Rodas beach

The beach that joins the island of Monteagudo to the Faro island: an arc of white sand of almost a kilometre and a half, with the calm bay on one side and the Lago dos Nenos on the other. It is the image of the Cíes and the first thing you see on disembarking.

What it is like

The park describes it as a barrier beach: a strip of sand raised by wind and currents that closes the lake, a shallow inlet of salt water that is warmer than the open sea. Between the beach and the lake is a stone dyke built at the end of the 19th century, when the islands had salting factories and a shellfish nursery. The lake is one of the park's most fragile areas and you cannot enter it or the protected dunes; they are looked at from the path.

The water at Rodas is Atlantic: cold even in August and very clear. The bay faces the Ría de Vigo, to the east, and is sheltered from the open-sea swell by the islands themselves, but the park asks you not to swim when the sea is rough.

What to bear in mind

There are no bins on the island: bring a bag and take your rubbish back on the boat. Dogs cannot be landed, except assistance dogs. Bring a cap, sun protection and water; the campsite has a supermarket and restaurant in season, and near the Information Centre there are public toilets with an adapted toilet. The beach is free: the only thing you pay is the boat to the Cíes, and at Easter and from 15 May to 15 September you first need the Xunta permit.

Other beaches nearby

If you want fewer people, to the right of the jetty there are two small coves, Muxieiro and Areiña. Next to Rodas is Bolos, so called for the number of shells. To the north, on Monteagudo, Figueiras is traditionally naturist and has shade from trees. On the Faro island, Nuestra Señora beach is small and sheltered, and the campsite recommends it on days of north wind.

To round off the day

Rodas is the starting point for almost everything. From the jetty start the routes to Alto do Príncipe, with the best view of the beach from above, and to Monte Faro, which crosses it entirely. With small children, the faro da Porta route is the flattest. In summer, the kayak route tours the coast from the water. A good option is to walk in the morning and leave the beach for after lunch, before the boat back.