Xures mountains in Galicia - Nature reserves information - Spain

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GALICIA Information - Natural Parks: BAIXA LIMA-SERRA DO XURES

LOCATION: South-west of the province of Ourense, bordering on Portugal. Municipalities of Entrimo, Lobios and Mufiios. The SCI "Baixa Limia" also covers the muncipalities of Bande, Calvos de Randín, Lobeira, Padrenda, Quintela de Leirado and Verea.

SURFACE AREA: The Natural Park covers 20,920 hectares; the SCI, 33,920 hectares.

ACCESS: From Ourense, towards Celanova and Portugal, through the N-540 road. From Xinzo de Limia through the OU-301 up to Bande.
Turn-offs to Entrimo, Lobios and the cross-border pass of Portela do Home frontier crossing.
From Portugal, there are passes through A Magdalena and Portela do Home.

SERVICES: Accommodation: Yes. Food: Yes.

M.A.N.: Natural Park Head Office. Estrada Portugal. Lobios.
Phone number; 988 448 048 Fax: 988 448 181

The Roman legions passed through this area when conquering the tribe of callaici, which means Galicians. In those times, there were no borders and it would be long before the first one. There is one river with two different names: Limia, for the Galicians who witness its birth in the sources of Antela and Lima, for the Portuguese who see it die in Viana do Castelo. All this area is dominated by rivers. Many tributaries flow along the limia, that receives two big dykes:
As Conchas and Lindoso. The latter has its dam in Portugal, but its waters come from Galicia.
This is, however, a dry area, since it is the mountains, as we approach it, and not the rivers, that define its horizon with its sierra-like profile. Their characteristic castle-shaped peaks make them unmistakable. Given their height, they keep the lowest circular glaciers in the whole Iberian Peninsula. From north to south, the Serra do Laboreiro and the Serra de Queguas; the mountains of O Quinxo; the hill of Santa Eufemia, neighbouring the Serra do Xures which reaches the highest level of all these mountains with its peak of A Nevosa (1,539 m); further on to the west, the Serra do Pisco and still further, the Serra da Pena and the lands of Couto Mixto which in the old times were neither Spanish nor Portuguese.
These steep, rocky places saw the hunting of the last bear in these latitudes, and today they witness the return of the Xures goat thanks to a plan for the reintroduction of the free-roaming wild mountain goat. In order to maintain all this diversity, one of the first community experiences of cross-border collaboration has been set up. In terms of category, the National Park of Peneda-Geres (Portugal) and Natural Park of Baixa Limia-Serra do Xures form a unique, single natural jewel in this old and new Gallaecia. The Portuguese part keeps considerably leafy areas and high trees which, in the old times, were used in shipbuilding to design trimmers, frames and masts which were renowned in the seven seas.

ROUTES
The Baixa Limia-Serra do Xures Natural Park is among the protected areas having the strongest historical, ethnographic and environmental personality in the autonomous community. There are hiking paths which, in some cases, follow the stretches of the Via XVIII or Via Nova which linked the Augustan cities of Braga and Astorga. We can still see some stretches of these paths in the Miliarios area, nine kilometres from Lobios when climbing to Portela do Home. From the north, this is one of the entries to the Portuguese Peneda-Geres National Park. To get there, you must follow the Caldo river which is always in sight. Today, it is still possible to feel the thermal benefits its name ("Broth") refers to. Upstream but not far from this point, the river receives the wild stream of Fecha, which eventually flows as a waterfall. When filled by rain, it is the highest and most impressive waterfall in Galicia.
On the banks of the dam of As Conch as, the deposit of Aquis Querquennis site, a Roman camp in Bande, certify that this is an area for walks and halts. The area is being fitted out as a romanisation museum. In the same municipality, you can pay a visit to the first Galician church with a Visigothic -or rather Suevian- plan in Santa Comba.
Around the dam of Salas, in the municipality of Muiños, there are hiking paths too, which are completed by an archeological route. From Mugueimes, the main town in the municipality, a local road will take you to the waters of the dam where several water sports can be practised, and to the megalithic remainings of Casifia da Moura and Casola do Foxo.
The autochthonous bovine cattle, perfectly adapted to the hard sierra, is represented by the cachena, a long-horned, small cow. It has been an endangered species. The perfect place to watch these cows is the municipality of Entrimo. To be more precise, you must access this municipality from the head town of the municipality, in A Terracha, up to Olelas, one of the most original hamlets in the province of Ourense.

FLORA: Large bushy areas with some endemisms such as the Iris boisseri. Oak groves and Mediterranean elements such as cork oaks (Quercus suber) and strawberry trees (Abutus unedo). In the highest areas, they qn be accompanied by wild pines (Pin us sylvestris) and yew trees (Taxus baccata).

FAUNA: Herds of wolves (Canis lupus) and their main preys: roebuck (Capreolus capreolus) and mountain goat in a reintroduction programme. In the highest plains, and living in relative liberty, the so-called Galician poney or garrano (Equus caval/us). Sporadically, golden eagles (Aquila chrysaefos). Viper: Vipera latasti.

	More Galician places of interest
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