The Soldón is a small river, but a tough one. It comes down from O Courel carving its way by the foot of the mountain, jumping from rock to rock and dodging dark green vegetation. It does so with great force over winter and spring, because the height difference that it clears between its birth, at 1,160 meters, and its end at the mouth of the Sil is more than considerable.

It’s for this reason that it is convenient to consider doing this route in the same direction as the waters of Soldón. The route starts a little past the Ferrería de Rugando, an old industrial building converted into a rural tourism house. The forge was established by the Samos monks around the sixteenth century, although at present there are hardly any traces of the factory left and what remains are the old houses (with a spectacular chimney presiding over the building) and the chapel (on which façade intriguing circular decorations are still preserved).

Taking the route in a downward direction will not save us from suffering through a couple of hard slopes, as the path goes up and down along the river, and there are some difficult climbs for those who are not used to hiking. In wet weather one must be careful where they step: the ground is often bare slate and can be slippery.

The route is known as Camiño do Ferradal (“path of the iron mine”) and uses the path of an old road through which minerals were brought down from the mountains. Going through it shows how difficult this task must have been with the means of transport available a century ago, but also the beauty of a forest barely transformed by the years. A good part of the way passes under forests where still today chestnuts, among the tastiest in Galicia, are collected. Oak trees, ash trees and other species typical of the Galician mountains surround the track, a hike that always keeps the Soldón in sight, along with its fierce roar. Several wooden bridges cross the creeks that flow into the main stream (be very careful when the wooden floor is wet!), and from time to time you can see old sequeiros (chestnut dryers) and alvarizas (traditional constructions used to protect beehives, which produce some excellent honey here, from bad weather).

The Camiño do Ferradal links Rugando, Paradapiñol, Paradaseca and Ponte Soldón, and in any of these villages one can find a connection to the main road, on the other side of the river, in case you run out of strength or time runs inadvertently fast in a place where one can be awed by the natural beauty of Galicia.

Un deles está situado ao sur da provincia de Lugo, e nel pódense atopar árbores da máis variada tipoloxía e da máis variada antigüidade. Estamos a falar do Courel, un lugar cuxa beleza se fai máis evidente coa chegada do outono.

O mero feito de percorrer as estradas desta zona e botar a vista cara ás pronunciadas ladeiras da montaña baixo os nosos pés é impresionante, pero é que no outono, ademais, o manto de cores douradas que o cobre todo fai que gocemos dunhas vistas espectaculares, de película.

E se facemos o percorrido a pé, é fácil atoparse cos cogomelos e as castañas tan típicas desta época enchendo o chan de riqueza. Tanto é así que, cada ano, son numerosos os afeccionados á micoloxía e comerciantes que acoden ó Courel a facerse con estes produtos. Produtos que, ademais, en Galicia, contan cunha calidade formidable debido ás condicións climatolóxicas e ao terreo que ofrece a comunidade.

Se es é un afeccionado ao sendeirismo, tamén atoparás aquí diversas rutas que che axudarán a coñecer un pouco máis a flora e a fauna desta zona, así como descubrir os pequenos pobos cheos de encanto que se esconden tras os bosques frondosos. Son infinitos os camiños que percorren esta serra e, entre uns e outros, antigos sequeiros de castañas, ferrerías e outros elementos que nos mostran como se vivía e como se traballaba aquí hai anos. Incluso os romanos viñeron ata aquí durante a Idade Media para facer escavacións en busca de ouro.

Non pode un marcharse de aquí tampouco sen facer un percorrido polos diferentes regatos que terminan en fermosas fervenzas no interior do Courel, como a Fervenza de Vieiros. Son imperdibles tamén as covas calcarias e os castros, como o Castro da Torre ou o Castro de Vilar, patrimonio cultural de inmenso valor.

Este outono, se tedes a oportunidade de visitar esta zona, non a desaproveitedes. Só ao chegar alí entenderedes por que é toda unha xoia da natureza e por que todo o que vai unha vez ten a necesidade de regresar.

One of them is located to the south of the province of Lugo, and in it can be found trees of the most varied typology and of the most varied antiquity. We are talking about O Courel, a place whose beauty becomes more evident with the arrival of autumn.

The mere fact of walking the roads of this area and look at the steep slopes of the mountain under our feet is impressive, but in autumn, moreover, the golden colour mantle that covers everything makes us enjoy some spectacular views, like in a film.

And if we make the tour on foot, it is easy to meet the mushrooms and chestnuts so typical of this time filling the soil with wealth. So much so that, every year, there are numerous fans of mycology and traders who come to O Courel to get these products. Products that, in addition, in Galicia, have a formidable quality due to the climatological conditions and the terrain offered by the community.

If you are a hiking enthusiast, you will also find here several routes that will help you to know more about the flora and fauna of this area, as well as discover the charming little villages that hide behind the leafy forests. There are endless roads that run through this mountain range and, among them, old dryers of chestnuts, blacksmiths and other elements that show us how we lived and how we worked here years ago. Even the Romans came here during the Middle Ages to do excavations in search of gold.

You can not leave here either without taking a tour of the different streams that end in beautiful waterfalls in the interior of O Courel, as the Waterfall of Vieiros. Caves and castros, such as Castro da Torre or Castro de Vilar, a cultural heritage of immense value, are also not to be missed.

This fall, if you have the opportunity to visit this area, do not miss it. Only when you get there will you understand why it is a gem of nature and why everyone who goes once has the need to return.

O Courel covers the southern part of the province of Lugo and parts or the Ourense province. It has mountain peaks and valleys with beautiful nature.

This 3 day route is meant be be a suggestion for those that would like to see the O Courel and do have a car to travel around in.

You can find all this information about the O Courel route here. The description of the route,  an interactive map, the itinerary for:

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3

Each day with suggestions for places to visit and the option to print out the guide so that you can bring it with you.

Enjoy!

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