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A Pobra do Brollón | Carballedo | Chantada | Monforte de Lemos | O Saviñao | Pantón | Ribas de Sil | Sober
Ourense
A Peroxa | A Teixeira | Castro Caldelas | Montederramo | Nogueira de Ramuín | Parada de Sil
Coordinates:
42º 24' 54.9" N - 7º 38' 33.8" W
Description
Inland culture
The river erosion of the Sil gradually carved out the
deep channel that directs it until it flows into the
Miño on the left. Monks and hermits sought refuge
on its impossible sides and with secular patience
built about a dozen monasteries, most of them
Romanesque and Benedictine, which date from the
Middle Ages of Rivoyra Sacrata.
Although this is one of the best natural spaces,
defined by its two great rivers, nobody knows
exactly where the Ribeira Sacra begins and ends. It
could be that its true limits are set by the presence
of the vines on the sunny slopes. Here the Mandi
wines are produced. They were already regarded
as excellent in the times of the Roman Empire, and
are backed up today by the D.O. product
qualification.
The monasteries were secularized and the waters
were pooled in successive dams, but the strength
of the land continues to be apparent in every
harvest of its fruits. Admire the difficult grape
harvest on the steep slopes which can only be
cultivated in terraces, the best example of a slowly
humanized landscape.
Wildest nature finds its place in the granite outcrops covered by
thickets and chestnut and oak forests. The unusual climate conditions
of the most protected areas favour the presence of Mediterranean
species, such as cork and strawberry trees. The high rocky outcrops
of the gorges have often been mentioned as one of the last refuges
of the most threatened birds of prey.
Access
Several turnoffs to the Sil gorge from the
south on the OU-536 A Rúa-Ourense road.
Local road from Castro Caldelas to Luíntra via
Parada de Sil. Access to several points of the
Sil and the Miño from Os Peares, between
Ourense and Monforte de Lemos. For the
Miño gorge, take the turnoff from Chantada
or from Monforte de Lemos connected to
each other by the CRG-2.1.
The Ways of St. James
The Winter Camino
Situation
In its widest sense, the Ribeira Sacra covers
territories in the municipalities of
Castro Caldelas, Montederramo, A Teixeira,
Parada de Sil, Nogueira de Ramuín and A
Peroxa in the province of Ourense; and those
of Chantada, Carballedo, O Saviñao, Pantón,
Sober, Monforte de Lemos, A Pobra de Brollón
and Ribas de Sil in the province of Lugo. The Sil
gorge includes the last 25 km of the river
before it flows into the Miño, in Os Peares.
Area
5,914 hectares.
Services
Accommodation: Yes.
Food: Yes..
Without missing
Os Peares is the precise point where the two great northwest rivers join.
According to the popular saying, the Sil has the water and the Miño the fame.
Upstream, each river separately forms deep gorges which in the case of the Sil
reach a depth of 500 metres at their deepest point. The service road to the
hydroelectric dams that starts from Os Peares takes us to this region with a
surprising feeling of adventure.
One of the most spectacular ways of getting to know the Ribeira Sacra is by
water. The two courses are navigable in a catamaran, the Sil from the Ourense
jetties of Santo Estevo (Nogueira de Ramuín) and Abeleda (Castro Caldelas)
and the Miño from the Lugo town of Belesar (O Saviñao). The tourist routes
run through the heart of the region itself.
The monasteries closest to the river Sil are those of Santo Estevo de Ribas de
Sil and Santa Cristina. The first, converted into a hostel, is reached from Luíntra
(Nogueira de Ramuín) or, if we want to take a longer road, by way of the
monastery of San Pedro de Rocas (turnoff on the OU-536 in Tarreirigo, Esgos).
The Interpretation Centre of the Rocas monastery, regarded as the best in
Galicia, gives the visit an added value. There is a direct road to and from Parada
de Sil going to Santa Cristina. The path down to this monastery goes through thickets of centuries-old trees. From Parada
de Sil, a short dirt path goes to the so-called “Balcón de Madrid”. This is a breathtaking lookout point over an abyss, from
where the shrine of Cadeiras (Sober) can be seen on the other bank and the Monforte plain on the horizon. There are no
lack of lookout points, like the structure between Vilouxe and Caxide where the gorge reaches its greatest height.
From Castro Caldelas, from whose castle one can look
out over the countryside, a winding road makes its
way through the secret places of the Ribeira Sacra.
Singular nature
Surprising landscapes of terraces
for grape growing. Climate
conditions enable some typically
Mediterranean species to be
grown, including cork trees and
strawberry trees which grow
alongside the native oak and
chestnut forests. Birds of prey such
as the golden eagle and the
peregrine falcon also nest among
the most inaccessible rocks of the
gorge