Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Oleiros

What to see and do in Oleiros (Coruña, A Coruña): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 3 Nature · 1 Activities

How far each place is from the centre of Oleiros

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Spain › Galicia › A Coruña › Coruña › Oleiros

What to see and do in Oleiros

Oleiros
Village
Oleiros is a residential municipality of about 38,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of A Coruña, with which, together with Sada, it forms the strip of land separating the ria of Betanzos from the ria do Burgo. Its name alludes to a supposed potting past — oleiro means potter in Galician — although there is no trace of such activity, and it may instead refer to the cinerary urns or “ollarios” found in the municipality. It has beaches such as Santa Cristina, Bastiagueiro and Mera, several with Blue Flag status, the Mera lighthouse and the castle of Santa Cruz, a 16th-century small fort now turned into an environmental education centre. In its modern developments, with swimming pools and tennis courts, the traditional stone houses with vegetable gardens of the rural surroundings still survive.
Castle of Santa Cruz
Monument
The castle of Santa Cruz rises on a small islet — barely 1.9 hectares, covered with trees and gardens — in the Santa Cruz cove, facing the village of the same name, in the municipality of Oleiros (A Coruña), and is joined to the mainland by a wooden bridge. Built in the 16th century by order of General Diego das Mariñas to complete the defensive system of the A Coruña bay, after the English attack of 1589 it gradually lost strategic value until it became the pazo of Emilia Pardo Bazán's family, a summer residence for the writer and her husband; it was later used as a summer residence for orphans of military personnel. Today, owned by the city council, it has housed since 2001 the CEIDA environmental centre, with a library and guided tours, surrounded by a coastal promenade that runs around the island.
Coast of Dexo-Serantes
Nature
The Costa de Dexo runs along the marine strip and cliffs between the Mera lighthouse and the port of Lorbé, in the municipality of Oleiros, with its islands and islets: one of the best-preserved areas of the whole Costa Ártabra. Covering 349.96 hectares, it was declared a Site of Community Importance in 2004 and a Special Area of Conservation in 2014, within the Natura 2000 network, and its ecosystems and geomorphology led to its being declared a Natural Monument in 2000. The vegetation is arranged in bands according to proximity to the sea, from lichens and mosses in the rocky crevices to gorse and heather scrub and pine woods further inland; among the cliffs nest species such as the Alpine swift, the yellow-legged gull and the peregrine falcon, and the European otter also lives there.
Beach of Santa Cristina
Nature
The longest stretch of sand in the concello, some 1,800 metres of beach with an average width of 80 metres, set within the ría do Burgo formed by the mouth of the Mero; its gentle swell makes it a regular spot for beginner surfers. Located in Perillo, it is an urban beach of fine golden sand, very busy in summer, where artisanal fishing and shellfish gathering are practised alongside sports such as windsurfing and kitesurfing, and which has also hosted concerts; the nearby seafront promenade brings together much of the area's hospitality trade.
Trail of the Dexo-Serantes coast
Activity
A coastal walk skirting the natural monument between Mera and Lorbé and looking out over cliffs such as Seixo Branco; the CEIDA centre at the castle of Santa Cruz organises guided routes along this stretch of the Costa Ártabra.
Lighthouse of Mera
Monument
The Mera lighthouse, a pair of leading-line towers raised on the Mera headland to guide ships into the ría of A Coruña, was built between 1904 and 1917 as part of a scheme to mark the ría that also included the lighthouses of Santo Antón and Oza. It consists of two towers 300 metres apart, 11 and 14 metres high, with the lights 56 and 81 metres above sea level; they were electrified in 1932 and their light characteristic was changed in 1977. From them one commands a view of the harbour mouth and, on the other side, the Tower of Hercules. The old lighthouse keeper's house, between the two towers, now serves as an interpretation centre for the Costa de Dexo-Serantes natural monument.
Beach of Bastiagueiro
Nature
An open sandy beach on the coast of Oleiros, in the parish of Liáns, on the eastern shore of the ría of A Coruña; its constant break made it one of the regular surf spots of the metropolitan area. It is 580 metres long and 77 metres wide, with white sand much frequented by both surfers and bathers from the A Coruña area. It has a blue flag and a Red Cross lifeguard post during the bathing season, services which add to its easy access from the village of Liáns.