Silence, here nature excites
With an orography that rises and falls in asymmetrical slopes and extends through more than 20,000 hectares, and vegetation so alive and lush that it seems easy to get lost, the Sierra de O Courel is the prototype of what the visitor imagines he will find in the interior of Galicia.
Visiting its small towns and hiking along its multiple routes, it is easy to understand why this area of the Peninsula, in the south of the province of Lugo , it is land of stories, legends and magic –and also, because the fight for their protection is so important–. As Ánxel Fole said in his novel A lus do candil : "Terra de Caurel, aspra e forte, of inxente beauty... Terra brava de lobos e águias; terra outa de fragas e devesas..." Here we go!
Open your eyes wide because this saw hides magic
WHAT IS HIDING OR COUREL?
Chestnut, holly, beech, yew, oak, birch, bear, orchid, wolf, eagle..., the Sierra de O Courel is one of the Galician areas where the flora and fauna is more diverse, not in vain its inhabitants assure that in this area we can find all the native Galician species of trees that exist.
The pure air of this land and the fact that it has countless hiking trails between bushes covered with moss will make the visitor travel back in time. Furthermore, there is vestiges of the oldest history of Galicia and of all the cultures that walked through its hills and forests. All this protected by the location of this magical place.
O Courel offers all kinds of destinations and allows get to know Galicia at an even deeper level. Without going further, many of its villages, of houses built in stone with slate roofs where the vegetation intermingles with its historical paths, they have been on more than one occasion declared a Site of Cultural Interest due to its ethnographic importance.
in the village of froxan for example, in the south of the mountains, a traditional festival is celebrated, the Festa da Pisa da Chestnut, in which the inhabitants show how the chestnuts were typically trodden before tasting. In this village we also find the Miracle Fountain, dating from 1935.
The mountain range of slate villages.
However O Courel offers places long before the 20th century. For lovers of archeology and ancient history, this mountain range offers many sites, which also combine with nature to offer fascinating views.
Some examples of this can be found in the forts that seem to be born here and there in the mountains. Some of the most prominent are the Castro de Vilar and the Castro da Torre, both built on the heights and that have spent years observing this region that has hardly changed since our ancestors raised them in these remote places.
The Castro de Vilar, located on top of a spur that flies over the valley with the river Lor at its feet, is one of the largest in all of O Courel, and an example of how far the Celts went to prevent being invaded.
Life seems impossible in such a high place when there were no cars –at about 600 meters–. Nonetheless, We will feel more alive than ever observing the world from the top of this historic fort, overwhelmed by the height of the slopes where these stone buildings rise.
Example of a castro in the Sierra de O Courel
The Castro da Torre, Dating from the 3rd-4th centuries, it is also located on the heights, in turn overflying the River Lor. It is one of the best preserved in the area –better than Vilar–, and it is easy to imagine the former visitors of O Courel going about their day-to-day in their oval-shaped houses and 700 meters high, to protect themselves from possible enemies.
O Courel has not only been home to Celtic and Roman warriors, but also to legends and people very connected with nature, as well as animals that today are in danger of extinction.
Among the first, stand out the druids, in charge of the most mystical part of the castrexa culture, closely related to the yews, some very large and ancient trees; and the mouras , beings similar to fairies that if we are lucky we will be able to see while they comb their hair both in the forts themselves and near the water – a key element of the O Courel mountain range. of the seconds, wolves and bears stand out, animals that are already part of the magical history of this territory.
Water, the undisputed protagonist of this magic saw
TRAILS AND WATER, KEY ELEMENTS OF O COUREL
Although O Courel has historically been a place of importance within the Galician community, the truth is that its inhabitants have not stopped diminishing in recent decades, causing some areas to be reconquered by nature. That is why walking through this mountain range is an unforgettable experience and opens your eyes to the importance of protecting the landscape and the natural world that surrounds us.
In relation to water, we find many falls. They highlight the Fervenza de Vilamor, a waterfall that is not very high but very beautiful due to its location and the play of light that is sometimes created on it; and the Fervenza da Pedreira.
We can't forget either The pools, where you can also take the opportunity to take a dip if the weather is good. An example is the Poza das Mulas, located in a beautiful area due to the large amount of slate stone that surrounds it. The path to it is somewhat hard, but short and very beautiful, and allows you to be aware of the purity of the water of this land.
And, of course, the rivers. The most important is undoubtedly the lor river, next to which runs parallel an old path that used to be the communication route that linked Folgoso and Seoane do Courel, and that it was part of the Camino Real from O Cebreiro to Quiroga. This route, although long, allows you to travel very beautiful landscapes and covered with foliage. In addition, the Lor River has some traditional bridges that allow the visitor to imagine that he is a traveler and merchant of the Middle Ages.
And all this without forgetting nature in general in the form of multiple forests full of life that cover most of the Sierra de O Courel. One of its best-known icons is the Devesa da Rogueira, an Atlantic forest, of the few that remain in this mountain range. Its location is very humid, which allows all the fauna and flora that characterize it, such as martens, martens or wild cats.
Walking through this forest it seems that we are going to cross paths at any time with witches, druids or trasnos, or with an inhabitant of a castro. It is even easy to imagine the Santa Compaña if the darkness catches us off guard.
is turn a place so beautiful, and somehow fragile, that it will remind us of the importance of protecting the areas of the planet that are most at risk, like those of this magical and timeless land.
It seems that we are going to cross paths at any moment with witches, druids or trasnos