Discovering Ons Island

Hi, everyone!

Today, I want to speak to you about this Island which belongs to the National Park of Atlantic Islands, along with the Islands of Cortegada, Salvora and Cies. Throughout the years Ons had different owners, until the middle of the 20th century when it became the property of the state.

Even though I have lived in Cangas for quite a long time now, I was born and lived for most of my life in Bueu, a town just next to Cangas, also situated in O Morrazo.

This island has strong links with Bueu, in fact a lot of people who currently live in Bueu have or have had family who have lived on the island for their whole lives, since in the past more than 500 people lived there. However, nowadays, very few people still live on Ons, only a couple of families.

So it is a super peaceful island even in the summer, except for certain bits which are quite touristy such as the main beach in the Area de Cans or the Burato do Inferno (hiking area) and you can go around it without coming across too many tourists on the route.

The Ons island isn't too big, in fact, it is 6km wide, therefore for those who can't or don't want to stay on the island and prefer to go there and back the same day, it is possible to see the whole island, or at least a big part of it, in a day.

A good idea is to take a bike with you in the boat, since they don't charge you any extra on top of the normal ticket price and it is the perfect way to get around the island. Anyway, I have always visited it on foot and this will also give you more than enough time to get to know all of its nooks and crannies.

However, this is only possible for those who are up for walking for practically the whole day and will only leave a short time to enjoy the beach. Each to their own, so it all depends on which plan takes your fancy, whether it interests you to do all of the routes around the island, etc.

In short, this island with its important cultural and natural heritage, since its history has left as parts of forts which are still conserved, Roman remains, etc, is the perfect place to connect with nature and be surrounded by unique flora and fauna. It is an easy way to take refuge from the world and relax, without noise.

As well as being situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, it is also a perfect place to star gaze, since there is no kind of lighting in the evenings. I remember once we spent a couple of days on the island and one night we decided to go to a vacant area with hardly any trees to stargaze, it was beautiful. In addition to that, it was one of the nights with Perseids (a meteor shower), therefore we were counting the shooting stars that we saw. It sounds like a fairytale, right?

Here the sea has special importance, as much in terms of the landscape as for their gastronomy, which is based on fish and shellfish. The steep cliffs, especially in the most Western part of the island, are even more incredible when the sea is choppy. Of course, so do its beaches, with white, fine sad and beautiful, although quite cold, waters.

For those used to the temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean maybe you won't notice it as much (even though it is usually a bit colder here at the island, at least in my experience) but if you are not used to it, it will be really difficult for you to get in.

The routes to Ons island are from Bueu, Portonovo and Sanxenxo. Every time that I have been, I have taken the boat from Bueu and the price was 14 euros return.

Even though it is not as frequented as the Cies islands, the most well-known ones, it is true that in summer there are quite a lot of locals and tourists who want to go to the island, so I can't stress enough to reserve your boat ticket in advance through the internet. During the winter, the island is cut off for a couple of weeks.

Hiking routes

As I said before, the island has different routes. You can look on the website of the different ships which connect the island with Bueu, Sanxenxo and Portonovo, but the best thing to do is to go to the information desk when you arrive at the island (since it is just in front of the dock and the As Dornas beach) since you can find out there and also all of the routes set off from this point.

All of them adapt really well to the needs of each tourist since they are different durations and difficulties. They allow you to discover all of the hidden corners of the island and their points of culture and nature. You can also go along with a guide who will explain everything to do with the island in greater detail.

The routes are called: ruta do Castelo, ruta Norte, ruta Sur and ruta do Faro.

Camping

For those who are interested in spending a night on the island, there is a campsite at the top of the island which is not particularly convenient to get to, particularly if you go weighed-down with all of your belongings.

However, there is the option to go up in a small tractor which can take up your bags too. It isn't that quick, but you save yourself the effort of going up carrying all of your stuff.

I don't remember how much it cost us when we went up because we were a group of 6 (yes, all 6 of us could get on and it was quite small) and by splitting the cost it didn't work out too expensive, if I remember rightly.

Things like this are why I like Ons so much, because on this time you don't notice how times have changed.

Until a couple of years ago camping was completely free, which was amazing. Although it is true that the conditions before were nothing like they are now, since in 2015 it was renovated and became the first campsite to receive the Galicia sustainability award.

And you will ask: why did it get this award? Well it is a campsite that respects the natural surroundings of the island because it is solar-powered. Honestly, the aesthetic is perfect and it seems to be well thought out and carried out well.

Another plus about this campsite, despite the fact that you have to pay to spend a night there, is that as would be expected, the facilities have considerably improved.

Before the bathrooms were basically some outdoor toilets, like privies in the old days, nothing like toilets. The showers weren't very clean and there was no hot water available.

I have to say that it had some charm passing those three or four days in the campsite living in such a rural way and the experience of having a cold water shower at the end on the day... But to be honest, on the third or fourth day it would start to get uncomfortable, or at least it did for me.

Of course, that is nothing like what the campsite is like now.

Where to eat

As for eating, don't worry, since right at the entrance of the island a bit after getting of the boat, you will come across the three restaurants in Ons, as well as a small supermarket.

Particularly in the supermarket, the prices are quite a bit higher than normal, but they are not excessively expensive. The restaurants are usually quite full during the summer, in fact they have lots of rooms with enormous tables and most of the time they are packed. They offer quite a varied selection of food from tortillas, salads, padron peppers... But especially fish and seafood.

As some info for those who want some kind of atmosphere in the evenings, in Casa Checho (one of the three restaurants and is the closest one to the port) there is quite a lot going on, particularly at the weekends, since it turns into a kind of club in the evenings.

It is worth going there at least for a little while, since there it is quite typical for bagpipers and other musicians to gather there, so it is a perfect way to get to find out a bit about Galician culture and their traditions.

Watch out, there are no public toilets on the whole island, so the only way to go is by going to one of the restaurants.

Beaches

Now I want to speak to you about the beaches on the island. There are 5 main ones and on the Eastern part of the island you will find the most well-known ones, which are: Melide, Canexol, Area dos Cans and Pereiro.

In the Western area you can find more beaches but ones which are less popular: Los pedregosos arenales de Fontiñas y Liñeiro, la playa de Fedorento and the playas de Onza Norte y Onza Sur. The truth is that I have never been to these last ones, but from what I've heard they are also worth visiting since they are also really beautiful.

I am therefore going to talk to you about the most well-known ones since these are the ones that I know first-hand.

Area de Cans

This is definitely the most frequented beach on the whole island since it is located very close by to the dock where the boats stop, as well as the restaurants, therefore basically everyone goes there.

To get to it, you have to walk along the coast to get to a smallwooden walkway which takes you to the beach.

It is a beach with clear water and white and fine sand. It is also the perfect place to do water sports such as snorkelling or diving, since in its rocky area there is a submerged submarine which is worth exploring.

Also, behind the beach there is a kind of beach bar which is perfect for grabbing a refreshing drink after a long walk or afternoon on the beach.

To be honest, it isn't one of my favourite beaches on the island, since in the summer it is always hard to find space and it ends up being quite crowded, but it is true that it has a good location to pass some time whilst waiting for the boat back home.

Playa Melide

This is probably my favourite beach on the island, and to be honest, it is the favourite for most of the tourists too. Maybe it is because it is located quite far away from the main part of the island and the restaurant area, in natural surroundings from which you can enjoy incredible views of the Pontevedra river.

It has been and still is a nudist beach, but to be honest, over time, more and more people who go to the beach don't practice nudism. In fact, the times that I went, at least half of the people there weren't nudists.

It is the biggest beach on the island and although it isn't as popular as the previous one, there is usually quite a lot of people there as well.

The same as the Area de Cans beach, it is a beach with white and fine sand and crystal-clear waters which of course will compel you to go for a dip. However, when you put your foot in the water, you will probably prefer to get in slowly and then go straight back to your towel, since in general the water at the island is cold, especially that of the beach.

Playa das Dornas

This is the most central beach, since you can find it next to the dock, right in front of the Tourist Information Office. Therefore, its plus is that it allows you to be close by to all the different island facilities.

Personally, this is my least favourite beach. It is a small cove which has grosser sand than the other beaches. Unless the sea is quite high, it isn't too ideal for going for a dip since the water is full of algae and rocks.

Also, the fishing boats are very close to the shore so at the end of the day, the waters are a bit contaminated and you can really notice a big difference in comparison to the other beaches. These boats which I am talking to you about are called "dornas", which is where the name of the beach comes from.

Playa de Pereiró

This beach, however, is located a bit further away from the heart of the island to the side of the aldea Pereiro beach. It is very close to a kind of children's camp with a basketball court which is open to everyone, which we have been to several times to have a game.

It is a cove with white, fine sand which boasts beautiful views of the Pontevedra and Aldan rivers.

Playa de Canexol

This beach is located next to the town of Canexol, where there is a fort and a cemetery. The good thing about it is that it is located between rocks, so it is quite sheltered from the wind. To be honest, I have barely visited this beach.

Faro de Ons

It is a 1926 building situated at the top of the island, 126 metres high up, and it is one of the few lighthouses which is still guarded by a lighthouse keeper.

From here, you can experience the best views of the island and it is also one of the best places to watch the night sky when it is full of stars. Just to the side of the lighthouse, there is a kind of heliport.

Burato do Inferno

This is the most interesting place on the island, and probably the most visited one, since it is a sea cave which has a depth of 40 metres.

There is a legend on the island which says that this cave is the entrance to hell and therefore, you can often hear the cries of sinners; however, other legends say that these are cries of sorrow and they come from sailors who had died there. The scientific explanation is that this sound is produced by the sea.

Next to this cave there is a cross and to be honest it is because this place is quite dangerous and several people have now died there.

If we keep on going down a path of rocks which surround the coast, we will arrive at a kind of viewpoint which offers beautiful views of the cliffs.

Mirador dos Fedorentos

This is one of my favourite places on the island since it offers beautiful views of the Ons Island, as well as Cies Island and the Costa de la Vela. Here, there is a hole at the edge of the coast which looks like it has been cut with a knife.

Translated from Castillian Spanish, this is the Stinky Viewpoint and it is called that because nearby to this viewpoints, sometimes there are some algae which give off a quite strange smell and from what it seems, it is not too nice.

This has been everything about this beautiful island which I am lucky enough to have next door.

I hope that you have enjoyed this and thank you again for reading!

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