This Saturday, 14 November, the cultural routes organised by the University of Vigo will host a new walk, focusing on the Ribeira Sacra region, specifically in the Cubela area of Ribas de Sil, Lugo. The event is organised by the University of Vigo's Area of Wellbeing, Health and Sport, with support from the Provincial Council of Ourense, and is open for registration to both university members and the general public.
According to the organisers, participants will have the opportunity to discover the PR-G 180, the Cubela Route, a circular trail of approximately 15.5 kilometres with an accumulated positive elevation gain of 530 metres, classified as medium-high difficulty, particularly due to the challenging ascent involved. “Along the route, participants can enjoy spectacular views of the Cubela meander formed by the Sil River, as well as a landscape characterised by terraced vineyards, native forests, and impressive geological formations of the Sil canyons,” they explained.
This walk combines hiking, nature, and the promotion of cultural and landscape heritage, allowing participants to closely explore a territory where heroic viticulture and the historical relationship between local communities and the Sil River have shaped a unique landscape. Among the stops along the route will be a visit to the church of Santa María de Torbeo, dating back to the 12th-13th centuries, noted as “one of the finest examples of Galician rural Romanesque architecture: stone masonry, silence, and eight centuries of history.”
Registration for each cultural route, which can be completed through the UVigo Active Campus, is exclusively open to the university community until the Monday prior to the event. Should there be any available spots, registration will open to the general public on the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before each route. The fee varies depending on the participant's affiliation with the University of Vigo, and the routes are also open to non-affiliated individuals. Each completed route will be credited with 7.5 ECTS hours for each day of participation. Buses will transport participants from the three UVigo campuses.
The organisers encourage public participation, highlighting not only the opportunity these walks provide to discover Galicia and its surroundings but also the enjoyable atmosphere they foster. Additionally, on 28 November, the walks will return to Campo Lameiro, a region renowned for its extraordinary concentration of petroglyphs and rock engravings, which represent one of the most significant archaeological sites in Galicia. This itinerary will combine archaeology, Atlantic forest, mills, and the riverbanks of the Maneses and Lérez rivers, “allowing for an interpretation of a landscape transformed and inhabited for thousands of years.”
Finally, on 12 December, the programme for this first semester will conclude with a linear route along the Ourensano Grañal River, from Esgos to Tarreirigo and Os Gozos. This walk, near the city of Ourense, “will allow participants to discover ancient paths, villages, mills, forests, and elements related to the traditional use of water, highlighting the ethnographic heritage of the area.” The route will conclude with a traditional magosto, a local festival celebrating the chestnut harvest.
