Somewhere between the reservoirs of Belesar and Os Peares, the river Miño widens enough to fit a small beach. It is called Praia da Cova, in the municipality of O Saviñao, not far from the meander everyone around here calls Cabo do Mundo. We had seen photos of it and decided it was worth checking whether it lived up to them.
Getting there involves a fairly steep road down through vineyards and forest, and it becomes clear early on that this was not designed with many cars in mind. Parking is limited. On a busy day we would expect to circle for a while or park further up and walk down. In summer there are buses running to the beach, which solves that problem if you would rather not deal with it. We happened to go on a quiet day, just a handful of people spread along the sand and grass, plenty of room to pick a spot without getting in anyone’s way.
The water is the main draw. It is calmer than most rivers this far from the coast, kept in check by the dams upstream, without the cold shock that Galician rivers can otherwise give you. We got in expecting to take our time and just kept going. The hills on either side are steep and covered in vines, some of them close enough to the water that it is genuinely a striking place to sit. Better than the photos suggested, which does not happen often.
There is a small eatery right by the beach, though we did not try it ourselves. It looked like the kind of place that exists because people coming out of the water want a cold drink or something to eat, not because someone decided to build a destination restaurant here. It matches the rest of the place. Nothing about Praia da Cova feels done up for tourists, even though enough people clearly know about it by now.
If you are planning a visit, aim for a quieter day if you can, mostly because of the parking. Beyond that there is not much to prepare for. A steep road down, a small beach, calm water, vineyards on the hills. We are already thinking about when to go back.
