Puntos de Interés
Hydrography
Navia river
The Navia River, often referred to as the "river of the three paths," originates in the parish of O Cebreiro within the municipality of Piedrafita del Cebrero (Lugo). Specifically, it starts its journey in the Galician village of Busnullán. The river runs 159 km until it merges with the Cantabrian Sea, between the capes of San Agustín and Peñafurada.
The term "Navia" has different etymological interpretations. One is the Sanskrit word navya, which means watercourse. In line with this interpretation, linguistic sources connect its name to nava, meaning valley, ship, or boat. Navia was considered a divinity of navigable rivers, and was known as the "boat goddess." Other interpretations link the name to the Celtic goddess Navia, who symbolises abundance, harvests, fertility, and luck.
The Navia River is one of the most important watercourses on the Cantabrian slope. Unlike other Cantabrian rivers, it courses through the regions of Galicia and Asturias with a relatively straight trajectory until it reaches the sea. Key tributaries include the rivers Ibias, Oro, Ser, Agüeira, and Loredo. Along its Asturian course, three significant dams and reservoirs have been built: the Salime Dam, and the Doiras and Arbón reservoirs.
The flora that sorrounds the riverbed include the white bardaguera (Salix salviifolia) and narrow-leaved ash (Fraxinus angustifolia) as well as extensive reforestations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) carried out in the 1950s and 1960s. Other vegetation is limited to meadows, farmland, and expansive communal pastures. The few existing forests are found in deeper valleys and boast black oak (Quercus pyrenaica), oak carvallo (Quercus robur), and strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo).
In terms of fauna, indigenous mammals include the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), fox (Vulpes vulpes), marten (Martes foina), and weasel (Mustela nivalis). There are also birds of prey such as the Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus), buzzard (Buteo buteo), and kestrel (Falco sparverius). The ocellated lizard (Timon lepidus), unique to the Atlantic area, is a noteworthy presence within the Navia river basin.
An interesting fact is that the Navia River course is known as the "river of the three paths" due to its association with pilgrimage routes—the French Way, the Primitive Way, and the Northern Way, also known as the Coastal Way—that traverse its course.