The immediate vicinity:
Golmar 13 sits in a mature garden on various levels, so there is always a quiet corner to be found! A substantial lawn in front of the house is ideal for games and there is a perfect chestnut tree for climbing (or hanging the two hammocks provided!) There is a protected eating area shaded by an apple tree with a large outdoor dining table and bbq. Hydrangeas, rhododendrons, bougainvilleas, and azaleas abound.
Less than 50 years ago, the hamlet of Golmar was a thriving community, home to several families living off the land. The same families remain, but the numbers and activity are now greatly reduced. Walking around the hamlet today, you are likely to bump into some of the elderly neighbours by day and wild horses, foxes, deer, or boar by night! This is deepest Galicia: enjoy a night sky now difficult to find in Europe and listen to the sound of the surf pounding the cliffs 300 metres below!
Activities/excursions:
Santiago was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985, and is a must! Ferrol is not Spain's most attractive city, but the Castle of San Felipe at the mouth of the bay is well worth a visit. La Coruña is also worth a trip: aquarium for youngsters and superb eating and clothes shopping (home to many of Spain's great designers) for parents. However, if it is physical activity you are after, the options are endless: hiking, biking, sea kayaking, surfing, wind and kitesurfing, sea and river fishing, bird watching, sailing, and horse riding. The owner can help organise all these for you. Route maps & bikes provided, so you can hike and bike from the front door; watch honey buzzards circling from the comfort of your armchair or take a guide on a converted trawler to see migratory seabirds; paddle a sea kayak off Spain's northernmost point; surf at a World Cup beach; learn to sail in the estuary; or try to outwit trout or sea bass on some of the most beautiful rivers you have ever seen!
The local town (eating and beaches):
4km to fishing village of Cedeira, where you have supermarkets and a variety of other shops, restaurants, bars, and a couple of nightclubs. The rocky coast and clear water are the perfect environment for Spain’s most sought-after shellfish (on all the menus or, better still, cook them at home!) The most highly-prized seafood, percebes (goose barnacles!), grow at the base of Cedeira’s cliffs: don’t miss them, or the Russian roulette with mini green peppers (pimientos de padrón). This is also the land of the potato, so also paradise for chip lovers!
Spain's best beaches are along this stretch of coast (and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!) Carpark-trembling surf beaches and secret coves, lined by chestnuts and oaks shading seabass while they have their siestas. There is a very protected beach in Cedeira itself, or drive (or kayak) to the other side of the estuary to Vilarrube where two rivers are separated by a stretch of sand that can surely claim to be the perfect beach!
Other Activities:
bird watching & kayaking.
