O Ribeiro’s Paths

We have two options for this route, one would be to leave the vehicle in Pazos de Arenteiro and go to ponte do Sepulcro to continue upriver. But the one we propose would be to start our steps at the so-called ponte da Cruz, of which only an arch over the Avia River remains and which we must cross with care. Once here we will follow the course of the Arenteiro River from its mouth in the Avia along a path covered with autumn leaves.

The sound of its waters will accompany us along the route, where we will find dry stone walls (pedra seca, a traditional way of building walls without mortar) covered with vegetation, the ruins of a mill and the crossroads with the path that goes up to the village of Cabanelas. We then cross the so-called ponte do Sepulcro, on whose main arch is engraved on the keystone the Cross of the Holy Sepulchre, an ancient monastic order that changed its name to Saint John, and which had an encomienda in the nearby village of Pazos de Arenteiro. We will take a path that goes along the right bank of the Arenteiro, with several stretches on a wooden footbridge where we will have to be careful not to slip. The last steps lead us to a cliff with a railing from where we can enjoy the spectacle of the waterfall known as pozo dos Fumes and the natural pool formed after its fall.

The return will be along the same path, enjoying the spectacle of the riverside forest, dominated by alders but also with oaks, chestnut trees and the occasional strawberry tree, a symphony of colours in autumn and an explosion of green in spring.