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By carSanchoPanzaXXI — CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)Lugo and Ourense, Spain · Spain
The canyons of the Sil and the Miño, with five-hundred-metre walls and vineyards terraced since Roman times. They call it heroic viticulture because some terraces sit on gradients of over sixty per cent and everything is picked by hand. The name comes from the monasteries: from the 6th century dozens of communities settled here seeking isolation, and over a hundred rural Romanesque churches remain, one of the greatest concentrations in Europe. Three days to see it from above, from below and from within.
Monforte and the Doade viewpoints · 25 km
Cándido Correa — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)history
The capital of the region, dominated by the castle keep and the monastery of San Vicente do Pino, now a parador. Below stands the College of Our Lady of the Antigua, known as the Galician Escorial, with two El Greco paintings in its picture gallery.
The two El Grecos are little seen because hardly anyone knows they are there. Check the opening times before going: they are limited and change with the season.
15 min to the next stop · 15 km
Ramon Piñeiro — CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)viewpoints
Here the Sil has carved a five-hundred-metre canyon, and vines are grown on its slopes in terraces held up by stone walls. They call it heroic viticulture because everything is done by hand: no machine can climb that gradient.
The wooden balcony at Doade, hanging over the void, is one of the best in the canyon. And if you have time, the one at Cabo do Mundo, above a tight bend in the Miño, is worth the detour. Go in afternoon light.
Santo Estevo, Parada de Sil and Castro Caldelas · 48 km
José Antonio Gil Martínez from Vigo, Spain — CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)history
A Benedictine monastery with three cloisters from three different periods, set in a chestnut wood above the canyon. Tradition says nine bishops retired here to die, which is why its coat of arms bears nine mitres.
It is a parador now, but the cloisters and the church can be visited even if you are not staying. And the viewpoint next to it, over the canyon, is free and almost nobody stops.
30 min to the next stop · 17 km
La fabrica de nubes — CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)viewpoints
The best-known viewpoint over the canyon, with a name that misleads: they are called the Balconies of Madrid because, so the story goes, from here people saw off those emigrating to the capital, and stood watching until they were out of sight.
Very close by is the monastery of Santa Cristina, hidden in the woods and almost always empty. It is worth the fifteen-minute detour more than the viewpoint itself.
25 min to the next stop · 23 km
Txikillana — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)history
A 14th-century castle on a hilltop, with its towers and a view that takes in the whole region. The village around it keeps its medieval streets, and it is from this area that the catamarans set out through the canyon itself.
The catamaran trip through the gorges is the other way to see this, from below. You must book and it does not sail every day: check before planning your day.
Sober and Pantón · 35 km
Anxo Soto — CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)gastronomy
The heart of the Ribeira Sacra designation, with the greatest concentration of wineries open to visits. Mencía grapes grow here on slopes that sometimes exceed sixty per cent, and the harvest is done by hand and sometimes by boat.
Many wineries are family-run and need a day's notice. These are not the sort with an open door and a shop: here the person who works the land shows you round.
15 min to the next stop · 13 km
Gabriel Conde Arias-Camison — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)history
The Ribeira Sacra has over a hundred rural Romanesque churches, one of the greatest concentrations in Europe. Many are still the village parish and open only for mass. San Fiz de Cangas and Santo Estevo de Atán are among the finest.
Most are locked. Ask at the house next door for the key, which is how it works here: a neighbour almost always has it and lends it without fuss.
This getaway is in the app, day by day, with every stop on the map, the drives between them and where to sleep, and the option to save it for when there is no signal.
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