To O Grove and Isla de Toxa
22/May/2007 16:45 Filed in: Ria de Arosa
Later this week I will be having a drink with some friends holidaying in O Grove and I wanted to explore berthing possibilities.
This was a bus ride of about an hour and a quarter. As we came into O Grove we passed the bridge to Isla de Toja of which more later. O Grove is a popular holiday town but it was still off season as many restaurants were closed and not too many people were about. O Grove harbour was full of fishing and tourist boats with only a few local yachts on buoys. No mooring here then.
A brochure I got from Cambados tourist office yesterday said there were yacht berths at Porto Meloxo further round the peninsular. Under estimating the map scale I ended up with a 70 minute walk. Again, where the charts and guides show a shallow harbour for fishing boats, there were two newish yacht pontoons with most of the berths taken up by very small dinghies and runabouts. There was plenty of water and several empty berths. In common with Cambados there was open access to the pontoons but no sign at all as to who and or what the visitor would pay in the unlikely event that a visiting yacht made it's way to one of these harbours. Perhaps I will try as the only alternative is to anchor off near O Grove and dinghy in.
I walked back to O Grove and crossed the bridge to Isla de Toja. This bridge has been recently restored having originally been built in 1910 as the first concrete arch bridge in Galicia.
Bridge to Isla de Toja at low tide looking towards O Grove.
Isla de Toja came with something of a build-up. My friends in La Coruña had circled it on the map. My pilot book refers to it as a holiday destination for the very rich, Franco was known to take holidays here and there are two thermal spas, two large hotels, a conference centre and a casino. I must confess to being quite underwhelmed.
The island is not large and can be walked around in 80 or so minutes. At the bridge exit there is a private security office and security guards patrol the island in yellow vans. Along the south side of the island is a publicly funded Paseo Maritime built only 9 years ago but already bits of it have fallen onto the rocks below.
First large hotel looked fine but the Casino looked tired and next door was what appeared to be a derelict Spa.
A church with an exterior clad completely in seashells was quite charming.
The Gran Hotel Hesperia de Toja, said by one guide to be most expensive (2 person suite €262.15) in Galicia, looked lovely.
It's beach less so.
The Beach and Tennis Club was closed and very run down.
There were no sandy white beaches. The Convention Centre looked closed and the approach road was breaking up. The Gran Hotel had a jetty but there was no dock for visiting boats. There were lots of big expensive houses.
Some with tired paintwork. Apart from the Gran Hotel and the Hesperia Isla de la Toja Hotel and Spa much of what was there needed at best some tlc and at worst major refurbishing. The words faded and glory sprang to mind although there was a lot of building activity and new developments.
O Grove was quite a nice spot with a lot of restaurants and hotels which I suspect will be very busy in the summer.
Back in Vilagarcia the festival Santa Rita had begun.
Part of a busy street had been closed off and two huge sound stages erected. Later in the evening there was free entertainment from two "Orchestras", though I would use the term show band, "Paris de Noia" and "Gran Parada". The music might best be described as latin swing and the street was filled with mostly older people dancing. The brass sections were particularly good.
This was a bus ride of about an hour and a quarter. As we came into O Grove we passed the bridge to Isla de Toja of which more later. O Grove is a popular holiday town but it was still off season as many restaurants were closed and not too many people were about. O Grove harbour was full of fishing and tourist boats with only a few local yachts on buoys. No mooring here then.
A brochure I got from Cambados tourist office yesterday said there were yacht berths at Porto Meloxo further round the peninsular. Under estimating the map scale I ended up with a 70 minute walk. Again, where the charts and guides show a shallow harbour for fishing boats, there were two newish yacht pontoons with most of the berths taken up by very small dinghies and runabouts. There was plenty of water and several empty berths. In common with Cambados there was open access to the pontoons but no sign at all as to who and or what the visitor would pay in the unlikely event that a visiting yacht made it's way to one of these harbours. Perhaps I will try as the only alternative is to anchor off near O Grove and dinghy in.
I walked back to O Grove and crossed the bridge to Isla de Toja. This bridge has been recently restored having originally been built in 1910 as the first concrete arch bridge in Galicia.
Bridge to Isla de Toja at low tide looking towards O Grove.
Isla de Toja came with something of a build-up. My friends in La Coruña had circled it on the map. My pilot book refers to it as a holiday destination for the very rich, Franco was known to take holidays here and there are two thermal spas, two large hotels, a conference centre and a casino. I must confess to being quite underwhelmed.
The island is not large and can be walked around in 80 or so minutes. At the bridge exit there is a private security office and security guards patrol the island in yellow vans. Along the south side of the island is a publicly funded Paseo Maritime built only 9 years ago but already bits of it have fallen onto the rocks below.
First large hotel looked fine but the Casino looked tired and next door was what appeared to be a derelict Spa.
A church with an exterior clad completely in seashells was quite charming.
The Gran Hotel Hesperia de Toja, said by one guide to be most expensive (2 person suite €262.15) in Galicia, looked lovely.
It's beach less so.
The Beach and Tennis Club was closed and very run down.
There were no sandy white beaches. The Convention Centre looked closed and the approach road was breaking up. The Gran Hotel had a jetty but there was no dock for visiting boats. There were lots of big expensive houses.
Some with tired paintwork. Apart from the Gran Hotel and the Hesperia Isla de la Toja Hotel and Spa much of what was there needed at best some tlc and at worst major refurbishing. The words faded and glory sprang to mind although there was a lot of building activity and new developments.
O Grove was quite a nice spot with a lot of restaurants and hotels which I suspect will be very busy in the summer.
Back in Vilagarcia the festival Santa Rita had begun.
Part of a busy street had been closed off and two huge sound stages erected. Later in the evening there was free entertainment from two "Orchestras", though I would use the term show band, "Paris de Noia" and "Gran Parada". The music might best be described as latin swing and the street was filled with mostly older people dancing. The brass sections were particularly good.