カノンドシル周辺のおすすめ滝ハイキング＆ウォーキング

The PR-G 98 takes the Santa Cristina detour along an ancient country path dug into the mountainside centuries ago in remote and steep places, like the remains of the stone villages that appear during the journey through this enchanted world. Remains of mills, houses, wineries, “sequeiros” and a multitude of constructions with mossy walls emerge from the small natural steps of the terrain that are suitable for building a building. The rest of the surroundings are a forest of chestnut and oak trees, old and gnarled, forgotten by man and time, placed everywhere forming a magnificent forest of enormous trees that hide the views of the Sil gorge. The river is close but practically unreachable.

The As Fontiñas viewing point is an excellent window into the best-preserved natural ecosystems in the Sil Canyon, a mysterious and balanced mix of water, stone, forest and space. The course of the Gavias stream reaches the edge of the cliffs from the fields of Requián and before entering the Sil River it plunges down a crazy and dizzying succession of rocky steps. In one of them it creates the Pozo da Ovella waterfall, a giant's cauldron that demonstrates the energy of the water when it falls furiously down the walls of the great Sil gorge.

The trail begins in the Plaza do Barquilleiro, in Parada de Sil, a must-see in the essential landscapes of the Sil Canyon and the Ribeira Sacra to discover fantasy forests, river balconies, traditional wineries and the ancient monastery of Santa Cristina, a notable landmark in the Benedictine foundations spread across the great river canyon in the interior of Galicia.

The Balconies of Madrid have a history that speaks of emigration, dreams and human adventures in unknown lands. The original name of Os Torgás was changed when the people of the Ourense villages of the Ribeira Sacra hung themselves from the cliffs of the River Sil to say goodbye to their loved ones who were leaving for Madrid and other lands in the south with the dream of a new life. The viewing points form small steps hanging over the river gorge and cause a special fascination. The breeze in the air carries the aromas of vineyards hanging on steep rocky terraces and melodies of elves emerging from enchanted forests, descendants of the primitive mythological beings who resisted the sacralisation of their plant kingdom by the monks and long before by the Roman legions. The walls of the Sil Canyon are a monumental sculpture five hundred metres high made of fierce, bare granite, a fortress of living rock up to the edge of the viewing points that filter the wind, the lights and the eternal songs of all the people who have passed through this fantastic natural balcony to say goodbye or find someone.

It is a magnificent example of rural Galician Romanesque architecture. The original building is from the 12th century, and preserves carvings from the 16th century and baroque altarpieces from the 18th century. The entrance to the cloister has a Romanesque doorway with lobed arches and a magnificent sculptural pantheon. The economic power of the monks of the Sil reached a notable splendour in the 12th century, when they received royal privileges and papal protection to expand the monasteries and sanctuaries on both banks of the Sil, a territory with a strong historical and cultural personality, called Rivoyra Sacrata at that time and known since then as Ribeira Sacra.

Nice

The monastery of Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil is one of the most outstanding and spectacular complexes of the rich monumental heritage of Galicia. It was built between the 12th and 18th centuries. This monastery was important, because nine bishops retired to it and renounced their episcopal sees and chose the monastery to end their days throughout the 10th century and perhaps part of the 11th. The monastery kept his remains and as a souvenir it carried the nine miters on its shield. The church has a basilica plan, spacious and proportioned. It preserves the Romanesque apse with three apses, the central one being lower than the lateral ones, an unusual case in Galician Romanesque. The façade of the church is from the end of the 16th century or beginning of the 17th century. At the top there is a simple oculus that gives light to the interior and ends in a niche inside which is the image of Saint Stephen.

The walk is generally relatively easy - apart from the last 100m - where there are stairs and rocky steps to climb. Not suitable for people with walking difficulties!