Praia da Frouxeira, Sandy beach in Valdoviño, Spain

Praia da Frouxeira is a broad beach of fine white sand running over three kilometres from Valdoviño to Meirás, closing off the mouth of the Frouxeira lagoon. The dry upper beach is flat and open, backed by low dunes with sparse grey-green vegetation; low buildings stand beyond the dunes. At the Valdoviño end lie the Castro da Frouxeira and the Illa da Percebelleira, and at the Meirás end the Meirás lighthouse stands on a rocky crag.

At the Valdoviño end of the beach stands the Castro da Frouxeira, an Iron Age hillfort site. The rocky islet of A Percebelleira lies close by, and at the Meirás end the Meirás lighthouse was built on a crag long used by fishermen and shellfish gatherers.

The beach connects to local fishing traditions, and you can see how people still use age-old methods to catch fish here. These practices shape what locals eat and how the community relates to the sea in everyday life.

The beach runs over three kilometres from Valdoviño to Meirás, and a promenade follows part of it on the Valdoviño side. The lifeguarded swimming area lies closest to Valdoviño; the rest is open sea where bathing can be dangerous. The Meirás end is marked by a lighthouse on a rocky outcrop used by fishermen and shellfish gatherers.

The beach closes the mouth of the Frouxeira lagoon, a protected wetland used as a breeding refuge by birds. At the Valdoviño end stand the Castro da Frouxeira and the small Isla da Percebelleira; at the Meirás end, the Meirás lighthouse sits on a rocky outcrop valued by fishermen and shellfish gatherers.