The long and winding rias

 We are wriggling through the back lanes of Fene. It is a place that mooched upwards from 3200 in 1842; 5500 in 1897; 11000 in 1970 and rocketed to 15000 in 1981. Since then it has slid down to 13000. Shipbuilding was one to the key industries and its declined is the key to recent demographics. The town website has some nice pictures. https://www.fene.gal/portal-cidadan/index/gl


We are a bit early but they have a meet the laundress in May if you like your washing 19th century. https://www.fene.gal/turismo/info/gl/29


As we turn into Rua de Fraga we come to the Bar Bombay. Four weeks ago BB Bbs said ‘We always have coffee everytime we came to Fene (old traditional place with amazing ppl)’ Sjay added ‘I went to have a drink here more times and I always felt good. It is a quiet and familiar place. They always offer you varied and very good pinchos (sandwiches with serrano ham, empanada, tortilla and other different things). Every time I come back I do it willingly.’The most impressive thing about today is the crossing of the Rias de Ferrol. The Ponte das Pias gets 65 reviews and an average of 4 stars. The bridge was constructed between March 1966 and 1968, the whole is 2000m long, with 350m over the estuary. The official name was to be the Puente del Caudillo but was quietly dropped. The Pias in the name refers to the Prehistoric burial sites built into the local cliffs. The most exciting thing occured when a storm on 13th January 1998 with winds of up to 170kph forced the Discover Enterprise - an oil platform - to slip its moorings and to smash into the bridge, destroying about 100m of it.




I leave you with the wikis final flourish ‘The bridge has never been a place to walk, although it is often used by fishing enthusiasts. The maximum concentration of people occurs during the launching of ships at the shipyard.’



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