Logbook · 5 places

What to see and do in Mugardos

What to see and do in Mugardos (Ferrol, A Coruña): 5 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 1 Monuments · 1 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Mugardos

Castle of a Palma 1.7 km

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Spain › Galicia › A Coruña › Ferrol › Mugardos

What to see and do in Mugardos

Mugardos
Village
Mugardos is a town in the comarca of Ferrol, in the province of A Coruña, located on the Bezoucos peninsula and facing the ria of Ferrol. The first documents mentioning it date from 1105, when it belonged to the Monastery of Caaveiro; it later passed to the House of Andrade, which in 1397 handed it over to the convent of Santa Catalina de Montefaro, a lordship from which it was freed in 1805, the year it obtained a municipal coat of arms and the title of Royal Town. Nearby stand the castle of La Palma and that of San Martín, from the 16th century. With about 5,200 inhabitants, it is famous for polbo á mugardesa, a stew to which it dedicates a festival every July, declared of touristic interest of Galicia in 2008; on its coast, a regasification plant has operated since 2007.
Castle of a Palma
Monument
16th-century castle, whose origin dates back to 1597, which closes the mouth of the ría de Ferrol to the south, opposite the Castillo de San Filipe, with which it shared defence of the entrance channel -together with that of San Martín, in the so-called triángulo de fogo (fire triangle)-; between Palma and San Filipe an underwater chain was stretched to prevent enemy ships from passing. In 1690 Mariana of Neuburg landed here on her way to her wedding with Charles II. With little weaponry, its role was limited to watching over maritime traffic; the current building results from 18th- and 19th-century renovations. In the second half of the 20th century it served as a military prison -where the 23-F coup leader Antonio Tejero was held- and later passed to civilian use; the Mugardos Tourist Office has organised guided visits since 2021.
Octopus mugardesa style
Curiosity
Polbo á mugardesa is an octopus dish native to the seafaring town of Mugardos, on the ría de Ferrol, which can be eaten all year round in the local eating houses. Unlike pulpo á feira, which is boiled in the rest of Galicia, here it is stewed: the octopus is dipped three times in boiling water -to soften it without fully cooking it, locally called asustarlo (scaring it)- and then fried for fifteen to twenty minutes in a pan with olive oil, onion, green and red pepper, garlic, sweet and hot paprika and a bay leaf, already cut into pieces. It is served on ordinary plates, never wooden ones, accompanied by whole boiled potatoes or cachelos. Thanks to this dish, the town's name appears on restaurant menus throughout the whole comarca.
Festival of o Polbo de Mugardos
Activity
A food festival held in July around octopus stewed á mugardesa, declared of Galician Tourist Interest in 2008; the local calendar rounds it off with the Festa da Ameixa, devoted to the clams of the ría.
Octopus Mugardos style
Food and drink
Polbo á mugardesa is a main octopus dish originating in the seafaring town of Mugardos, on the ría of Ferrol, which can be eaten all year round in the town's hospitality establishments. It is prepared by scalding the octopus three times in boiling water to soften it, known as "scaring the octopus", with a sofrito of onion, garlic and green and red peppers to which sweet and hot paprika is added; it is left to fry for fifteen or twenty minutes and served with whole boiled potatoes or cachelos, instead of being served á feira. The festival celebrating it has been declared of tourist interest in Galicia since 2008.