The Ruta Xermade-Sotavento begins in Xermade and ends at the Parque Eólico Experimental Sotavento. You must book by phone in advance to visit the park; check the booking procedure before your trip. The educational tour covers energy sources, renewable and non-renewable conversion systems, environmental issues related to energy use, and energy efficiency and conservation. The visit therefore addresses technical questions as well as how energy and the environment are managed.
Routes between energy and earlier technology
The Ruta do Batán de Folgoso passes through a lush river landscape to batáns, as well as the remains of mills, a millstone and a former power station. The landscape and traces of earlier technology are both central to the route. The Ruta do RÃo Trimaz has a different focus: it begins at the musealised remains of the former parish church of Santa Mariña de Cabreiros and passes the old Muiño de Cabreiros. The restored former Muiño da Madeira is also on the route. The routes therefore differ in their specific themes: one is characterised by batáns and the remains of technical installations, while the other brings together former mills and the ecclesiastical heritage of Cabreiros.
Buildings, churches and megalithic traces
The Torre de Roupar is a manor house with a stone tower. Its chapel has a Baroque altarpiece with 18th-century sculptures. The Escola Habanera de Roupar now houses the sociocultural centre of the parish of Roupar de Arriba. In the centre of Xermade stands the Cruceiro do Cristo Enxoito: a stone canopy protects the cross and is intended to shield the figures from sun and rain.
Other buildings have their own architectural features. The Capela da Divina Pastora is a small sanctuary in O Seo with a stone portico. The church of Santo André in Xermade is a Modernist building from the 1960s, designed by architect Rodolfo Ucha. Cazás's megalithic heritage includes the Dolmen de Capeirón; burial mounds can be found at Monte Carboeiro in Lousada. The former parish church of Santa Mariña de Cabreiros preserves the arches of the old church and inscribed stones in its musealised area. Its ruins were transformed into a square, which was inaugurated in 2006.
Local traditions are also among the distinctive features of individual places. The Fuente de Santa Mariña is linked to a legend that the saint was martyred there and that three springs appeared where her head fell after she was beheaded. The story remains a legend and adds an orally transmitted perspective to the architectural and archaeological traces.
Serra da Carba and the landscape
The Miradoiro de Castelo de GoÃa is located at an altitude of 871 metres in the Serra da Carba. The mountain range lies in the north of the municipality of Xermade and forms part of the Natura 2000 site LIC Serra do Xistral. The Camiño Real da Carba also crosses the Serra da Carba along its stretch through the municipality. The entire municipality of Xermade is included in the Terras do Miño Biosphere Reserve, where water shapes the ecosystems.
At Fraga da Lagoa, centuries-old oaks and holly trees mingle with native woodland; the area is an ecological habitat. Along the Ruta do RÃo Trimaz, traces of wild animals such as wild boar and deer foraging can be observed at the Fragas de Penachaiña. These details complement the architectural heritage with landscape and nature, without reducing the routes to a single reason for visiting.
Events and planning your travel dates
The Encontro Internacional de Torneiros da Madeira takes place every year in Xermade and includes workshops, exhibitions and live demonstrations. Other event listings cover different periods: the Xornadas Interxeracionais Rurais take place in Cabreiros between May and June; the Invernada de Cine takes place in Cabreiros, Xermade, from October to December. Specific dates may vary from one edition to another. Check the dates of the relevant edition when planning your trip.
Discover more destinations: Baralla, Fonsagrada, Vilalba, Samos, DonÃs, Pena, O Outeiro, O Corgo.
For the main travel guide: Lugo.
