What you can see on the Ribadeo webcam
The regional weather service's camera stands at the water's edge on the Ribadeo shore and looks out under the Ponte dos Santos, the motorway bridge to Asturias, towards the mouth of the estuary and the open sea. It does not show As Catedrais itself, but it is a reliable guide to the tide and the weather on this stretch of coast.
The bridge between Galicia and Asturias
MeteoGalicia's camera stands at the water's edge on the Ribadeo side of the Eo estuary and looks out under the Ponte dos Santos, the long motorway bridge that has joined Galicia and Asturias here since 1987. The deck cuts across the top of the picture on its tall twin piers; below it, the wide water of the ría runs out to the river mouth and the Cantabrian Sea, between the low rocky shores of the two regions. Lorries and cars crossing the bridge are often caught mid-span.
The camera shows the tide, the colour of the water and the weather coming in from the sea. It does not show the beach of As Catedrais, which lies about 7 miles (11 km) west along the coast. Still image, not video.
As Catedrais: plan around the tide
Praia de Augas Santas, better known as As Catedrais, the Cathedrals, takes its name from the slate and schist cliffs that the sea has carved into arches up to about 30 m (100 ft) high, like the flying buttresses of a Gothic church, with caves and sandy corridors between them. They can only be walked at low tide: at high water the sea fills the bay and the arches stand in the waves. The beach is a natural monument, and in the busiest periods the regional government limits numbers and asks visitors to book a free pass in advance, so check before you go, and check the tide table above all.
When to watch Ribadeo
Ribadeo is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. Use the camera to see where the tide is in the estuary, which tells you how far out it is at As Catedrais, and whether rain or sea mist is coming in. The bridge has linked the two regions since 1987, and walkers on the Northern Way of the Camino enter Galicia across it.
Around Ribadeo
The town has a handsome centre of houses built by emigrants who made their fortunes in the Americas, the most famous being the modernist Torre dos Moreno. Across the estuary, Castropol and Figueras, in Asturias, face the town, and boat trips run on the ría in summer. Westwards, the coast continues past Foz towards Viveiro.
Getting to Ribadeo
The nearest airport is Asturias, about 60 miles (97 km) east; Santiago de Compostela, with more flights from the UK and Ireland, is about 100 miles (164 km) away. Brittany Ferries' port at Santander is about 190 miles (300 km) east along the coastal motorway, and Ribadeo has a station on the narrow-gauge railway along the north coast.
