ORTEGAL
With a spectacular natural heritage, deep-rooted traditions and excellent gastronomy, the Ortegal region is among the essential visits for anyone traveling to Galicia. The Casa Grande do Bachao is located an hour and a half by car from this area in the north of the province of A Coruña, but the trip is worth it.
The route can begin in Valdoviño, a town that can be reached by taking the AP9 highway in Compostela heading north, and once arriving in Ferrol, the indicated exit towards Cedeira. A small tourist-oriented villa, Valdoviño has a spectacular beach, A Frouxeira, very busy during the summer months and accompanied by a lagoon of great natural importance. At one end of the beach is the Punta Frouxeira lighthouse, from which you can see the entire coastal area.
Continuing north are two of the most beautiful beaches in Galicia. Pantín is known for its waves, which bring together the best surfers in the world every September to compete in the Pantín Classic, with thirty years of history. A little further on, after overcoming some elevation changes with impressive views of the Cedeira estuary, is Vilarrube beach, quieter and more familiar, with a spectacular extension at low tide.
After passing the white bridge of O Puntal, you enter the municipality of Cedeira, a town that stands out for its small old town and the great activity it registers in the summer months. The gastronomy (percebes de la zona, rape a la cedeiresa, marraxo, calamares…) attracts many visitors every weekend from the region and from all over Galicia, as well as the many natural attractions with which the concello counts. The closest to the town, going up behind the old town, are the hermitage of San Antonio de Corveiro (which Andrés Dobarro sang about) and the Candieira lighthouse, with its twisty descent, not suitable for any driver.
The road that goes up to San Andrés de Teixido and the Sierra de A Capelada also starts from the center of Cedeira. Perched on a cliff, the small town of San Andrés is one of the most important centers of religious devotion in Galicia. Tradition says that all souls end up visiting the place, and that those who have not been alive will go once deceased, in the form of an animal, so be careful where you step. You have to visit the chapel and the fountain, a little further down, and get a bunch of ‘herba de namorar’. Beyond San Andrés, along a road that winds along the edge of the cliff, is the Herbeira cliff, whose highest point, Garita, is almost 700 meters high, with an almost vertical drop over the Atlantic.
The low road from Herbeira goes down towards Cariño (better to make sure that the fog has not completely closed visibility). Cariño is a fishing and industrial town that also stands out for its gastronomy. At its northern end is Cape Ortegal, a spectacular inlet of land into the sea of great natural and geological value. From the Lighthouse, built in the 80s, you can see the sharp silhouettes of the Aguillóns and, to the right, Estaca de Bares.
Returning to Cariño and passing it, you reach, after about ten kilometers, the coastal road, which connects Ferrol with Viveiro. Taking the left wing we will arrive at Ortigueira, a town famous for its gastronomy and the Celtic music festival that is celebrated every August.
From Ortigueira you can return to Bachao by first taking the wide road that goes to As Pontes, there the highway towards Ferrol and in this city the AP9 towards Santiago.
