Lastres Harbour

Chapter 7/9 · Lastres

We reach the harbour, the lowest point of the walk. As early as Roman times this cove served as a port for shipping minerals. The villagers first built an anchorage with their own money, mortgaging boats and fishing gear, and on 5 May 1551 a royal decree ordered a proper quay to be built and financed, because there was so much trade.

The prosperity ended with the storm of 1734, which destroyed the anchorage. Charles III ordered the quay to be rebuilt, but the works never turned out well; in 1821 the villagers petitioned the Cortes, the Spanish parliament, to have it repaired, without success, and later only modest extensions were made. From the late 19th century the harbour was devoted almost entirely to fishing and canning, and today it is also partly a marina.

Lastres is still a small fishing port, with its rula, the fish market where the catch is auctioned. Look up: from here you can clearly see how the village grew, with its houses stepped up the hillside, between the mountain and the sea.

To go back we do not repeat the steps: we take the road that leaves the harbour southwards and climbs in bends up to the San José Chapel. Take it easy.

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