Logbook · 10 places

Mountain range of o Xistral

Ourol, Mariña Occidental, Lugo

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 3 Nature · 2 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones

Spain › Galicia › Lugo › Mariña Occidental › Ourol › Mountain range of o Xistral

Mountain range of o Xistral

Nature · Ourol, Mariña Occidental, Lugo

The core of the northern mountain ranges of Galicia, separating the Terra Chá from the Cantabrian Sea; from this sierra the Toxiza range radiates to the east and the Carba to the west, and it extends across eleven municipalities of Lugo province, among them Ourol. Declared a special area of conservation, it covers 22,964 hectares with a maximum elevation of 1,046 metres at Cadramón, and drains its waters to the Cantabrian Sea via the Landro, Ouro and Masma rivers, and towards the Terra Chá via the basin of the Miño. Frequent fog brings abundant rainfall that favours its blanket bogs, one of the largest carbon sinks in south-western Europe, where horses graze freely. It is home to endemic species such as the lagarta das brañas, at the western limit of its worldwide range.

Photo: iamato (CC BY 2.0)

What to see and do in Ourol