Gorgeous Galicia

Miranda Prynne sails the islands of Spain’s Celtic corner, where she encounters a different language, landscape and climate to the rest of the arid Iberian Peninsula

I have a stark warning for anyone who sails to the Galician Rías – there is a very real risk that you may never leave. Now, some would argue this is not a risk but something to be welcomed with open arms. Simply befriend the locals, set up shop and you’ll pass a very pleasant few decades as a bona fide Galician.

However, if you have a maritime journey to complete in a timely fashion, Galicia’s almost irresistible lure can be dangerous.

We met a couple who had set off from Southern Ireland bound for the Mediterranean two years before. Yet, there they were, entirely content living aboard in the Ría de Arousa, now so friendly with the boatyard owner they were offto his grandson’s christening.

Galicia is not Spain as most people know it, with a different language, landscape and climate to the rest of the arid Iberian Peninsula.

It is Spain’s Celtic corner, its granite mass bravely taking on the full force of the Atlantic while its forests and farms benefit from the moist airs that accompany the ocean swell.

The Rías Baixas – low estuaries – are sandwiched between Portugal and Spain’s Cape Finisterre on the west-facing coast of Galicia. The Rías are large flooded valleys, each with its own unique character, sheltered from the open sea by the chain of Islas Atlanticas. The Rías offer a near perfect blend of beauty, history, fabulous food and, most importantly, great sailing, with a wide array of idyllic anchorages and well equipped marinas.

We arrived in the southernmost Ría Vigo after a two-day sail north from Lisbon, mooring up in Bayona, the town where Columbus’ ship La Pinta first made landfall after discovering the Americas.

The grand Monte Real Club Nautico de Baiona offered us a berth on its marina-style pontoons and we gratefully accepted for the chance of electricity and proper showers.