Os Ancares and O Courel—the Last Mountains Along the Way

Having covered hundreds of miles over a plateau, pilgrims who make their way to Santiago de Compostela via the French Way will find themselves facing a mountainous region on entering Galicia though O Cebreiro.

Here, pilgrims encounter the final mountains of the Way: the Os Ancares mountain range to the north, and the O Courel mountain range to the south. Together, they form the largest natural site in Galicia: its great green reserve.

Oak, chestnut, beech, and other leafy trees dominate this mountainous landscape. Thanks to its inaccessibility and sparse population, there is still an exceptional vitality and integrity in the nature here.

It is the land of wolves, mountain lions, wild boar, roe deer, and Galicia's last remaining habitat for brown bears.

These lands have been inhabited since ancient times, but have been isolated for centuries. History has left its mark on the area in the form of prehistoric fortifications, Roman quarries, and Medieval castles.

Small hamlets are scattered throughout the mountain range. They safeguard traditions and a rich ethnographic heritage, including oval thatched houses known as pallozas, an ancient type of beehive called alvarizas, and granaries (hórreos).

The region of Os Ancares, located on the border between Galicia and León, is a unique area. The landscape is dominated by steep slopes, which, within a few miles, range from an altitude of 984 feet at the riverbed of the river Navia to 6,348 feet at Mustallar's mountain peak.

Heather covers the most exposed slopes of the mountains. Chestnut, oak, walnut, and hazelnut trees are also abundant here. The Mediterranean influence on the land is clear, with the presence of strawberry trees, cork oak, Portuguese broom, and lavender, among other plant life. The variety of soil and geological formations in this area contributes to this plant diversity.

Os Ancares still has forests with large tracts of holly, such as those in the forest of Cabana Vella. The western capercaillie, an iconic bird of Os Ancares that is now extinct, used to eat its red berries. Another beautiful bird native to this land is the red-legged partridge, which is now endangered as cereal fields in the region have been abandoned.

Of all the mammals that inhabit Os Ancares, the brown bear particularly stands out. The species has retreated into these mountains over the last few years. To protect bee colonies from this ravenous eater, inhabitants built traditional beehives, which still work today.

The beehives are a sign of how the ancient inhabitants' economy was based on survival and harnessing nature's resources throughout the centuries in the numerous villages scattered throughout the mountain range. Only one remnant of this life in Os Ancares remains: the pallozas.

Pallozas are circular or oval houses with low stone walls and a thick thatched-rye roof. They were designed perfectly to shelter people and animals from the ravages of the harsh winters. Today, people can visit these dwellings in villages such as Piornedo. At an altitude of 3,937 feet, Piornedo has a well-preserved group of 17 pallozas.

O Cebreiro also features four pallozas, which have been converted into a kind of ethnographic museum.

Going back to O Cebreiro, this small village is not just the French Way's door into Galicia, but also a great departure point for travelers wishing to adventure into O Courel, which stretches south toward the valley of the Sil river.

In 2019, it was declared a UNESCO Global Geopark. O Courel's geological heritage includes fossils, river valleys, glaciers, and geological structures, such as geological folds that are over 300 million years old. Mineral resources have also been mined in this area for centuries, which is another reason it was listed by UNESCO.

The O Courel mountain range surrounds the valley of the Lor river, which is a tributary of the Sil. It reaches an altitude of 5,250 feet (1,600 meters) at the peaks of Formigueiros and Pía Paxaro, which are ideal mountain trails where hikers can enjoy living nature.

The diverse and abundant vegetation seems to be dominated by heather and oak trees. In high areas, travelers can see forests of holly oak and other native trees.

O Courel is also well known for its native forests called devesas, which are gloomy Atlantic forests found on the north face of the mountains, where beech trees also make a tentative appearance. Devesa da Rogueira is one of the richest botanical reserves in Galicia, with 7,400 acres (30 km) of primary forest and an impressive tree diversity.

In Froxán, there is a chestnut festival called La Festa da Pisa, where people keep up the traditional methods used to dry this fruit for preservation. Froxán is one of the villages in this area with the best-preserved mountain architecture.

Another notable village is Seceda, which is organized into sloping streets that are often sheltered by outdoor corridors, the roofs of which connect houses together. This type of infrastructure was originally used in urban areas in the Middle Ages.

Os Ancares and O Courel still hold the overwhelming force of nature. The poet Uxío Novoneyra alluded to this in a verse dedicated to his native land:

"Courel your peaks look out from afar!
Here you can see how small a man is …"

(Courel dos tesos cumes que ollan de lonxe!
Eiquí síntese ben o pouco que é un home …)