Net of Natural
Trails
Ribeira Sacra Nature Trail. Santa Cristina Monastery route
Description
Parada do Sil to Monastery of Santa Cristina Route (8 km):
This route starts at the entrance of the village of Parada do Sil, next to the "O Barquilleiro" memorial monument. From here, it descends between houses, following the white and yellow signs, to the intersection with OU-605. It continue to the right for about 200 m, then turns onto a road to the left leading to Fondodevila.
Once in the centre of this small town, past a fountain, the route turns onto a signposted dirt road to the left, and continues through stone walls and centenary chestnut trees (Castanea sativa), until it meets the road to Os Torgas and Balcones de Madrid. The route descends towards an intersection located next to a car park near a soccer field and a recreation area. Although the Nature Trail continues to the left, it is worth the trouble to make a detour to the right and visit Balcones de Madrid, a spectacular natural viewpoint overlooking the canyons of the River Sil.
Once in the centre of this small town, past a fountain, the route turns onto a signposted dirt road to the left, and continues through stone walls and centenary chestnut trees (Castanea sativa), until it meets the road to Os Torgas and Balcones de Madrid. The route descends towards an intersection located next to a car park near a soccer field and a recreation area. Although the Nature Trail continues to the left, it is worth the trouble to make a detour to the right and visit Balcones de Madrid, a spectacular natural viewpoint overlooking the canyons of the River Sil.
Continuing straight ahead, the route reaches another intersection, and descends along a very steep gravel track, through pines and oaks (Quercus robur). After crossing several roads and the PRG-98 route, it reaches a wooden bridge. It now begins to climb a cobbled road until it again meets the PRG-98. Past this point, the route begins to descend along an old cobbled road leading to a stone bridge over the PRG-98 route for the third time, whence it heads to Portela along a concrete path.
The route traverses through this town and climbs to the shrine of San Antonio. Here it joins the road to the right that heads to the nearby town of Castro. Leaving behind the town, the route begins a steep climb down a 12% slope to the Monastery of Santa Cristina. The road then continues along a large sharp bend from where there are breath-taking views of the canyons sculpted over millennia by the River Sil. The route continues downhill for about 1 km to the Monastery of Santa Cristina, where the road and the route ends.
The Monastery may be accessed by climbing down a short, stepped path through centenary chestnut trees.
Profile
Harshness of natural environment- 1. The environment is not risk-free
- 2. There are more than one risk factors
- 3. There are various risk factors
- 4. There are quite a lot of risk factors
- 5. There are many risk factors
Guidance along the route- 1. Well defined trails and crossings
- 2. There is a clearly marked trail and signage
- 3. Requires the identification of geographic features and cardinal points
- 4. Requires off-path navigation
- 5. The trail is interrupted by obstacles that have to be gone around
Route difficulty- 1. Walking on a flat surface
- 2. Trails with different types of path
- 3. Walking on stepped paths or irregular terrain
- 4. The use of hands or jumping over the terrain is necessary
- 5. The use of hands is required to progress
Amount of effort needed- 1. Up to 1 hour of continuous walking
- 2. Between 1 and 3 hours of continuous walking
- 3. Between 3 and 6 hours of continuous walking
- 4. Between 6 and 10 hours of actual walking
- 5. More than 10 hours of continuous walking
(Calculated according to the MIDE criteria for an average excursionist with a light load)
Highlights
Further information
Monastery of Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil
Located in the village of Parada do Sil, and only a few metres from the River Sil, sits the Monastery in a natural environment of unparalleled beauty, dominated by a dense chestnut forest.
Although much has been said about its ancient origin, the first document that mentions this monastery dates back to the ninth century.
The pure Romanesque church, built in the late 12th century, is a single Latin cross nave with a transept. There are three apses in the east end. The main apse is an extension of the nave, and the two side apses form the arms of the transept.
It also has other Romanesque elements, such as the tower and a small portico attached to the façade that gives access to the cloister. Only the two northern Renaissance galleries of the cloister, built in the 16th century, still stand. These galleries are connected via semicircular arches on octagonal chamfered columns.
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