Ruta por la Vía de la Plata

This route is an option to discover the most remarkable things of this area through the Santiago way. It is a comfortable way since you can do it by car, with some little walks to get to some places. From Ourense, the route follows A-52 highway. We start at the farthest point to get closer to the city. In A Mezquita, in Santiagoso, it is the Alto del Castelo, a wonderful viewpoint over the council and very close to the fort of Castelo Pequeno, one of the biggest fortifications in Galicia.

We continue towards A Gudiña, where the Roman tunnel of the river Pentes is located. It is in the parish of Barxa and it has a flying bridge, a tin and the tungsten mine in the same area.

Back to A-52, in a turnoff from Vilardevós towards Soutochao (OU-310) we can watch one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the province, Fervenza de A Cidadela. You can watch them and all its splendour from the viewpoint and the circle route. This route leads us to the foot of the waterfalls by stairs, bridges and wood walkways.

We arrive in Verín, taking the tourism office as a starting point of the journey around its historical centre.  Walking along its streets is very pleasant.  Worthy of note is the Church of Santa María la Mayor (17th century), the church, the Convent of the Mercedarios (now a museum), the monument to the cigarrón (figure from traditional carnival of Verín, an National Touristic Interest celebration), the Acevedos house, the Coat of Arms House, the traditional neighbour of San Lázaro and its chapel.

Verín is widely known for its thermal tradition, as evidenced by its old spas that are today used to produce mineral-medicinal water. It also has famous waters such as Cabreiroá, Sousas, Fontenova or the Fonte do Sapo springs, where you can taste water. In the Caldeliñas spa you can watch and interpret its structure. 

If we leave Verín towards Ourense we get to a turning on the right that takes us to the Acropolis of Monterrei. It is at the top of a beautiful valley with a splendid panoramic view that goes for miles.

At the entry of the fortress there is a tourist information point where there are guided tours to know the place. 

From here we go to Mixós along the road OU-1021 where it is the Church of Mixós, a pre-Romanesque gem. From Verín we can get to Castrelo do Val and Laza by OU-113.  In Castrelo do Val, in Campobecerros, we find the door to O Invernadeiro (Natural Park). It is necessary to be authorised to visit the park, which is the only natural park in Galicia where there are no human beings. 

Continuing to Laza, known for its traditional carnival, you can visit the capital throughout a route to know the most salient things and go to Cimadevila.

Two kilometres away from Cimadevila we find the Rock art station of Pisadiñas, as well as its amazing views. On the way back from Verín towards Oímbra, along OU-101, we tour the council which has more documented wine press rocks. We recommend the Wine press rocks Route, highlighting the Xan Preto wine press, and the Barrocas winery.

On the way back to Ourense we will stop in Cualedro, where A Saceda fort is located. Next to the ‘A Serra do Larouco’ this is an excavated and interpreted pre-romans archaeological site. 

Again, in the A-52 we are going to Xinzo de Limia. This is a wonderful, lively village ideal to stop in our way for a degustation in its Barrio de Abaixo or the “wine area”. 

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

In Riós the Chesnut Interpretation Centre, in the locality of Trasestrada, is placed in the old rectory.

Verín, next to the neighbouring Portuguese village of Chaves, is part of an eurocity. For that reason, the Thermal and water Route of the European city Chaves- Verín aims to create a route throughout Verin’s spa with the ones in Chaves and Vidago, linking the main fountains, spans and thermal baths in the eurocity area.

Xinzo seems to be the ideal place to host the Entroido Museum (Carnival Museum), with a large collection of Galician carnival.

If we turn on the road OU-1102 to Vilar de Barrio, we find the village of A Pena, famous for its tower from which we can contemplate the wonderful views over the Limia region.

On the same road we arrive in Trandeiras, where the Church of San Pedro and the Monastery of O Bon Xesús are. The convent building is a romantic ruin. From there we can enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets in the province.

Also, from Xinzo along the road OU-531 we get to Vilar de Santos to visit the Limia Museum, where traditional life elements from this area are recreated.

Further ahead Rairiz de Veiga has interesting cultural enclaves such as the Aldea do Congostro (village). Its rehabilitation is a good example of architectural and ethnographic rehab. Here we can enjoy nature in places such as As Veigas do Limia, following OU-1114.

In Ponte Liñares we turn off to Porqueira on the road OU-301. In A Forxa’s capital, there is the only indoors visitable tower. Near it a wonderful route leading to Fervenza do Río Fírbeda starts. 

We follow the same road to Xinzo, taking later on the A-52 Ourense way.

On the way we can watch the Sandiás tower, rising over an old fortification. From it we have a wonderful view over Lagoa de Antela. This is one of the largest natural wetlands in the Peninsula, drained in the 50’s.

In Sandiás it is A Casa da Lagoa, where we can find peculiarities about the region. Through the A-52 we will pass Allariz until Ourense.

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

The Designation of Origin Monterrey Wines is the newest of the five Galician designations. Through the Monterrey wine route, you can visit some wineries.

The Couto Mixto, formed by Santiago de Rubiás (Calvos de Randín) and Meaus (Baltar) is a 30km2 territory alien to the Portuguese and Spanish laws for years. It was a sovereign state until the treaty of Lisbon in 1864.