozen international trips, not to mention those within the country to the south (hello, Carnival in Cadiz).
However, in light of recent world events my solo backpacking trip to Asia this summer was also cancelled. So long to my long-awaited return to the Philippines and ever getting a taste of Indonesia.
Still, like the rest of the world, I had to adapt to a new normality where tighter border restrictions existed and countries could go into quarantine at any moment. I figured, why take the rest of possibly getting shut out of Spain after working so hard to get my Spanish residency?
Spain is filled with so much beauty even in the not-so-hidden gems so instead of wallowing, I decided to scratch my travel itch locally. Yet would it be like to travel post-COVID-19? The answer was an adventure that I've never been happier to take, especially when we got to visit this wonder of nature, Cathedrals Beach in northern Galicia.
What is it?
Locally known as Praia As Catedrais, this is arguably one of the most beautiful beaches in Spain, let alone the world over. Its rocky cliffs have been shaped by the high tides over the millennium, resulting in 30-meter high arches that span the side of the beach to form what looks like a cathedral carved by nature itself.
There are also small caves along the side of the beach that you can freely explore but don't wander too far off close to high tide as you might find your path cut off by the rushing water. It's a stunningly beautiful but deadly landscape to be sure.
Where is it?
Located just a couple hours drive away from Santiago de Compostela of pilgrimage fame, lies As Catedrais off the coast of the Bay of Biscay. This beach is merely one of many in the area and is only an hour north of Lugo by car but within hiking distance of the coastal town of Ribadeo.
The beach is only accessible at low tide since the surf can get quite rough so make sure to take a look at the tide chart for the day you're going here. The site is also heavily protected by the Galician government meant so you'll need to apply for a visitor's permit here.
Don't worry, entrance is entirely free but less than 5,000 slots are allotted a day which isn't much if you realize that the place gets hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. Reserve in advance!
How to get there?
Depending on where you're staying, there are a few ways to reach As Catedrais. We stayed in Santiago de Compostela and got lucky enough to snag a two-our Blablacar directly to Ribadeo but had to take the bus back.
Thankfully, there is a direct ALSA bus between Santiago de Compostela and Ribadeo and costs around 20€ one-way. However, it only runs once per day in late afternoon and takes about 4 hours so the forward direction would entail a sleepover in Ribadeo, which I highly recommend if you have the time. Some stops along that route include Lugo, Vigo and Pontevedra so if you're staying in one of these cities, taking the bus is your best bet. The last bus typically leaves Ribadeo at around 18h00, though, so make sure you're on it!
Alternatively, you can take the train to Lugo to connect from nearly anywhere else in Galicia but you'll need to transfer to another train to get to Ribadeo for the last leg regardless. The times between those routes are a bit more limited so make sure to factor that into your itinerary.
Once in Ribadeo, you can take the circular bus to shuttle you down directly to the As Catedrais beach or stop at any of the other cute towns on the way. The bus only runs during the summer months but you can find the stop conveniently right in front of the tourism office.
Be careful though, the bus hours change according to the tides and don't run very frequently for that reason. We ended up missing our 12h00 bus, thinking it would take off at 12h30 like the day before but low tide started at 13h30 that day, instead of 13h00. Look for the updated tide schedule here.
Try and time your arrival to be about an hour before low tide to make the most of your time there as there's only about a 4-6 hour window when swimming at the beach is permitted and it’s safe to explore the caves.
If you manage to make the bus on time, it should cost around 1.50€ and take about 40 minutes to reach As Catedrais. Again, feel free to get off anywhere in the area like the charming fishing town of Rinol or other nearby beaches like Remiore, Esteiro or Illas. Keep in mind that you'll have to pay for another ticket when you get back on the bus, however, and, once again, it only runs every couple hours.
If you miss the bus like we did, the next one won't be for another couple hours so hop into a taxi. The taxi office is just across the street and to the left of the tourism office when you exit and a ride each way is 15€ but only takes 10 minutes or so. Why not splurge if you can?
When’s the best time to go?
We went in summer post-coronavirus and the beach was still crowded with people by noon. Most of the tourists were locals and, since you can typically clock Spaniards to the hour, we sat around until 14h00 when lunch time rolled around to get finally get the place more to ourselves.
If you want to swim in the gorgeous waters (the temperature was perfect for August), then I suggest heading over in the summer months or early fall. The beach will be packed in the morning with fellow sightseers but the crowd dies around lunch, usually 14h00 Spanish Time. Hopefully, low tide for you will be around midday (ours was at 13h35) so you can really aprovechar the view.
If you prefer to avoid the crowd and get in an epic photo shoot like I did (despite the crowd), then winter to late spring months are your best bet. The weather may be rainy (they don't call Galicia the Ireland of Spain for no reason) so keep an eye on the forecast before you book any dates.
What to wear?
At low tide, As Catedrais is a swimming beach perfect for the whole family. A swimsuit and sunblock are ideal as the sun can be quite intense even on overcast days. If you plan to explore the caves, water shoes are recommended as the rocks inside can be sharp or slippery. A light jacket is also useful around late afternoon as the area can become quite chilly the closer to sunset.
On the other hand, you can always forgo convention to wear a tutu like I did. I got to run, jump and play around like a big kid without getting a drop of water on my outfit. Now how's that for an adventure?
May you get lost in the wonder,
M