I started the day with a painful crash as I slid off my bike on a cobbled street downhill bend - as I was cleated in there was only my right hip and arm to break the fall. Afterwards I proceded very slowly until I reached tarmac and headed out of the city northwards. I cycled along the coast through what appeared to be suburbs along a nice stretch of coastline. After 40 miles I reached a bridge across the river at Viana de Castello and was soon in town where once again I hugged the coastal villages on good cycling roads - I was heading to caminha to catch a ferry across the Rio Minha which was the end of Portugal and I would be in Spain, I would also gain an hour meaning this far west the sun was still up at almost 9pm in March !
The ferry looked closed - nobody at the barriers and no cars, I had almost an hour to spare so I went into a small cafe for a coffee, from which I saw a man arrive at the ticket office, I bought a ticket and despite the lack of activity he assured me the ferry was running and I bought a ticket. At the apppointed time to leave the ferry was still in Spain on the other side and there were no people waiting. A good 15 minutes after the departure time the ferry left the other side and was soon here, I was the sole person on board as it departed 20 minutes late and as I embarked in Spain 5 minutes later it turned straight round for Portugal almost leaving 3 women behind so quick was its fleeting stop. I cycled across a headland to A Guarda and the stretch of coast northwards had both a great smooth dedicated offroad cycle path and it also had magnificent views. The coastline was awesome, a rocky bleak expanse with rolling mountains inland, there we lighthouses and old defensive gun batteries - this was great cycling country. The coast turned east as it entered the Vigo lagoon and at Baiona there was a small island offshore and the town was taken over by a festival - it looked so pretty but I cycled on as today was a long day and I need ed to reach Vigo. I had a further 15 miles to reach Vigo and the closer I got the more difficult it got as there were main dual carriageways converging on the City Centre, all of which needed to be avoided. Eventually I found my Hotel in a back street full of bars and restaurants which were nosiy even at 3 am in the morning but I had had the best meal in a long time at a nearby restaurant so I was very very content.