La Guardia – Camiña Ferry

About this heritage

The two shores of the Miño river between A Guarda and the Portuguese town of Caminha, can be reached between them through a 15-minute ride on the Santa Rita de Cassia ferry. Despite the five international bridges along the river, this ferry has been operating nonstop for the last 24 years, connecting Galicia and Portugal via a watercraft which still operates today. The ferry is used for commuting to work or for shopping in the respective countries, thus boosting transit between both coasts, given that the other means of travel would imply a journey of more than 40 Km, via the Parish of Goián. It provides an open door to Portugal as well as the continuation of the Portuguese Coastal Way, to start the first stage from A Guarda.

This experience allows for contemplation of the landscape from a different perspective, from the centre of the river at the rivermouth shielded by Mount Santa Tegra in Galicia, the Ínsua with its fortress in the distance and the richness of the flora on both banks. There are also several fluvial islands that extend upriver, some are wooded and other grassland.

The ferry sails within an area classified as Baixo Miño Special Area of Conservation SAC (Zona Especial de Conservación, ZEC) by the Natura 2000 network, where the Esteiro do Miño is declared Special Protection Zone for Birds (Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves, ZEPA), the perfect place for observing the great variety of birds that live on the estuary.

The Miño joins ecosystems such as the estuary's habitats with an extensive area of reeds and damp meadows, islands and sandbanks with coastal elements such as dune systems and intertidal rocky areas.

Attention is drawn to the marine and coastal habitats, the best represented being the coastal environment and halophytic vegetation.

It should be borne in mind that usage of the ferry is conditioned by the tides, as sand and silt fill the river bed over time. Both city councils of A Guarda and Caminha, the latter proprietor of the watercraft and in charge of its management, update the departure calendar every Monday in order to facilitate access to pilgrims, users and tourists.

To learn more

The Santa Rita de Cassia Ferry is the means of transport which crosses from Caminha to A Guarda in less than 15 minutes. It is the last ferry of the Miño and has been operating for more than 24 years, despite the fact that there are already five international bridges that connect with the neighboring countries.

It is an open door to Portugal as well as the continuation of the Portuguese Coastal Way, to start the first stage from A Guarda.

It should be borne in mind that usage of the ferry is conditioned by the tides, as sand and silt fill the river bed over time. Both city councils of A Guarda and Caminha, the latter proprietor of the watercraft and in charge of its management, update the departure calendar every Monday in order to facilitate access to pilgrims, users and tourists.

The ferry crosses the protected natural area known as the Miño estuary, identified as Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) within the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC’s) of the Lower Miño. The Miño Estuary is located on the final stretch of this river, before flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. It includes the territories of the municipalities of Tomiño, O Rosal and A Guarda.

A few metres upstream, past the ferry’s departure wharf, is the shipyard of O Pasaxe, a place where a particular type of carpentry denominated Ribeira is crafted. The carpentry trade in Ribeira began in A Guarda with the arrival of Portuguese master carpenters in the early 1930’s. The first construction was a ship, the Constantino Candeira, a wooden 400-ton vessel with three sailing masts. This ship gave rise to the fleet of the Candeira sawmills and served as an example to the younger generation who moved from work-site carpentry to ship carpentry. This was the beginning of the first shipyards arising for the assembly and repair of wooden, sailing and steam boats.

Before this event, the construction of Gamelas and artisanal fishing boats were carried out in the cellars of some houses such as those of the Minxos or Manuel González.

With time, wooden boats were eventually replaced with fiberglass boats, cheaper and easier to repair, causing the request for this trade to downfall.

There are very few people nowadays with enough knowledge to revive the Ribeira carpentry craft.

The 14th Galician Traditional Boats encounter, held in the port of A Guarda and organised by Culturmar (Galician Federation for the Marine and Waterways Culture) (Federación Galega pola Cultura Marítima e Fluvial). This is an organisation that was founded in 1993, aiming at defending, making known and boosting the Maritime and Waterways Heritage of Galicia.

To know it better

The current ferry that connects A Guarda with the Portuguese town of Caminha is a boat - or rather, a ferry - in which both passengers and vehicles can cross the Miño River in twenty minutes and enjoy Caminha or A Guarda.

This service is provided at the port of A Guarda and generally operates daily throughout the year. The service provides an ample schedule to meet passenger needs, although it can suffer modifications, depending on whether the tide of the channel is low or if there is lack of visibility due to fog.

The ferry between Caminha and A Guarda offers a great opportunity to both locals and visitors as, thanks to this ferry, one can enjoy a boat ride that is reduced to four Kilometers. It is, therefore, a different way to visit both locations using a different means of transport.