O Cebreiro, the entrance to the Galician nature
This is the entry gate to Galicia along the Camino Francés. Once we enter O Cebreiro we find ourselves looking out at a spectacular view of Galicia. We are at 1300 metes altitude and flanked by the Caurel and the Ancare mountains, both part of the “Natura 2000 Network”.
The Ancares mountains was also declared bio diversity reserve in 2006.
This area contains some of the best preserved areas in Galicia with native forest, with large areas of oaks, birch, hazel and maples. In these forests you might also find a few bears and capercaillie, both of them in danger of being extinct. You might also find some interesting birds in these areas, like the golden eagle, the toed eagle or the peregrine falcon. Some mammals that live in these areas is the wolf and the otter.
You will see that the terrain in this area is mountainous, with valleys that curve between the larger mountains. Some of these mountains are up to 2000 meters in altitude, with tops that are rounded. This indicates that we are looking at some old mountains were the glaciers once left its mark.
When you start this stage of your Camino, you should know that the summers here are short and not so warm, and the winters are longer and colder. Snow in winter is normal. The average rain/snow per year is 2000 mm and the average temperature is +9c.
This first stage in Galicia requires a stop at the Ethnographic park of O Cebreiro. This lets you travel back in time to get to know the local Celtic way of life. There you will find a collection of famous “pallozas”. These traditional houses are circular, between 10 and 20 meters in diameter, with walls of stone and the roof made of straw.
The entrance to Galicia along the Camino Francés is not only the start of the last part of the Camino towards Compostela, but also a walk in the flora and the fauna of this land.
You have only 157 kilometres to go to Santiago de Compostela.
