Top 17 Natural Monuments around El Barco De Valdeorras

A wolf(!?) crossed our path here. When he saw us, he fled.

Large rock with a small porch, used as a chapel.

The summit of Galicia, with very good 360º views

The village of Entrambosríos is hidden in a forest of ancient chestnut trees at the confluence of the Batán and Fiós rivers, two torrents of water that provided enough energy to move the machinery of two mills built on the banks of the river, one in Entrambosríos and the other in Rabacallos, near the mouth of the river in the Sil. The buildings and part of the irrigation ditches, the bridge and the surroundings of the mills have been restored to preserve the memory of the families who for generations dedicated themselves to the work of milling. A panel located next to the old mill remembers the last family that kept the mill running until the end of the last century. From Roman times, the basis of peasant food and the original raw material for milling was the chestnut. The first agricultural revolution came from the 12th century, when the monks of the Ribeira Sacra introduced the cultivation of millet and rye. And from the 17th century onwards, wheat and corn arrived, the flours that have brought the Galician baking industry and “Galician bread” to the forefront of popular gastronomy. The Entrambosríos chestnut tree is an ancient example of chestnut included in the Catalogue of Singular Trees of Galicia, and boasts of being one of the oldest and largest trees in Galicia. The branches continue to produce fruit and in the meantime they tell an endless story of perseverance, love for the land and friendship with human beings.

In the surroundings of Parada de Sil there are several paths marked by old “carriozas” or traditional paths that run through beautiful “castiñeiros” (chestnut) forests, with centuries-old specimens, buildings and ethnographic remains linked to chestnut cultivation. The “souto” of chestnut trees is a living symbol of the rural world of the Galician interior. The itinerary is a thematic walk in the chestnut culture, an open-air museum among centuries-old specimens that serves to protect resources and maintain the cultural and environmental value of the rural environment.

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.

The chapel and necropolis of San Vítor de Barjacoba (in Galician, Capela e necropole de San Vítor de Barxacova) is an archaeological complex located in the town hall of Parada de Sil, formed by the remains of a medieval chapel and a necropolis with excavated anthropomorphic tombs in stone. Many pieces of kitchen pottery were found, a conrad of Sancho IV of León, a real de vellón of Enrique II of Castile, and a ceiti of Alfonso V of Portugal. In one of the chapel's tombs a fragment of a human tibia appeared.

These are two wooden walkways that go several meters into the canyon, providing us with spectacular views.