Ribadesella

For the next hop it was decided that Mike and Alan would sail the boat and Cate and I would travel in their car. To be able to leave the marina in Llanes it was necessary to rope the boat around so that it was facing the other directions. There was not enough space to turn it around under power.  It was a 15 mile hop that they managed just fine. The fact that Mike had entered this harbour before was a good thing. As you round the point from the east, all you can see is the breakers on the beach. Scary. The channel to enter the harbour is right along the eastern shore.

Ribadesella has a lovely marina with a long side tie dock for visitors. Parking is scarce though and encourages one to walk through the area from your car.  There is a big beach for swimming and some surfing. 

The town itself has limited choices groceries but all the necessities. I need to get used to searching out the smaller produce and butcher stores. One of the other things that we needed to adjust to was the Spanish hours for evening dining. Many restaurants do not open until 8 or 9 in the evening and do not truly fill up until later. Perhaps because many places close for siesta from 12:00 to 2:30. We found one place and tried quite a few tapas dishes. Our bottle of cider arrived complete with this device to make sure it is poured properly.

Having a car allowed for some wonderful exploration out into the mountains. The attractions were crowded so we didn’t stop but we did enjoy a lovely lunch. Apparently some restaurants are required to offer an inexpensive, set price menu for truck drivers and locals in addition to their usual offerings. My squid was delicious. Alan had a version of bean stew.

The next day had us out on the water again but for a whole different experience. The main tourist draw for the town is a kayak trip down the Sella river. There must have been a dozen different operators with what looked like a thousand kayaks available. We road a bus up to the head of the river, were assigned a craft and pushed for. The River itself is mostly very shallow with twists and turns to navigate the small rapids. With so many kayaks it often felt like a game of bumper boats.

A stup for a picnic on the shore had us fuelled up and ready to complete the 14km journey. It was a fun trip that was definitely different that our sailing days.

It was time for Mike and Cate to continue their explorations by car and for us to move on to our next port of call. Gijon.