PR-G 237 SENDEIRO DO MIRADOIRO DE MATACÁS THE WAY OF MATACÁS LOOKOUT
A ROUTE WITH GREAT VIEWS
The PR-G 237 is a circular route that connects the center of Castro Caldelas with the Lookout of As Penas de Matacás, where a spectacular panorama opens over the Sil Canyon that highlights the contrast between the wooded slopes of Ourense and the sunny vineyards in terraces of Lugo.
The route includes a branch to the Abeleda Jetty, and offers the great attraction of the vineyards, soutos and villages made of black slate in Paradela and Alais, the centennial cork oak of Lugar de Arriba and the beautiful views of the Abeleda Valley and the forests surrounding Castro Caldelas.
The illustration shows a scene of the traditional harvest in Ribeira Sacra - the worker was carrying the bunches of grapes to the wine cellar in a big basket called cesto culeiro, that was attached to the head and back. You've got more information about heroic viticulture of Castro Caldelas in Places of interest.
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Download Track in GPX format.
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Download the triptych of the route in PDF - in Spanish.
MAP · TECHNICAL INFORMATION
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RECOMMENDATIONS
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The route crosses roads at various points of the path. Keep the caution.
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Do not enter the dilapidated buildings you can find on the way.
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Respect the environment, fauna and flora. Enjoy contact with nature without damaging it.
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Respect private property - farms, orchards and other assets).
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Do not burn. If you see a fire, notify the Forest Fire Warning by calling 085.
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Do not throw trash. Take it and put it in the right containers.
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In case of emergency, notify the Emergency Services by calling 112.
TECHNICAL DATA
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Circular path (Castro Caldelas - Castro Caldelas)
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Distance without derivation: 16,5 km
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Distance of the derivation: 2,95 km
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Total distance - complete path: 19,45 km
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Cumulative elevation gain - complete path: 1.141 m
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Estimated time - complete path: 7 hours
SIGNALING
The pathway is marked with the signs of the short route ways of galicia (sendeiros de Pequeno Recorrido de Galicia - PR-G).
DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE
A tour trough chestnut groves, vineyards and panoramic views of Castro Caldelas
1. From Castro Caldelas to Macatás Lookout (going trough Celeirón)
PR-G 237 converges with PR-G 213 (The Way of Magical Forests of Castro Caldelas) in the urban center of Castro Caldelas. Be care of the signals that differentiates the two routes with its own beacon so as not to take the wrong path.
You can start the route towards the village of Celeirón, inflection point between the forests on the shady slopes and the terraced vineyards in the sunny ones. A steep descent goes through the soutos - chestnut groves - and their sequeiros - chestnut dryers - to later go up between the vineyards, where we will have spectacular views above the Abeleda Valley. In this part also stands out the villages made of slate and the centenary cork oak of Paradela. Before Matacás Lookout, a round trip derivation to the Abeleda Jetty gives us great views of the Penas de Matacás - that rise above us - by the Sil River.
In the image, descent from Castro Caldelas to Celeirón through the chesnut grove Souto do Conde.
4. From Matacás Lookout to Castro Caldelas (going trough the place of A Ruxidoira)
Matacás Lookout gives us an extraordinary panoramic of the Sil River - on clear days, it can cover several kilometers around. Here, a narrow path by the pointed rocks of As Penas de Matacás - sometimes of whimsical shapes and others y otras emerged from the ground like saw teeth - leads us to the small villages of this wild part of Castro Caldelas.
After this we will arrive to A Ruxidoira, an area of pine forests where we can see the hill where the ville of Castro Caldelas sits majestically, crowned by its castle and the Church of Santa Isabel. We will also have beautiful views of the entire valley sculpted by the Edo River, a tributary of the Sil.
In the image, Matacás Lookout over the Canyon of the Sil River (photo by Manuel Rolán Díaz).
THE ROUTE IN IMAGES
