Promenade from Porto de Miño to Ponte do Porco by the route of Senda dos Sentidos
The incorporation of the Path of the Senses to the green infrastructure of the municipality of Miño, allows us to travel along the coast the 3 km. that separate Porto de Miño from Ponte do Porco.
The Porto de Miño is a small port, with two pontoons of mixed use (sports and fishing), where the Fishermen's Guild of Miño is located. This area has a small children's playground with swings for the little ones.
The promenade passes in front of the Club Naútico de Miño (Miño Nautical Club facilities) and runs along A Ribeira beach. We can tone our muscles and do some sport in the Bio-healthy park of the promenade, with cardio-respiratory and strength exercises.
Nearby there is a panel detailing the most common inhabitants of the estuary, and recommendations for keeping it clean and healthy.
We pass the small tree-lined avenue with the seasonal lifeguard hut and the public toilets.
We continue the walk to the end, to ascend a few metres along Rúa Ribeira and, before crossing the railway tunnel, we take a path on the right hand side that passes in front of the water treatment plant. This is the beginning of the Path of the Senses. A panel informs us of its route and characteristics.
This path is short but very charming. It winds along the coastline between bushes, laurel, chestnut and oak tunnels. It has several viewpoints named after the vegetation that surrounds them.
The abundant brambles are home to an outstanding population of birds that, if we are careful and move stealthily, will delight us with a wonderful live concert: the blackbird, the robin, the warbler and the warbler .... intertwine their songs with a tune that is a gift for our senses and for our spirit.
This is the moment to sit back and relax on the benches strategically placed on the viewpoints. From here we can observe a landscape that changes according to the state of the tides. At low tide we enjoy the waders feeding in the intertidal zone, and we often see cormorants, herons and egrets. The more patient can observe kingfishers, otters and other shy inhabitants of these rich ecosystems of the Natura 2000 Network and the Marismas Coruñesas e Terras do Mandeo Biosphere Reserve.
The path links up with Ponte do Porco, where we take the wooden footbridge that runs along Alameda beach, the point where the river Lambre flows into the sea. Along the walkway we can see one of the oldest eucalyptus trees in Galicia. A good specimen for practising the beneficial hugging of trees.
The dune area has a rich variety of flora, which is the most relevant manifestation of this habitat in the whole protected area.
In the wetter area there is a proliferation of reeds and bulrushes. In the most remote sector of the sandy area there is a strip of riverside woodland with alders and willows.
Ponte do Porco is a special place. A corner of the Miño town council full of charm. Changing according to the tide, the white of the dune area and the waters of the Lambre with its rich vegetation, reflect beautiful tones that evoke idyllic landscapes.
The seafaring touch of its wooden boats, with their traditional moorings, make this natural harbour captivate its visitors.
In the centre of the square of Ponte do Porco is located the Monument of homage to the Andrade family, with the figure of the wild boar as the emblem of this family. An explanatory panel tells us about its origins and details its history.
A few metres from here is the private Pazo de Etcheverría (manor house), which was the old former tannery of San Juan de Arena.
On the Ponte do Porco bridge is the legend of Roxín Roxal and his beloved Tareixa. We are in the last stretch of the route of the English Way to Compostela, which leaves the Concello de Miño by the natural border with the concello de Paderne, the river Lambre with its medieval bridge.
This is the end of the linear route from the port. If we wish to walk a little further, we can continue along the CP4804 road. This road runs along the banks of the Lambre, and after about 5 km. approximately, it leads us to the mini power station of Güimil, where the Ruta dos Muíños do Río Medio begins, a tributary of the Lambre and natural border with the municipality of Vilarmaior.