42°46.9'N 009°03.8 W Monday, 3rd August

Rio de Muros - Sunny arrival, 1 day of rain, now just overcast with hints of sun.

Happy Birthday Sophie! Hope you have a good one. Hopefully by time this is read, we will have talked on the phone.

We had a great sail "around the corner" and are officially now in the Rias Bajas. We goosewinged most of the way with the genoa poled out. Passing Lands End or Cabo Finisterre it got up a bit so we decided it was time to get the pole down. Always the way, just as you need to do a tricky-ish manoeuvre, the sea state just off the cape got a bit boisterous. Or our choice of timing is bad. The spinnaker pole extended is about 5 metres long and we both need to go forward to manhandle the thing in and collapse it and stow it against the mast. A bit lumpy! We saw 8.5 knots boat speed, 9.1 speed over ground - not bad for a little one, heavily laden.

A few hours later we arrived entered the ria and found a spot off Muros. This is the smallest of the Rias Bajas and very pretty. Muros town itself is very picturesque with high steps leading up to winding roads at higher levels, arcaded buildings all along the seafront that contain shops of all kinds, cafes, bars and restaurants. Our first morning on Friday was market day, with stalls lining the sea promenade, the arcades and the upper little streets. Terrific fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, clothes, trinkets, shoes and the inevitable bra and pants stalls (seems a favourite in France and Spain!). We bought a dozen good-sized sardines from a wizened little lady who wanted only €4 for the lot. There was also a commercial fish auction and a public fish market and 4 ferrereterias (ironmongers) and even free wifi (slightly intermittent) access so R was in heaven.

Roger and Margaret on Magnetic Attraction sailed in that evening and joined us for sardines grilled on the BBQ. Saturday, we visited a tidal mill just opposite us, that used the tides and sluices for driving enormous stone grinding wheels, presumably for the local corn and maize. Margaret bought live crabs, we initially cooked them in our big pot, then she transferred them to her boat for making crab Thermidor for supper. Very tasty!

First encounters with R & M since leaving France, so there was lots to talk about and comparisons to be made. Major topic of conversation is the ability to access wifi signals from different boats in different harbours - really sad!! We get quite a good signal here, they poor from their boat. So even worse, they got into their dinghy with said laptop to find signals - picture attached. Really really sad, R & M then upped anchor and the four of us motored round the bay with an open laptop, Richard driving laptop and signal testing, Roger driving his boat to find the ideal spot to re-anchor. Talk about toys! - what bliss for the 2 R's, messing about with boats and pc's!

We went off on bikes for a good explore of the area. Did a little 8 mile circuit that felt a lot more due to a few hill climbs - round the headland to San Francisco beach(!) to Monte Louro, in search of some petroglyphs near Rodas de Laxe. These are bronze age etchings made on stone of swirls and spirals, animals and plants. We climbed to the top of one of the best petroglyphs where the huge rounded boulders made great armchairs for a lunchtime picnic we had brought with us. Came back to Muros via tiny little hamlets that were covered in horreos (they are called the same here in Galicia and, I found out, are all little granaries on mushroom shaped stone stilts).

Today Margaret and I set off ashore for exploring the town, shopping and for her to try to negotiate a haircut in her best Spanish without getting scalped. She was successful. The chaps were in their element playing with rigging. They straightened our mast and adjusted shrouds until everything was tuned, then Roger winched R up the mast to check out everything up on top and put a bit of superglue on our windvane, as it seemed a bit wonky.

Tomorrow we head over to Portosin, still in the Ria de Muros, to a little marina. Partly to do our weekly stock up on water, power, and do some laundry (a challenge sometimes). But also because we want to visit the town of Noya, reputedly one of the most attractive medieval towns around, and a well preserved castro. I had seen lots of references to Castros and hadn't understood what they were apart from perhaps a lot of little Fidels. They are however hill forts or other settlements, usually just remains, that date from late Bronze age - about 1,000 BC to 2nd Century AD. The inhabitants apparently lived side by side with the Romans in the later period. There are about 3,000 castros in the area, based on sites ideal for defence and access to food. The one at Boruna is supposed to be a good example.

ps M & R brought over some navajos last night to have as appetiser - they meant to get a dozen - ended up with a kilo!! We grilled them on the BBQ. V Good - never had them before, they are razor clams - weird looking.