Exploring A Coruña further

We LOVE our bicycles!  It was wonderful for getting around La Rochelle which is essentially flat, and the marina was some distance (about a 20 minute brisk walk) from the Old Town.  In A Coruña, we hadn’t used them much to begin with, as the Old Town was within an easy walk and the streets much too narrow with the restaurant tables and chairs.  However, once we decided to get out and head for the Torre de Hercules (Tower of Hercules – the oldest still-functioning lighthouse in the world, first built by the Romans), we got the bikes out and headed off.

The weather was sunny and clear but with a brisk north-easterly (the prevailing wind, it seems) – the north coastal area of the city is spectacular, rugged and exposed. The city has done an amazing job of creating a beautiful parkland, complete with sculptures, walkways and even picnic benches!  The only thing missing is public toilets!  What is it about the lack of public toilets in Europe?  In the month that we were in La Rochelle, we learned where the (paying) public toilets were located so that we were never caught out, but the ‘servicios’ or ‘aseos’ in Spain seem to be well-hidden.  Even the beautiful long beach along the north-western edge of the city had no public facilities in sight.

The sculptures were an interesting mix of ‘local’ monuments, including the menhirs known to those who are familiar with Asterix and Obelix comics.

We managed to ride a wonderful circuit from our marina, around the peninsula and back through the Old Town to the marina again in about 3 hours (with lots of photo stops and of course the mandatory “helado” = ice cream).

A Coruña really is a lovely city and deserves a visit if you are in the area.  For yachties, it is a good place to stop after a Bay of Biscay crossing since there are good marina facilities (2 marinas to choose from), mechanics, electricians and chandleries as well as delicious food and pleasant people.

                                                    One of the many sculptures around town

                                    Torre de Hercules - the oldest working lighthouse in the world

                                                          View from the fort of St Anton

                                                             Menhirs overlooking the Atlantic

                                   Our pretty harbour with a large cruise ship in the background

                                                      A typical door-knocker in town