Wenceslao Fernández Flórez Foundation 

Today, located in the building where the author spent long periods of time immersed in the creation of his works, is the homonymous foundation dedicated to the writer. The house, known as “Villa Florentina” and located at number 24, Apeadero, can be visited through the foundation. This House-Museum houses a permanent exhibition of works, personal objects, a bibliographic collection and period utensils belonging to the author. In addition, the entity organises numerous cultural activities related to music, theatre or literature, as well as literary routes that offer the opportunity to immerse oneself in the surroundings of the charming landscape that inspired the author to write his work.

Fraga de Cecebre, the true enchanted forest

“The fraga is a tapestry of life pressed against the wrinkles of the earth; in its caves it sinks, in its hills it rises, in its plains it evens out. It is all life…” (Fragment from El Bosque Animado – Wenceslao Ferández Flórez). In the parish of Cecebre (Cambre), the steps of Fernández Flórez through the forest transport us to that dream location where the adventures of Geraldo and his beloved Hermelinda, Pilara and her mistress Juanita Arruallo, the bandit Fendetestas or the mole Furacroyos took place. It won’t take much to realise that the Fraga de Cecebre is not just a forest: its trees, fauna and enormous biodiversity contain a world of their own, full of magic, in which it is very easy to get carried away.  Although its dimensions are smaller than when Fernández Flórez wrote his work, its great density, formed by willows, chestnut trees, carballos, holly trees and bushes of guaranteed greenery, mean that we only have to enter among its trees to be able to perceive in all its essence that fairytale forest.

Cecebre reservoir route

This circular route of 14 km surrounds the reservoir passing through the municipalities of Cambre, Abegondo and Carral, there is also the possibility of doing the route in small linear sections. The reservoir was built in 1975 to supply the city of A Coruña and its metropolitan area with water from the rivers Mero and Barcés. In its depths are the remains of the 17th century Pazo de Santa Ana and the 18th century Pazos de Borreiros and Folgoso, which can be seen in the dry season when the water level is lower. Its great autochthonous diversity gives this area the distinction of Biosphere Reserve of Mariñas Coruñesas e Terras do Mandeo, placing it also within the Natura 2000 Network. 

Bird observatory

Bird lovers will also find in the Cecebre reservoir a point of ornithological interest, since throughout the year, more than 45 different species nest in its surroundings. In this environment you can see different varieties of ducks, herons, waders and grebes, as well as some species of gulls and birds of prey. Among the fauna of this natural space we can also observe other animals such as otters or several species of amphibians, some of which are endemic to this area.

Peirao Mill

Following the course of the river Mero we also find the Peirao Mill. Although it is a private house, it is worth visiting this modernist style building which houses an old stone mill. It is made up of an exterior vertical wheel and two cogwheels that serve for the circular movement of the millstone. The Peirao mill is the only mill of these characteristics still in use in the area. In the surrounding area you will also find a picnic area and an place suitable for bathing, ideal for enjoying a day of leisure in a natural setting.

The easiest way to get to Cape Ortegal is to do it from Cariño, taking the road, well signposted, from the town’s centre. It can also be reached through the track coming from Herbeira, turning left at viewpoint of A Miranda’s junction. They are, in either case, narrow, twisty roads that should be approached with care and patience. It is worth it.

The view from the top is a truly privileged one. To the east is the winding entrance of the Ortigueira y Ladrido estuary; several small rivers (the most important of which are the Mera and the Baleo) flow into this S-shaped inlet, shallow and abundant in sandbanks that form intricate canals and beautiful beaches open to the sea. Further on stands the majestic effigy of Estaca de Bares, the cape that separates the Atlantic from the Cantabrian sea and which has so many similarities with Ortegal itself.

Facing north lies the immensity of the ocean. Before that, closer to land, are the steep islets of Os Aguillóns. Their name, meaning “the stings”, suits them perfectly, because they are several small sharp islands where seabird colonies live and nest. Watching them fly is a guaranteed spectacle: soaring above air currents and touching the waves with their feathers, the birds challenge the force of both the tides and the wind, which blows here unencumbered.

If you turn your gaze to the west, you will see the wild mountain range of A Capelada, populated by herds of semi-wild horses and cows, the highest point of which, the Garita de Herbeira, is one of the highest cliffs in Europe. In this area are several viewpoints, well signposted, from which you can get privileged views of the region.

The lighthouse is located in an esplanade of modern construction that allows better views. It is a modern, cylindrical building, painted white and red, which signals this area of ​​the Galician coast, which is especially dangerous to navigate, to ships.

Inland is the town of Cariño, capital of the municipality where Cape Ortegal is located. It is a town that grew much in recent years thanks to the heavy activity of its port, one of the most important ones in the Galician Cantabrian coast.

In addition to the beauty of the landscape, Ortegal is a must see for geology lovers. The rocks on which the lighthouse stands are among the oldest in the Peninsula. Their geological name is amphibolite, and they are over a billion years old. They are dark rocks, rich in iron and magnesium.

Because Muros is a completely sea-oriented town. Built on the side of a mountain, in a natural inlet within the estuary of Muros and Noia, ships have sought shelter here from the fury of the Atlantic since ancient times . It is said that it was founded in the thirteenth century by King Sancho IV,and the Santa María do Campo parish church was built around that time. The façade is still the original one, Romanesque. The interior, dating back to the fifteenth, is really noteworthy: built in the so-called marine Gothic style, it attracts attention because of its spacious interior, illuminated by a rose window and windows with pointed arches.

Muros was declared a Historic Site in 1970 precisely because of the accuracy with which it preserves the medieval and marine urban frame. An essential activity for visitors is getting lost in the old town. It is not a difficult task: the narrow streets, the dead ends, the luminous squares follow one another in a manner arranged by the centuries. Fortunately, it is very easy to turn towards the sea and find your way again. The part of town that faces the port is characterized by the arches typical of marine houses, which in Muros are almost always pointed and support one or two stories with long or forged balconies.

Scattered around the old town are several buildings of the early twentieth century in which you can see the modernist footprint: galleries, lathed windows, old cinema façades, the Market and details on the fronts that contrast sharply with the sober religious architecture of the town’s various churches. The port is omnipresent, and its facilities practically surround the urban centre. Thus, the sailors’ work is part of the daily show lived in this place.

Muros is the capital city of a municipality that traditionally lived from the sea and now welcomes, especially in summer, hundreds of tourists, attracted by the coast’s spectacular beaches. Esteiro, Louro, Serres… Each of these small towns is squeezed between the busy road and the sand, well sheltered from the waves. The landscape’s outline can be easily seen by climbing to the highest parts of the municipality, around the mountain of Paxareiras, where the persistent winds turn the windmills’ blades.

Although, when it comes to mills, one must not forget tide mills, which went through tremendous development here a little over a hundred years ago. In Serres one of them, known as Pozo do Cachón, has been restored to showcase how these facilities operated, designed to take advantage of the force of the water where rivers reached the sea.

A Garita de Herbeira is the highest of the cliffs formed by the Serra da Capelada where it meets the sea. This area, frequently hit by strong winds, can be reached by climbing from Cariño (and perhaps making a stop halfway along the ascent at the beautiful A Miranda viewpoint, with wide panoramic views over the estuary of Ortigueira); or from the centre of the town of Cedeira. This last option is the one chosen by hikers who take some of the most popular hiking routes in the area, such as Ruta dos Peiraos or Camiño de Santo André.

Because it is here, halfway between Cedeira and Herbeira, where the mythical village of Santo André de Teixido is located. Everyone who is aware of and believes in its tradition knows that it is impossible to avoid visiting this small town nestled between ravines and hanging over the sea: those who haven’t been there while alive, will go once dead, reincarnated as a small animal. In all seriousness now: Santo André de Teixido is one of the most popular spiritual pilgrimage centres in Galicia and also a good place to go, even if you do not have these kinds of concerns. The modest church, the handful of houses that surround it, the descent to the fountain and a wild and idyllic landscape make this area one of the essentials of the Galician north.

The road that connects Cedeira to the Garita de Herbeira is narrow and turns right and left along the cliff, passing by several viewpoints from which you can see, to the left, the imposing masses of Cape Prior and the rugged coast to Valdoviño; and to the right the cliffs and the white houses of Santo André. Along the way one must be careful: cows and horses, free in this part of the Capelada, walk with total freedom in a territory that has been their home for hundreds of years.

One more fact, quite peculiar, about this magical area of ​​Galicia. In the cliffs of Herbeira an amazing phenomenon occurs, known by the locals as “o pe do vento” (the foot of the wind). It is a very thick cloud that appears over the Serra da Capelada on days when the north east wind blows strongly, and sometimes coincide with the sunny days of summer. Thus, it may happen that while Cedeira enjoys a spectacular sunny day, higher up the cloud moves up the cliff covering the sky and lowering temperatures considerably. In these cases, enjoying the scenery is difficult and driving on the road to Santo André can be quite scary, but the air of mystery is certainly hard to match.

O Faramello is a small parish that belongs to the municipality of Rois and is located in the shadow of the hill that two thousand years ago housed the Castro Lupario, home of the mythical Queen Lupa. The building stands along the Portuguese Way to Santiago and by the waters of the small Tinto River. It was precisely the strength of this river that brought the Genoese Marqués de Piombino to the area in the eighteenth century, to establish what is believed to be the first paper factory in Galicia. The Real Fábrica de Papel de O Faramello opened in 1710; much of the constructions that made up the building, the canals, the area occupied by the mills where the rags were beaten to make pasta, are still well identifiable today, even those that were later taken over by the garden.

In the upper part of the estate began construction of what is now the pazo, Baroque in style and fully Compostelan in flavour. There are over 2,000 square meters constructed, viewpoints and a chapel, and it is perfectly integrated into a very steep terrain. While the factory was still operating, it was the centre of a small community fully dedicated to paper production. This was the birthplace of José Gambino, who would become one of the most famous sculptors of the time, creator, among other works, of the Santiago on white horse that can be seen inside the Cathedral of Compostela. The small pazo churchhas an altarpiece by this artist.

During the Napoleonic invasion of the early nineteenth century, the pazo was the centre of anti-French conspiracies and the pamphlets against Bonaparte were printed there are probably among the first documents written in Galician after the Middle Ages. From that time dates one of the most curious privileges held by the so-called Lord of Faramello, who can enter the Santiago Cathedral on horseback, a prerogative that, with good judgment, has never been exercised.

When the paper production ceased to be profitable, the Pazo do Faramello was transformed into an elegant residence. It was visited by nobles, bourgeois and writers, among them the aforementioned Alfonso XIII, who spent the summer here on several occasions, or prince Luis de Baviera. It is easy to imagine them walking through the gardens or along the Tinto River, enjoying a fantastic spot with a unique biodiversity.

At present, the Pazo do Faramello can be visited by appointment. In addition to visits to remind us of the history of the building, the owners have promoted the creation, on the building’s exterior, of a memory forest to remember the victims of the train accident occurred in Angrois in 2013. On top of that, a project to restore the ecosystem is being carried out on the mountainside opposite the pazo through which allochthonous species, such as eucalyptus, are being replaced with others native to Galicia.

The first of them is, of course, its historical centre. The Pazo de Martelo, located next to the church of Santa Comba, is one of the town’s emblematic buildings. In this very same lot once stood the house of Paio Gómez Chariño (1225-1295), lord of the town, renowned member of the military during the battles between Christians and Muslims, representative of the Kingdom of Galicia… and distinguished troubadour of whom we know almost thirty cantigas (songs), most of them of romantic themes. The current building dates from the seventeenth century and Chariño never leaned over its phenomenal balustrade, but the place still holds great literary flavour. Much more so knowing that the square in which it is located is dedicated to Rafael Dieste (Rianxo, 1899-Compostela, 1981), who revamped Galician literature at the beginning of the twentieth century. Dieste broke away from the prevailing ruralism and wrote fiction and theatre, also in Spanish. He spent a good part of his life in exile during the Franco regime. “When I was a child, one day, I believe at half past ten in the morning, a whale arrived at Rianxo. Some, to detract from our town’s merit, say it was a very small whale, a calf. Gossip, envy, they do not know what they speak of”, he recalled in his book Dos arquivos do trasno  (“From the archives of the fairy”).

Dieste was born in the Rúa de Abaixo, which can be considered the starting point of Galician literature. In this same street, very close to the sea, Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao (Rianxo, 1886-Buenos Aires, 1950) was born. Cartoonist of overflowing talent and humour, literary lover of miniature and precision, and a political activist, he was the founder of the magazine Nós (“Us”), deputy in the Republic and leader of the Galician nationalists. Many of his works are considered essencial, such as Os vellos non deben de namorarse, Os dous de Sempre or Sempre en Galiza.

Another writer of enormous importance born in the Rua de Abaixo was Manuel Antonio Pérez Sánchez (1900-1930), known as an author by his first name, Manuel Antonio. His book De catro a catro (“From four to four”) is considered a milestone in poetic production in Galician, a delightful portrayal of the seafaring life he himself practiced, full of grace and symbolism. Manuel Antonio passed away at a very young age, at 29, in the Asados parish, where a plaque near the church identifies his family house.

Also outside the historic center, in Taragoña, pioneering Xosé María Brea Segade (1904-1934) was born. Of the same generation as Dieste and Manuel Antonio, his poetry was published posthumously and a bust commemorates him in the Paseo da Ribeira, along with Rosalía de Castro (1837-1885). There must be something about the ​​Rianxo sea to have produced so many and such good writers throughout the centuries…

This worship of romanticism also has a prominent location in A Coruña. It is the Garden of San Carlos, an oasis in the midst of the city’s turmoil. The park was located in the space that was once occupied by one of the main fortresses that guarded the city, Seen from afar it is quite clear that its base is that of an old castle, originally (in the fourteenth century) located outside the walls and later attached to them. This was a place of destruction: in 1658 a worker’s carelessness caused the powder keg located inside to explode, tearing the place into a thousand pieces and, at the same time, taking dozens of lives and severely damaging the San Francisco convent, of which there are barely any traces left behind the church of the Third Order. The explosion must have been so frightful that for almost two centuries the people of A Coruña came out in procession every year to offer the so-called  vow of gunpowder, asking the heavens something that horrible would never happen again.

After this destruction, the place was transformed into a silent garden arranged around the tomb of the Battle of Elviña hero, Sir John Moore. The battle took place in the midst of the  Napoleonic wars. In the first days of 1809, Moore was fleeing from the centre of Spain, pursued by French troops chosen among the best at the Emperor’s service. His intentions were to embark the English army at the port of A Coruña. While waiting for the ships needed for the evacuation, he was forced to face the enemy in the hills of Elviña, at the entrance to A Coruña, just a village back then and today the place where the University is located. On the 16th the two armies fought and Moore received a bullet wound  from which he would die hours later. Most of the British troops managed to sail before the French, commanded by Marshal Soult, breached the walls on the 18th.

Moore’s body lies buried in a stone urn in San Carlos, in a tomb where you can see, now as ornaments, various war devices such as cannons or bombs. Around the tomb there are also acknowledgements to the English official’s bravery: Wellington’s words  reminiscing about the war (“Spaniards, dedicate your life to imitate the inimitable Galicians”), a poem by the English romantic Charles Wolfe, and another by Rosalía de Castro are engraved on marble along the walls.

The garden is an unskippable stop on any walk through the more traditional A Coruña. It is also well surrounded by buildings that will appeal to those who want to know the Community’s past: the Arquivo do Reino de Galicia (Archive of the Kingdom of Galicia), the Military Museum and the Seoane Foundation, dedicated to the illustrious twentieth century painter, are located next to this park which, in addition, is a privileged watchtower from which to observe A Coruña’s port and bay area.

Also, delving into the British connection of the city, a plaque commemorates the 172 sailors who died in 1890 in the sinking of the HMS Serpent near Camariñas.

Mount Louro has a significant elevation, since its highest point is at 241 meters of altitude. This height becomes even more pronounced considering what surrounds it: to the east, west and south, it is surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic, while to the north it joins the mainland through a strip of sand and a plain presided over by the lagoon of its same name.

The strip of sand is the beach of Area Maior, one of the largest beaches in an area with abundant spectacular places. It has a length of about a kilometre and a half and its high dunes block the access to the sea of ​​the lagoon of As Xalfas or Louro, formed where the waters of the river Longarela lie still. This humid area, which grows in size in the rainy season and reaches a depth of only two meters, was classified as a Site of Community Importance and is home to a large number of bird species.

Lovers of ornithological observation will spend a fabulous day walking around  in this environment and spotting species such as the mallard, the coot, the rails , the duck or even the heron. Its botanical wealth is also noteworthy, since in the area species adapted to dry weather have taken root, such as the Lilaeopsis Caroliana, which find here its only home in Galicia.

As it happens with almost every lagoon worth its salt, Louro also has its own legend: it is said that under its waters lies a buried city and on stormy days one can hear the church bells ring and even the inhabitants’ voices .

The top of the mountain can be accessed through a narrow road. During the Middle Ages, in its highest point there was a watchtower or small castle, of which today only a few rocks can be found. Over the cliff the lighthouse, built in 1862, is located. From it you can get a beautiful view of the southern coast of the estuary of Muros and Noia, with the white beaches of Porto do Son presiding over the image. While descending from the peak you can visit the surrounding beaches (Ancoradoiro, Lariño, San Francisco and the aforementioned Area Maior), very popular during the summer.

The Mount Louro is one of the natural treasures of the Concello de Muros, a medieval town proud of the marks those times left on its streets. The old town has a typology of houses that transport the traveller directly to the past, to a  time when fishermen’s boats docked almost at the foot of the houses, with ample pointed arches in which today, in many cases, it is possible to enjoy the famous local seafood gastronomy.

The three verses with which this poem opens are among the best known, most appreciated and more often recited of all those composed by the great Galician poet par excellence, Rosalía de Castro. As part of the essential book Cantares gallegos (“Galician chants)” or sung by singer-songwriters like Amancio Prada, the bells of Bastavales, in Brión, have travelled around the world.

Born in Santiago de Compostela in 1837, Rosalía spent part of her childhood in her aunts’ house in the village of Ortoño, in the same valley where the bells she would write about many years later rang. In the famed text, the poet recalls the happy times of a childhood spent between the fertile plains, which shared protagonism in these first years with the lands of Iria Flavia and Padrón, downstream.

The poem was written at a time when Rosalía’s life could not be more different from that which she wanted to evoke: always following her husband, Manuel Murguía, from city to city and from work to work, she missed the peaceful existence of the Galician countryside, where she could walk the “path of happiness, and while the sun does not hide I sit on a small rock. And sat I am watching how the moon is coming out, how the sun is lying down. I hurt wounded by pain, that I once had a whole life and today I have half a life. Only a half was left by those who brought me from there, by those who stole me from there”, she wrote.

The bells that moved Rosalía were located in the beautiful church of San Xulián de Bastavales, placed on one of the slopes of the Sar valley. The very name of the locality refers to the fertility of the land that irrigates this river, subsidiary of the Ulla, since it comes from the Latin vasta vales, or great valley. The church is a temple built late into the eighteenth century of which, in fact, the tall and light bell tower stands out. Baroque in style and with a sobriety that borders on neoclassical, it was built over a previous Romanesque construction and following a project in which architect Tomás del Río, known for unique works in the interior of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, collaborated. The tower came later, in 1828, at which time the bells that Rosalía recalled throughout her life were placed there.

However, and without this change taking away from the beauty of the place, the current bells are no longer the same ones that inspired the famous poem. They were replaced at the beginning of the twentieth century and supplemented in the thirties by a clock that gives even more character to the construction. The location is, however, the great appeal of San Xulián de Bastavales, as its main door opens onto the wide plains of the river Sar, flat, green and fertile, surrounded by soft wooded hills. And, if you know where to look, at the back of the picture, as a surprise, you can even see the towers of the Cathedral of Compostela.

The xenerais (generals) parade in the days of Carnival through the parishes of the A Coruña municipalities of Boqueixón, Santiago de Compostela, Teo, Touro and Vedra, and the Pontevedra municipalities of Vila de Cruces, A Estrada and Silleda, all of them in the shadow of the imposing Pico Sacro mountain. They wear a spectacular suit in which a very tall cap stands out, decorated with coloured feathers and, in the best designs, peacock feathers. The jacket is dark and is usually covered in chevrons, medals and gold epaulettes, and cinched to the body with a red sash and a flag. These costumes are very valuable, and it is not unusual to see the xenerais traveling from parish to parish with a simpler hat, to preserve the integrity of the main one.

The Xenerais da Ulla ride on mounts as well groomed as they are. The horses, exceptionally cared for, are also adorned with feathers and special harnesses. In many of them, a mirror piece fixed on the head stands out.

Along with the xenerais travel from village to village the so called correos (couriers), usually young people dressed in a somewhat more modest manner, with a circular cap and bells hanging from both the suit and the horse’s harness. These figures are responsible for announcing the arrival of the xenerais at the parishes and to assist the main characters. Also in the entourage is a person who carries a wooden box in which the neighbours introduce money. Why?

The contributions are made so that the xenerais, when arriving at the door of a house, will stop to say the vivas (cheers) that is, to pronounce, sword raised, words of praise for the donor and their family. The cheers are usually a prelude to the combats in which the xenerais measure their prowess: the “atranques”.

These are purely dialectic fights, in which two xenerais face off with ingenious rhymes aimed at making fun of the opponent, waving the sword with ease and sitting very stiffly on the chair. In them it is not uncommon to discuss the neighbourhood and political issues that marked the past year. For many years now there have been xenerais of both sexes, and all of them show a great verbal skill in this type of horseback spat..

Carnival traditions are very abundant in the region of the Ulla, and these main characters are accompanied, varying from one municipality to the next, by other traditional characters, such as the king and queen (dressed similarly to the xenerais and the correos, but travelling on foot), the Demon (particular and unique, since it is only found in the village of Reis in Teo), the choirs or the troupes mounted on peculiar artisan carriages.