Ribadeo: Estuary, Northern Way and Indianos Heritage

Ribadeo is the starting point of the Northern Way in Galicia. Santiago Cathedral is 189 kilometres away; a ceramic plaque depicting a scallop shell marks the route. Together with the Primitive Way, the Northern Way was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

Nature

The Ría de Ribadeo is an estuary at the mouth of the Eo, with mudflat and sandy habitats in the tidal zone. Since 1992, the ría has been part of the European Union’s Natura 2000 network. At Playa de As Catedrais, the cliffs form arches, passageways and caves reminiscent of the columns of a natural temple. Public access to Illa Pancha itself is not permitted; a coastal viewpoint offers views of the lighthouses and the entrance to the ría.

Culture

Ribadeo’s historic centre was recognised in 2004 as a cultural asset of special interest, a Bien de Interés Cultural. The town’s Indianos Heritage route begins at Cantón de los Moreno and leads through the historic Barrio de San Roque district, where a large part of Ribadeo’s Indianos architecture is concentrated. Ribadeo preserves more than fifty grand Indianos houses, as well as historic public facilities such as schools, a market square, a water-supply facility and the Pedro Murias Agricultural School. The so-called Indianos Garden is included in the Indianos route and was designed in memory of emigrants from Ribadeo. Casa de Sela is one of Ribadeo’s oldest Indianos buildings and dates from 1869. The house of El Viejo Pancho is the birthplace of José María Alonso Trelles y Jarén, who was known as El Viejo Pancho.

History

Aduana Vella is an 18th-century building in the port of Ribadeo that was converted from a grand residence into a customs house. Its façade displays the style of Bourbon Baroque. Fuerte de San Damián, also known as Castillo de San Damián, is a fortress on the Ría de Ribadeo estuary that historically defended the shipyard and port of Ribadeo against attacks from the sea. Torre de los Moreno was built between 1914 and 1915 on the initiative of the brothers Juan and Pedro Moreno Ulloa. Its dome is supported by four caryatids. O Cargadoiro Ethnographic Park preserves the remains of an old ore-loading facility that transferred iron directly from railway wagons onto ships.

Geographical setting

Capela da Atalaia stands on a headland overlooking the entrance to the Ría de Ribadeo and the port of Porcillán. The birthplace of El Viejo Pancho houses the Ibero-American Studies Centre.

Other destinations in the same wider area include Airoá, Reigosa, Lama, Caldelas, Sarria, A Pontenova, Castelo and O Vicedo.

Local life

At the weekly market in Plaza de Abastos, local producers offer fruit, vegetables, cheese, cured meats and other regional products on Wednesdays and, in summer, additionally on Sundays.

To the main travel overview: Lugo.