Courel nature reserve in Galicia - Natural area - Spain
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GALICIA Information - Natural Parks: O COUREL |
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LOCATION: Municipalities of Folgoso do Courel, o Incio, As Nogais, Pedrafita do Cebreiro, A Pobra do Brollón, Quiroga, Samos, Triacastela and Ribas de Sil, south-east of the province of Lugo. SURFACE AREA: SO "Ancares-Courel": 1 02,562 hectares. ACCESS: The LU-651 road runs through OCourel from north to south. This is the starting point for the best turn-offs leading to this natural site. Form the north, it can be reached through the descent from O Cebreiro on the LU-633 Sarria-Pedrafita do Cebreiro, where it joins the A-6 motorway and the old N-VI. From the south, take the turn-off in Quiroga on the N-120 Ponferrada-Ourense. SERVICES: Accommodation: Yes. Food: Sf. M.A.N.: Interpretation Centre. Moreda (Folgoso do Courel). O Courel is the main green reserve of Galicia. Nearly all the species, except coastal ones, are represented here. In addition to the geographic and climatic crossroads between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, we find an important mountain element, whose inaccessibility is the key to the survival of autochtonous forests. These words by the poet UXIO Novoneyra are better than any hurried description: /lCourel dos tesos cumes que ol/an de lonxe! Eiquf sfntese ben Opouco que e un home..." (Courel and its stretched summits that look from the distance! / One clearly feels here the insignificance of man.."). In this area, the provinces of Lugo and Ourense meet the Bierzo, which belongs to the region of Lean. The banks of the rivers Lor and Lauzara, Selmo and Soldan. embed themselves in deep valleys, where the oldest population centres in Europe may be found. But life keeps exuding diversity and history. Historically, these landscapes have been explained by their inhabitants, who have also been able to create beauty in O Courel. The best example may be found in the chestnut soutos, nearly always present around the hamlets. These plantations where highly important before potatoes, which were brought from America, replaced chestnuts in the diet of the inhabitants of Galician fields. Another typical forest formation in O Courel is the devesa, which is the name used when referring to oak, beech, yew, birch and holly groves, generally at the source of the rivers. The most famous one is the Devesa da Rogueira, thanks to the large amount of species, its large surface area and numerous water points, fountains and hills that, according to calculations by geoglogists, rank among the oldest in Spain. ROUTES If you set off on the LU-651 local road, which runs through O Courel from north to south, from the descent of O Cebreiro to Quiroga, we suggest four itineraries to enjoy the view of the natural heritage and the richness of the landscapes. The first turn-off to the hamlet of Romeor starts in Seoane. It has been recently signposted as a Roman tunnel-aquaduct (1st and 2nd centuries). To reach this place, you will have to park your car near the houses in Romeor and walk a few kilometers among the trees. Coming back, from Seoane, it is also possible to reach the magnificent monastery of Samos, or viceversa. The road runs through the mountains and the river Louzara, with its beautiful valley. Further down Seoane, at the turn-off to Moreda (where there is a Nature Room) and Parada, it is possible to access the Devesa da Rogueira and the small ake of Lucenza. From Moreda, you can enjoy 12 km of pure Courel. As early as in 1901, One of the first botanists who studied it wrote that "A Rogueira maintains the decorations of ancient history", and it has remained unchanged. The brooks which have their source at the peak, such as Fonte do Cervo, rush downhill. A large crag may be found, with two jots from which waters with different tastes and colours spring up: one is limpid and calcareous, and the other is ferruginous. The small lake of Lagoa Lucenza may be found upriver. Halfway between Seoane and Folgoso, a branch sets off to Seceda. This route, which offers the Celtic settlement of A Torre, is an open-air museum of traditional architecture that gives lessons of common sense and adaptation to the environment. The hamlet of Seceda was restored a few years ago, and in the mountains you will see alvarizas, groups of beehives fenced to protect them from bears. The vegetation surrounding them reveals the taste of heather and other ericaceous flowers. Further on, you will pass the spa of O Incio and the Romanesque church of Hospital do Incio. The fourth route starts in Folgoso and leads to the Celtic settlement of Vilar. The charming, medieval-looking hairnets of Vilamor and Froxan may be visited. The latter has also been recently restored, and still maintains beautiful cork oaks on the descent to the river. The final part of the route, which should be made on foot, is indicated by the Celtic settlement of Vilar, chiselled in mountain slate on a meander of the Lor. It can also be reached through a steep road from the peak of Alto do Boi (995 m). Finally, near Quiroga, tectonic forces are suddenly revealed in the open-air synclinal folding in Campodola. There are few places in Europe where we can open our eyes to the geological history of a land like OCourel. You will be glad to know its history, and to see that it is still preserved. FLORA: Summit assigned to the "piornos" (brooms). Forests on the medium heights: Carballos (oaks) (Quercus robur, Q. Pyrenaica) and Sessile Oaks (Q. Petraea), Birch trees (Betula alba), Beech trees (Fagus sylvatica). Downhill: Heather (Erica australis) and Broom (Genista spp.). FAUNA: Major depredators: Wolves (Canis lupus), Eagle Owls (Bubo bubo) and felines such as Wildcats (Felis sylvestris). Wild boars (Sus scrofa). |
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