I drive to Playa de Otur. The beach is deserted except for a lady walking her dog. I sit in the van watching the waves and she says something to me. I don’t understand at first, but realise she is asking if I am afraid of dogs, and she has picked up her dog. I say no, and she lets her dog go. The bay is lovely, the sand is black, but white sand has been brushed in. The waves are a little messy here, I decide to try further down the coast.
I drive into Galicia, which will be my last region on the Spanish north coast before heading into Portugal. As always along this coast the landscape is stunning, and more roads are being built. I head for a beach, which is the start of a massive stretch of many beaches. It is quite bleak here, the mountains further in the distance than normal, with houses dotted along the coastline, but there are lots of campsites. This is a popular area during summer. As it is autumn the place is deserted. There are a few people around though. I park up and check the surf at a beach, it is not very big. I drive further down the coast and find a big open beach. The surf looks good here. I have lunch, wait a while and go down for a surf. It starts to rain heavily.
I have the best surf so far on my trip. I catch many good waves in the 3-4 ft clean swell. I am still not used to my surfboard. It is much smaller and more difficult to handle than my longboard. My gap in surfing due to my infection hasn’t helped I don’t think. I enjoy the surf a lot though.
I notice some workmen point and joke when they see me walking up from the beach. The weather is very grey, overcast and raining regularly. Despite which I have been in shorts and a t-shirt all day, the air temperature still in the 20’s. This region is known for its Celtic connections, and has a landscape and weather to match.
I have thought about buying a mini-mal surfboard. I have thought about this before, when the surf has been smaller. The problem would be storing it in the van, but I think I can, storing both boards when the current one is. I will have a gap in surfing now, until I reach Portugal. I will reconsider there. Boards are cheaper there and I may be able to find a cheap used board.
I think about what to do next. I check my guidebooks and decide not too venture any further into Galicia. The town of Foz, which I can see from where I am parked, is the last major settlement, and the roads reduce in size and quality after Foz. I decide to head south west towards Santiago de Compostela, a popular city with impressive architecture. There are few surfing spots on the coast to the west of here. Although I can guarantee the beaches to myself I am keen to get some warmer weather.
I think about driving to Santiago de Compostela now, I should get there for before 8pm, but decide against it. I will stay a night here, free camping, and hope for another good surf in the morning. My week old surf forecast was spot-on for today, and suggests similar, although smaller, for tomorrow. If it is good in the morning I will take a surf and then head off.
I decide to try and find a good spot to stay for the night. I head east back on myself. I pass a bus car park with two motorhomes in, one French and one German. I pull in. I am not sure if it is OK to stop here. I would not think there will be many buses at this time off year. As I have a coffee strolling on the beach I notice a Guardia Civil patrol car cruise by. They do not stop, suggesting it is OK to stop here. I think I will chance it, as long as the motorhomes do not drive off.
