Discover Magros – Route, Waterfall and Mining History

The Magros route is a 14-kilometre hiking route. It offers numerous open areas with panoramic views. The entire route can be covered on foot, by mountain bike, quad bike or off-road vehicle. The technical difficulty is easy, and the few junctions make it easier to find your way.

The route therefore includes different means of transport, while its length, technical difficulty and number of junctions are the most important practical details. The open areas with panoramic views are just as much part of its description as its 14-kilometre course.

Nature

Fervenza de Magros is located on the Rego de Touza, a small tributary of the Río Doade, which in turn flows into the Río Avia. To see Fervenza de Magros, you have to walk a few metres further along the road and then walk to a rocky outcrop. From there, a difficult descent begins, which is manageable for experienced mountain hikers.

Access to Fervenza thus consists of several consecutive sections: briefly continuing along the road, walking to the rocky outcrop and then making the descent. The waterfall’s location is also described geographically by the sequence Rego de Touza, Río Doade and Río Avia.

Geographical Location

Castro de Magros is situated on a 728-metre-high hill. Granite and slate predominate on this hill, especially in the upper area. The castro is located in the southeast of the municipality of Beariz, very close to the village of the same name, approximately 700 to 800 metres east of it and on the road to Feás. At Castro de Magros, the remains of a former surrounding wall, another small fortification, a defensive ditch and circular house foundations can be seen.

The location of the castro thus includes both the 728-metre-high hill and its position within the municipality of Beariz. The approximate figure of 700 to 800 metres east of the village is retained, as is its location on the road to Feás. The visible wall remains, the smaller fortification, the ditch and the circular house foundations are the surviving elements of the site.

Culture

The Capilla de San Juan de Magros is located in the middle of the village, in an atrium-like area. Its bell gable bears the inscription “Año de 1942”. This inscription indicates a renovation. The chapel contains a two-storey Neoclassical altarpiece with depictions of Saint John and the Virgen del Carmen, as well as an angel above it.

The chapel thus combines a clearly specified location in the centre of the village with individual furnishings and decorative details. The altarpiece has two levels and is Neoclassical in style, with depictions of Saint John and the Virgen del Carmen, as well as the angel positioned above them. The year on the bell gable refers to the renovation.

Mining and Crafts

Magros was historically closely associated with mining and crafts. Magros was also the last village where linen looms were still found. The ruins of the Hornos de Magros are located approximately 200 metres from the edge of the village. At the Hornos de Magros, cassiterite was roasted to extract tin. The Mina de Magros comprises a small adit entrance area and spoil heaps. Wolframite and, with patience, cassiterite can be found in these spoil heaps.

The mining traces are distributed between the Hornos de Magros and the Mina de Magros. At the Hornos, the former processing of cassiterite into tin has been documented; at the Mina, the small adit entrance area and the spoil heaps are part of the described site. Wolframite and cassiterite are associated with the spoil heaps, while the linen looms point to the craft-related part of the history.

Other places on this local overview: Taboadela, Verín, Sadurnín, Pousadoiro, A Gudiña, Maceda, Boborás, Celanova

For the higher-level travel overview: Ourense.