What you can see on the Razo and Baldaio webcams
The town council of Carballo streams two live cameras. One looks along Razo from the rocks at one end, over the broad sand to the lines of surf and the wooded headland beyond; the other, at Pedra do Sal, looks over the shifting sandbanks and channels of Baldaio. They are real video, so you can watch the waves as they break.
The surf at Razo, live
Carballo town council streams this live view of Praia de Razo, one of the best-known surf beaches on the Costa da Morte. The camera stands by the rocks at one end and looks along the beach: a broad sweep of golden sand in front, waves breaking in long lines across the whole bay, and a wooded headland at the far end, with the coast fading beyond it.
On a day with swell you can watch the waves build and spot the surfers waiting out beyond the breakers; in calm weather the sea is glassy and the beach almost empty. The flat, wide sand changes a great deal between low and high tide, so the camera is as useful for walkers planning a stroll along the shore as for anyone with a board.
Baldaio's sands and channels from Pedra do Sal
The second camera of Carballo council looks over Baldaio, the long, wild beach that continues east of Razo and shelters a coastal lagoon behind its dunes. From the rocks of Pedra do Sal it frames a wide plain of sand and shallow channels, with the surf rolling in from the right and low hills on the horizon.
This is the most changeable view on the coast: the sandbanks and the pools between them change shape completely with the tide, and on stormy days the waves push far up the flats. It is live video, and it gives a good sense of how strong the wind is from the spray blowing off the breaking waves.
Surf, sand and a lagoon
Razo is about 1.3 km (four-fifths of a mile) of fine sand, and it has one of the oldest surf schools in Spain, opened in 1991; on any day with swell there will be boards in the water. Behind Baldaio lies a coastal lagoon, and the whole area is protected under the European Natura 2000 network for its dunes, wetlands and birds. The low cliffs at Razo show layers of fossil beaches thousands of years old, and on windy days paragliders launch from the hills above.
When to watch Razo and Baldaio
Galicia is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. The biggest swells arrive in autumn and winter, when the cameras show long lines of waves rolling in from far out; summer usually brings smaller waves for beginners and a busier beach. The tide changes Baldaio completely, so check it before planning a walk along the flats. With nothing to the west but ocean, sunsets are late in summer, after 10pm local time.
Around Razo
Carballo, the market town about 6 miles (9 km) inland, has a thermal spa. Malpica, a fishing port with islands offshore, lies to the west, and A Coruña is about 26 miles (41 km) away.
Getting to Razo
A Coruña's airport is about 27 miles (43 km) away, and Santiago de Compostela's, with more flights from the UK and Ireland, about 44 miles (70 km). There is parking behind both beaches, and surf schools hire out boards and wetsuits in season. Take care in the water: the beaches are open to the full Atlantic, with strong currents when the swell is up.
