Covas: City Beach, Hiking Route and Maritime Heritage

Those considering Covas as a travel destination will find several points of interest in one place: Viveiro’s main city beach, a section of a hiking stage, maritime memorials and opportunities for birdwatching. Praia de Covas is a useful starting point for understanding the area’s landscape, activities and history.

Praia de Covas and the Coastal Landscape

Praia de Covas is Viveiro’s main city beach. It is easily accessible from the Paseo marítimo and within walking distance of the town centre; check current access arrangements before your visit. A dune system surrounds the beach. At its western end are slate-like rock formations known as Castelos. The beach, dunes and rocks give the landscape its distinctive contours. Castelos is also a clearly identified landmark that connects to the historical and natural features of Covas.

Hiking Stage and Water Sports

Stage 6 of the Camino Natural de la Ruta del Cantábrico runs from Viveiro to O Vicedo and reaches Praia de Covas along the way. The route crosses the entire beach and then continues along Río Loiba road. For hikers, Covas is therefore one section of this named stage: the beach is part of the route, which continues towards O Vicedo. If you want to explore Praia as part of a longer hiking route, this stage provides a specific framework. Stand-up paddleboarding offers another way to enjoy the water: Praia’s calm waters are considered suitable for this and other water sports.

Maritime History in Covas

A monument at Castelos commemorates the shipwrecked sailors of the Cantabrian fleet. It pays particular tribute to the brigantine Palomo and the Magdalena, which sank in the estuary on 2 November 1810 as a result of a storm. The striking rock formation at the beach’s western end is thus linked to a specific maritime event. Another historical landmark is Pazo de Grallal, a manor house in Covas built in 1597 on the orders of Captain John Dutton and Aguiar. The pazo adds the area’s architectural history to the story of the shipwreck. Together, these landmarks offer different perspectives: remembrance of an event in the estuary and a manor house with a clearly dated start of construction.

Birds at Ensenada de Covas

Nature watching is another activity around Praia. Ensenada de Covas is suitable for observing cormorants and gulls. In the western part of the beach, great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) rest on the rocks of Os Castelos. Great cormorants also roost on the islet of Insua, also in the western part of the beach. This provides several specific birdwatching spots: the cove for cormorants and gulls, and the rocks and islet as roosting places for great cormorants. Alongside its hiking route and maritime history, Covas can also be explored from the perspective of its birdlife.

For an overview of the wider area: Viveiro.