This pilgrimage is as old as the foundation of its first chapel, in the 11th and 12th centuries, and is declared a National Tourist Interest. It is celebrated during the second weekend of September, being Sunday the culminating moment of the celebration with a procession that crosses several streets of Muxía on the road to the Church of Santa Maria, where the Virgin is received until the following day.

Thousands of people flood the streets of the village during those days to honor their patron. People come pilgrims from distant places to enjoy this party where they perfectly combine devotion and fun. The road that leads to the sanctuary, bordered by the typical candle and thread posts, is a hive of people going to mass. At the end of this, the Virgin leaves in procession until the port, where she realizes the blessing of the waters. On that day, in addition to tasting the fish stews typical of the area, also visit its famous stones. And is that the cultural history of Muxia is linked to both the Sanctuary of A Barca and the stones of its surroundings.

But did you know why?

Legend says that when Santiago preached the gospel in these lands, in a moment of desolation due to the little success achieved in his preaching, he received the visit of the Virgin on a stone boat in which angels rowed, which gave him encouragement to that the apostle continued his evangelizing work. As proof of its appearance, the boat of the Virgin was shaped in the rocks. Years later, the image of the Virgin was discovered under the helm of the boat and proceeded to its transfer to the parochial church but, inexplicably, it reappeared in its original place. Before this miraculous fact, the inhabitants of Muxía decided to build a sanctuary to honor the Virgin, and it is in the surroundings of this sanctuary located next to the sea where they are the rocks used in a pagan cult rite that soon was Christianized. They are “Pedra de Abalar”, “Pedra dos Cadrís”, “Pedra dos Namorados” and “Pedra do Temón”.

This cult of stones, very common in Galicia, probably owes its origin to the pre-Roman times and, apparently, its Christianization is due to the monks of Muxía. “A Pedra dos Cadrís” is an indispensable visit for all those who suffer rheumatic problems, for which they have to pass underneath it nine times. “A Pedra de Abalar” produces a mysterious sound to which the popular tradition attributes a multitude of powers. According to count, the sound only takes place in case to be innocent and to be free of sin. There are also those who say that the stone emits its sound alone as a warning of a shipwreck or some other misfortune. “A Pedra do Temón” owes its name to it, always according to legend, is the hull of the boat in which the Virgin appeared. Finally, “A Pedra dos Namorados”, the only stone of A Barca whose tradition is not related to the Marian legend. It has a form of seat with a large backrest in which couples promise love and fidelity.

All of this makes the Romaría de Nosa Señora da Barca, therefore, a really magical one.

Do you want to discover it?

As the organizers say, it is a trip to the fifteenth century in which the whole city participates, and a unique experience that brings us closer to the time of the privilege granted to King Henry IV in 1467 by virtue of which authorized the holding of a free market of taxes of one month, the last fifteen days of August and the first fifteenth of September. The concession of the Feira Franca coincides with a period of economic boom in the city, which lasted until the end of the 16th century. Fishing and commerce were then the two pillars of the economic development of the city, at that time the most populated of Galicia.

The Fair, which currently takes place in the monumental area of ​​the city on the last weekend of September of each year, was rescued in 2000 with the organization of various leisure activities with historical roots ranging from the representation of wine transport or the unmissable medieval tournament, to the spectacles of falconry, archery, fencing or the exhibitions of music and dance that enchant the days from Friday on, especially on Saturday. Pure magic that, along with the dances, the lunches between friends and the desire to have a good time, fills the city with people who know that, on that day, joy is going to reign. In addition, each edition dedicates the celebration to a specific theme, so in recent years have made a trip to the world of Os Irmandiños, have honored agriculture and trade and have returned to sing “cancións de amor, escarnio e maldicir”. In 2016, the homage was for the music.

Such was the reception of this party among the people of Pontevedra over the years, that it became necessary to extend the limits of the space of the party in a gradual way, to cover at present the totality of the monumental zone and even other areas boundaries. Praza da Ferraria maintains its status as a nerve center and consolidates year after year as the place chosen for traditional trades representations. Praza de Santa María would eventually welcome most of the artisans and it is in the Alameda and Praza de Curros Enríquez where food stalls are distributed.

What makes this fair special, declared Festival of Tourist Interest of Galicia in the year 2013, are the thousands of people who dress with medieval clothes to eat in the squares and streets, also dressing tables for the occasion whose decoration follows the aesthetic standards of the second half of the fifteenth century. In addition, musicians from all over the place fill the atmosphere with music, making it just a mere walk in the streets of the city of Lérez. It is an authentic festival of flavors and colors!

Eternal dances, shared smiles and emotions of all kinds are the final ingredient of this event that everyone should attend at least once in their lives.

So you know … If you want to put an end to the summer in the highest, remember: 1 and 2 September in Pontevedra.

One of its singularities of this celebration is that women come to it to ask San Ramón for a son. It is a pilgrimage that, although dating from the eighteenth century, is linked to pagan rites that are lost in time around engravings in the form of a serpent, symbol of fertility since time immemorial, which can be seen in two stones a few meters of the hermitage of San Ramón. In addition, it is not only one of the oldest festivals in Galicia, but also the oldest country pilgrimage celebrated uninterruptedly.

According to what people say, the first party was promoted by the priest of the area on August 22, 1756. That year, a mass was celebrated and other suffrages were made in devotion to the saint and the souls of purgatory. Then, a “novena” (a serie of nine masses) was made to San Ramon so that the last of the masses coincided with the last day of August, and on that last day the feast was celebrated for the first time, bringing every year a lot of faithful people to Bealo in order to honor his saint. People also say that the famous writer Castelao found inspiration in this feast to draw one of his famous “Prints of the Blind”.

To this party many people go to the “Campo dos Outeiriños” to camp all the night of 30th and they stay there until the end of the 31th, after enjoying a day of lunch, session of wines and orchestras. During the morning of the 31st, the masses in the hermitage are repeated every half an hour, and women come in search of a happy birth or a pregnancy, and it is in the last one in which more women gather, which They carry the saint in procession. As an old ballad said, “As mulleres cando paren / lémbranse de San Ramón” (when women give birth, they remember San Ramón).

Orchestras, a wine session and popular food complete a pilgrimage that lasts until dusk in a wonderful natural area surrounded by interesting archaeological and ethnographic remains.

It is well known that Galicia is a land of magic, “meigas”, legends and beliefs, and it is precisely pilgrimages like this that make everyone who comes from far and wants to know our land to immerse ourselves a little more in our culture and our identity, so from here we recommend the Romería de San Ramón de Bealo. You just have to go … and let yourself go.

On January 3rd 2016, OUWLRC flew out to Ourense, Spain for a 10-day training camp on the River Miño. We stayed in the Laias Caldaria Hotel Balneario, part of the Cerla training centre which is tailored specifically for athletes and has attracted a number of national squads over the past year, such as Australia, Belarusand the French national squad who shared the facility with us. Fully catered, equipped with a gym and spa, it had everything that we could possibly need!

More information: http://www.ouwlrc.org.uk/category/training/

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Nowadays the Rías Baixas have the greatest Galician Designation of Origin, not only because of the number of wineries but also because of the extention of the vineyards, which are found along 33 municipalities of the western half of Galicia. As so, the Designation of Origin Rías Baixas is formed by 5 subareas (O Rosal, Condado de Tea, Soutomaior, Val do Salnés e Ribeira do Ulla) that form part of a discontinuous territory that from the south limit of the province of Pontevedra, goes along splashing with vineyards the Atlantic coast of Galicia till it reaches the southern part of the province of A Coruña.

The unique personality of its varieties and wines are the results of the peculiarities of the territory, climate, its people and culture. A land full of shades that you can discover touring the Ruta do Viño Rías Baixas, one of the first Rutas del Vino of Spain.

he wines of the D.O. Rías Baixas are characterized by being produced with native grapes, mainly white, having as the main character the Albariño variety that monopolizes approximately the 95% of the production. Other preferent varieties are white Loureira, Marqués, white Caiño and Treixadura, for white wines and red Caiño, Espadeiro, red Loureiro and Sousón if talking about red wines.

 More Information …

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You may not think of Spain or Galicia as the place to go for skiing or hiking at altitudes over 2000 meters. Manzaneda and Trevinca re located in the south east corner of Galicia, and can offer skiing and high mountain nature.

Manzaneda is a ski resort that offer skiing in the winter, and other sport and nature experiences during the summer months. Nature reserves and ideal locations for bird watchers are other things this area con offer.

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Summers along the Galician coast gives you many options for activities. Beach and sun of course, but there are also other activities that are interesting for families visiting the Galician coast.

Why not tag along with a fisherman on his boat or go looking for shellfish with the shelfishers one day? On the Turgalicia page dedicated to this, you will see several options in various locations along the coast.

This is all organized in cooperation with various guilds along the coast, for contact information and more information in general, please visit the section on their website that Turgalicia has created on this topic.

Welcome to Galicia!

Galicia has a long and beautiful coastline, from the portuguese border in the south to A Coruña and Ferrol in the north and Ribadeo in the east. The video above shows you some of the beaches and the lighthouses spread over this long coastline.

You can find more information on beaches and/or lighthouses on the “Lighthouses and wild beaches” page that Turgalicia has created.

Have a look here for a list of each individual lighthouse and beach here.

Camellias was brought to Europe by the Portuguese in the early 19th century, and have since found their home in Galicia. You can find them in most major parks, and they have become very popular.

Turgalicia is presenting on their website several routes where you can see these beautiful plants. They present 12 routes at various manor houses and at both private and public gardens.

Two examples of these routes is the Alameda Park in Santiago de Compostela and the route in Pazo de Mariñán.

Have a look at all the 12 routes on the Turgalicia site here.

In Galicia there are hundreds of sanctuaries, some small and some large, but always located in beautiful surroundings. On the Turgalicia website, various routes has been set up making it easy for you to find and enjoy these temples.

Routes like “The Journey of the three wishes” , “Sanctuaries and Vineyards” or “Atlantic Sanctuaries” along the Costa da Morte.

All beautiful sanctuaries in an fantastic surroundings.