Sil canyon tourist information - Nature reserve in Galicia - Spain
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GALICIA Information - Natural Parks: CANON DO SIL |
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LOCATION: Sil Canyon, on the sides of the Ourense municipalities of Nogueira de Ramuín and Parada de Sil, and on the sides of Panton and Sober in Lugo. The limits of the Miño canyon and especially of the Ribeira Sacra are much larger. SURFACE AREA: 5,914 hectares. ACCESS: Turn-off to the canyon of the Sil from the north through the Ourense-Monforte de Lemos N-120 road; from the south through the A Rua-Ourense C-536 road. In the direction of the Miño canyon, from Chantada or from Monforte de Lemos. SERVICES: Accommodation: Yes. Food: Yes. It is a documented fact that the name Rivoyra Sacrata refers to shelters for monks and hermits in the gorges of the rivers Sil and Miño from the Suevian times. There was about a dozen monasteries, most of them under the Benedictine rule and later secularised, located in spots that invite reflection. Here, the limits of the earth are just as blurred as those of the sky. Nobody knows where the Ribeira Sacra begins or where it ends. That point might lie in Os Pea res, a village that, to add to the imprecision, belongs to three councils and two provinces. But only in Os Peares is it possible to see the two major rivers of the northwest at the same time: the river Sil, which has the water, and the Mino, which has the fame, as the popular saying goes. Upstream, they have separately formed deep canyons that can be 500 metres deep in the roughest mountain passes of the Sil. Everywhere, there are granite fractures intertwined with autochthonous forests. In spite of the strong average differences in height, this landscape has a human touch in the soutos and vineyards created on soca/cos (terraces) on hillsides exposed to the sun. Admire the hard grape harvest on the slopes where everyone's back is still the only possible tool, with the exception of a few small modern contributions, such as mechanisation by rails. From the Roman times, the Amandi wines and the autochthonous variety of menda grape have earned a well-deserved reputation. The Miño banks soften the edges of a canyon which, given its particular nature, becomes steep and craggy in some places without losing its sinuous course with its large, characteristic curves. It creates spectacular directional changes among lucky vineyards in A Cova (O Savinao), sometimes called Cabo do Mundo (Cape of the World). Near this area, in the direction of Erbedeiro, the river Fondós has its mouth, with a beautiful waterfall and some nice rapids. This tributary of the great Mino stands out thanks to its rugged course. The huge Penedo de Graullo is raised on one of its sides. Further on, close to Os Peares, the river Bubal has created a beautiful small gorge. Along the Sil, in the roughest area of the Canyon, we must highlight the small waterfall of Loureiro, formed by the river Vao when you climb to the monastery of Santo Estevo. It is also interesting to mention the granite gorge where the river Mao meets the Sil close to the hamlet of Cristosende. ROUTES If you look at the river routes and take advantage of the potentially navigable dams, your sensitiveness will be strongly impacted. Throughout both banks of the rivers, catamarans make their tourist itineraries in the core of the landscape itself. If you are looking for monasteries, you will also find the best pictures. The nearest convents to the flow of the Sil are Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil and Santa Cristina. The former can be accessed from Os Pea res, following the service roads of the hydroelectrical dams, usually not mentioned on maps, after a climb to the monastery which deserves to be made in its own right. You can also arrive from Lufntra (Nogueira de Ramuín), passing by the monastery of San Pedro de Rocas (turn-off on the C-536 road in Tarreirigo, Esgos) and, after visiting the three cloisters of Santo Estevo and their facilities for tourists, following the road which, from Loureiro, goes down into the canyon, or you can walk on to Parada de Sil. From this village, a two-way road will take you to Santa Cristina. You can walk down to this small convent among century-old trees. All along this route, it will not be long before you find excellent vantage points. For instance, the scaffolding built on a road spot between Vilouxe and Caxide, where the canyon reaches its highest level. Once in Parada de Sil, an earth track will take you to the most famous vantage point: Balcones de Madrid, hanging over the abyss, with the sanctuary of Cadeiras on the other bank and the Monforte plain in the horizon. From the C-536 road (Ourense-A Pobra de Trives), a recommendable alternative is to visit the castle of Castro Caldelas and enjoy the view if offers as a vantage point. Afterwards, walk down to A Teixeira and, after leaving the river Edo's mixed woods aside, bend after bend, get to Parada de Sil. To reach the canyon of the Mino, the best possibilities are from Chantada and Monforte de Lemos. In the middle of these major southern towns in the province of Lugo, the Ribeira Sacra of the Miño is a classic Romanesque route. Nearly all the monasteries are located on the left bank of the river. First of all, Santo Estevo de Ribas de Mino and San Paio de Diomondi (O Savinao), from the CRG22 dual carriageway. Further on, the convent of San Salvador in O Castro de Ferreira, the head town of the municipality of Pant6n on the N-120 road, from which a turn-off will lead you to the churches of San Fiz de Cangas, to the north, or San Miguel de Eire, to the south, with its huge font for baptisms through immersions. It is not the end of the world, as the above-mentioned meander of the Miño states, but it is one of the oldest parishes in Iberian Christendom. These are really sacred banks that were blessed by wine. FLORA: Typically Mediterranean species stronghold, with mild winters and dry summers. Cork oak trees (Quercus suber) and Strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo). Vineyards (Vites vinifera) with indigenous grape varieties. Chestnut woods (Castanea sativa) and Oaks (Quercus robur and Q. Pyrenaica.). FAUNA: In the rocky places, birds such as the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). Wildboar (Sus scofra), Roebuck (Capreolus capreolus) and Badger (Meles meles). |
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