Highlights of Magros include a 14-kilometre route, the Fervenza de Magros waterfall, and traces of its religious and mining history. One distinction is important when planning: the route’s easy technical rating does not automatically apply to the descent to the waterfall.
The Magros Route
The Magros Route is 14 kilometres long and can be travelled on foot, by mountain bike, quad bike or off-road vehicle. Its technical difficulty is rated easy, and the few junctions make it easier to find your way. Numerous open areas offer panoramic views. However, distance and technical rating answer two different planning questions: an easy rating does not make a 14-kilometre route short. If you include the route in your stay, plan for it as a dedicated hiking outing.
The Fervenza de Magros
The Fervenza de Magros waterfall is on the Rego de Touza, a small tributary of the Río Doade, which flows into the Río Avia. To view the waterfall, continue a few metres along the road, then walk to a rocky outcrop. A difficult descent starts there, manageable for experienced mountain hikers. The route’s easy rating is not an assessment of this descent. If you are considering both during your stay, treat access to the waterfall as a separate, more demanding choice.
Chapel and furnishings
In the centre of the village, the Capilla de San Juan de Magros stands in an atrium-like area. The inscription “Año de 1942” on the bell gable indicates that the chapel was renovated. Inside is a two-tier neoclassical altarpiece. It depicts Saint John and the Virgen del Carmen, with an angel above them. The chapel’s location, inscription and furnishings each offer a different way to learn about it: through its setting in the village, a structural change and its religious imagery.
Mining and crafts
The ruins of the Hornos de Magros are about 200 metres from the edge of the village. Cassiterite was roasted in the furnaces to extract tin. Magros was historically closely associated with mining and crafts; linen looms were also part of this history. Magros was the last village to have such looms.
The Mina de Magros shows a different side of mining. It includes a small mine entrance area and spoil heaps, where wolframite and, with patience, cassiterite can be found. Mining operations had ceased by 1970 at the latest. While the Hornos are associated with roasting cassiterite, the Mina and its spoil heaps point to mining activity at the site.
The Castro de Magros
The Castro de Magros is in the southeast of the municipality of Beariz, near the village of Magros. It lies about 700 to 800 metres east of the village, along the road to Feás. Its location on a hill 728 metres high is part of the site’s description, as is its underlying geology: granite and slate predominate, especially in the upper area.
At the Castro, you can see remains of an ancient enclosing wall, another small fortification, a defensive ditch and circular house foundations. These archaeological traces add evidence of earlier settlement to the area’s architectural and mining history. Magros brings together a range of themes: a hiking route with panoramic views, a waterfall with a challenging descent, and tangible evidence of the village’s history, crafts and mining.
Discover more destinations: Reguenga, Pousadoiro, Beariz, O Carballiño, Porqueirós, Cadós, Ansemil, Amoeiro.
For the broader travel overview: Ourense.
