Foz to Ribadera - the coast west 2-3 April

Having found the area of coast closest to us so Pembrokian we then went west towards Ribadera - and found more similar. It really is superb and access is not so much easy as positively encouraged. Makes a change frankly.
Our pictures (https://picasaweb.google.com/100050585701073430632/MARCH?locked=true) show better but one spot we visited is interesting. It tourist appeal - it is well signbed, served and touted - is a bit of an historic blip. Named for its comparison to the vaulted ceilings of ancient cathedral I am afraid the roof fell in a fair few decades ago. Today the similarity is hard to see but the former asupports for the arches survive as fine offshore cliffs parallel to the coast and impressive in their own right.
All along are sandy coves, craggy rock pools, secret nooks and caves - a child's nelight. Olly loves it and we agree. He charges about like a mad thing seeking all sort of smells that must colour his landscape amazingly. All we see is a flying tail or a swerve where he turned to change scent! He dodges the wet stuff, especially when it chases him.
Everwhere we go the cafe corrrrrrtado is brilliant and now about 1.20e but super. Clearly not from StarCostaNero! You get bikkies too if you roll your Rs right!
The towns are a bit sad. Partly it is the Spanish property crash and the recession but also it is the Spanish attitude to development. Foz is a prime example. Too much poor quality oversized development, much of its now abandoned. In amongst you can see it done well - there are some superb large commercial developments with shops and offices below and fine apartments above that echo the Spanish tast for galleries and balconies and twiddly bits. Some in Foz are super and will figure in our pictures; some are hideous and should not but will.
All along the coast are fine villas, many closed up for the winter. Most were built in the latter part of the 20th century but they echo local styles and colours and the planners have kept them back about 100 metres from the coast. They have ensured too that they stand in wide ground so they do not too severely affect the views. Where they are not detached it seems two large semis are preferred and then an even wider gap is left. Overall it works. Left to developers it would be crowding the cliff edge and shoulder to shoulder