It was only after we’d been sitting on Samil Beach for a while that it struck us, almost everyone else seemed to be promenading back and forth along the waterfront. A near constant stream of people, not strolling but doing serious walking. A family came and sat near us, they put down their beach towels and unpacked their things, then immediately set off to join everyone else walking. Samil is 1.2km long, we didn’t see them again for 30 minutes.
Feeling a little sheepish that the excesses of Vigo’s very fun nightlife had left me with ‘low energy’, I went for a swim instead. The waters here were warmer that we’d experienced elsewhere in Galicia, and the lack of waves was perfect for my swim/float hangover cure. Back on the beach, the lovely view across to the Cíes Islands was slowly being obscured by a bank of fog. The islands taking on the appearance of ‘the land that time forgot’.
Samil is Vigo’s premier beach and it was Sunday morning so it was pretty busy, but the vibe was relaxed and fun. We spent a few hours lounging and swimming, and then set off on a really pleasant walk along the coast. Our destination was the old fishing village of Bouzas where we planned to have lunch. The route is known as the Senda Azul, the Blue Trail, and passes several other small beaches and through sections of pine woods.
All the beaches the route connects have achieved Blue Flag status, meaning they have a high level of water quality, hence the name. It’s a very pleasant walk on the edge of the city, but there is more to see along the way, the route also takes in several heritage sites. The most important is the Museum of the Sea, which traces Vigo’s history as a fishing port and as a major fish processing and canning centre.
The museum is housed in a beautiful modern building designed by Italian architect, Aldo Rossi. The views from the adjacent beach across the boat filled water to the lighthouse are wonderful. As we sat looking out to sea, a big ship sailed past en route to some far flung port, at least in my imaginings. The route passes a couple of other small beaches and some historic mansions before arriving in Bouzas.
Now subsumed by the urban sprawl of Vigo, Bouzas has retained its identity as a fishing village and appears to be going through a renaissance, or at least gentrification. The upside of this is that there are a number of good restaurants on the waterfront looking out onto the pocket sized patch of sand that is O Adro beach. The cluster of streets in the village behind has several good tapas bars.
We found an outdoor table at one of the restaurants on the water and sat down to yet another of those lunches that lives long in the memory. First were seafood croquetas. Done well the humble croqueta is a sublime thing, these were done very well. The squid ink seafood rice dish was delicious with a glass of Albarino. Afterwards, we went for a stroll around Bouzas proper.
Starting at the 16th century Church of San Miguel, which is dedicated to preserving the lives of fishermen and has a ceiling that looks like an upside down boat hull, we meandered through deserted streets. Many of the original fishermans’ houses remain, built, like elsewhere in Vigo, using granite and often with enclosed glass balconies. It’s a pretty place. We spotted a nice looking bar, Tragad’eira, and popped in for a digestif.
This was our last night on the coast, in the morning we’d head inland to Ourense, but we had one more night of Vigo’s buzzing nightlife to enjoy first.
