The hands that give life to Costa da Morte.
- Rafa Varela
- Jun 26
- 6 min read
Trades, tradition and people who keep the soul of the territory alive.
Some places are remembered for their landscapes, while others remain in our memory because of the people who live there. Costa da Morte embodies both.
The ocean, the lighthouses, the beaches and the cliffs create an unmistakable landscape, but its true identity has been built thanks to generations of men and women who learned to live to the rhythm set by the sea and the land.
Long before this territory became a destination for those seeking nature and tranquility, it was already home to fishermen, artisans, shipwrights... who made their craft a way of understanding life.
Discovering the Costa da Morte also means discovering those hands that, with patience and knowledge, continue to keep this corner of the Atlantic alive.
The barnacle harvesters: reading the sea before entering it
Few places command such respect as the sea around the Punta Roncudo Lighthouse, a short distance from our hotel. Here, the barnacle harvesters work, practicing one of the most demanding trades on the Galician coast.
Their work isn't about challenging the ocean, but about understanding it. Each day depends on the wind, the tides, and the behavior of the waves. Only when the sea offers a brief respite does the harvesting of the barnacle, considered one of the most prized in the world, begin.
More than strength, this profession demands experience, humility, and a deep respect for nature in general and the sea in particular.
When one has the opportunity to get up close and observe the risky work of the barnacle harvesters, one understands that the barnacle is not an expensive product... not by a long shot.
Fishermen: a tradition that begins before dawn
The ports of Costa da Morte wake up much earlier than the rest of the territory.
While most people are still asleep, the boats go out to fish following knowledge passed down from generation to generation.
Each return to the port marks the beginning of another story: product selection and classification, the auction at the fish market and its arrival in the kitchens of the region.
Behind every fish served on a table there are hours of work, experience and a relationship with the sea that continues to set the rhythm of life on the Costa da Morte.
It goes without saying that the quality of these fish, all caught using traditional methods and small-scale fishing gear, is unparalleled. The open outcry auctions still resist technological advances, a ceremonial ritual sometimes difficult to understand at first glance, but well worth observing (always in silence, from a distance, and with the utmost respect for the work of the auctioneer and buyers).
The potters of Buño: centuries shaping the land
A few kilometers from the ocean is Buño , a town where mud has been a way of life for centuries.
The pottery of Buño is one of the oldest artisanal traditions in Galicia and still today it preserves family workshops where each piece continues to be made by hand.
Far removed from industrial production, Buño's ceramics maintain the value of authenticity: unique objects, created slowly and deeply linked to the territory.
Visiting the Forno do Forte Ecomuseum allows you to understand how this craft has been passed down from generation to generation without losing its essence.
The net menders: the silent work that sustains fishing
When the boats return to port, another almost invisible job begins. The net menders dedicate hours to checking, repairing, and preparing the nets that will return to the sea the next day.
Each knot requires precision and experience. Their work rarely makes headlines, but it is essential for the fishing industry to continue.
It's one of those unassuming trades that helps us understand that life in the port extends far beyond the boats. In the case of the Redeiras Illa da Estrela de Corme, the craft has evolved, transforming recycled nets into fashionable and decorative objects made entirely by hand—a real added value.
Martín Senande and the art of building wooden boats
Very close to Hotel Balarés, in the parish of Canduas, is the historic shipyard O Baladiño , one of the last places where traditional boatbuilding still thrives.
Martín Senande , the third generation of a family dedicated to building and restoring wooden boats, worked there until recently. Today, he fights to keep alive the memory of his shipyard, now a museum where time seems to have stood still.
Entering their shipyard is like stepping back in time. The aroma of wood, tools, frames, and hulls under construction reminds you that every ship's journey begins long before it touches the water.
Martín doesn't work with industrial blueprints or automated processes. Each vessel is born from knowledge accumulated over decades, from observation, and from a deep respect for tradition and sustainability.
While talking, he naturally explains how wood has its own language and how each boat must find the balance between technique, experience and the sea.
In an era where most boats are made with other materials, his work represents one of the last living testimonies of a craft declared cultural heritage of Galicia.
To know Martín is to understand that the Costa da Morte is also built inland, where expert hands continue to shape the ships that will later sail the Atlantic.
Traditional bakeries: the aroma of memory
There are trades that you can recognize even before you see them. In Costa da Morte, one of them is that of traditional bakeries, places where time seems to follow a different rhythm and where every dawn a new story begins around the fire and the dough.
In Ponteceso, very close to our hotel, is Forniños, our favorite bakery, which keeps alive a tradition deeply linked to the life of Galician villages: the artisanal production of bread, sweets and empanadas that have accompanied several generations.
Behind each piece lies knowledge passed down through years: the care of the dough, the fermentation times, the patient work, and that respect for slow processes that transforms an everyday food into part of a place's identity.
Bread in Galicia has never been just a product. It has been about gathering, family, and memory. A bond between those who work the land, those who transform its ingredients, and those who sit around a table.
Visiting a traditional bakery is discovering another way of understanding Costa da Morte: a closer way, where small details matter and where stories are also preserved among flour, wood and oven heat.
The kitchen: where all trades meet
The gastronomy of the Costa da Morte begins long before it reaches the table.
It begins when a barnacle harvester waits for the right tide, when a fisherman returns to port with the day's catch, when a local producer takes care of the land respecting the passing of the seasons, when bakers get up early to lovingly knead and bake bread, or when a potter from Buño shapes the tableware that will later reach the table.
The kitchen is the last link in a chain made up of people who know this territory intimately.
Rather than transforming the product, Silvia Facal 's cuisine seeks to respect it and let it tell the story of its origin. She aims to help diners understand the territory and landscape of the Costa da Morte through its products and producers.
A heritage that is still alive and that you can discover from Hotel Balarés.
Costa da Morte is much more than a destination of beaches, lighthouses and spectacular landscapes.
It is a territory where trades that speak of patience, effort and knowledge passed down from generation to generation still survive.
Every net repaired, every piece of pottery molded, every boat built, every piece of bread, and every day at sea are part of a heritage that continues to be written every day.
Traveling here is also an opportunity to look beyond the landscape and discover the people who give it meaning.
At Hotel Balarés, we believe the most memorable trips are those that allow you to connect with the identity of a place. That's why we like to share with our guests not only our favorite beaches and the best viewpoints, but also the stories of the people who keep the essence of the Costa da Morte alive.
Ultimately, true luxury lies not only in admiring a breathtaking landscape, but in understanding everything that lies behind it. Because when you experience something and truly understand where you are, you'll remember it forever.
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