The Lake and Monks Trail

Trail 1 of the Natural Park, “El lago y los monjes” (The Lake and the Monks), goes round the northern part of Lake Sanabria and climbs to San Martín de Castañeda, the village that looks out over the water from the slope. The Junta describes it as a circular route of 12 km, about four hours on foot or by bike, of medium difficulty. It is the best way to see the lake from below and from above on the same day, and to understand why the Cistercian monks chose this spot.

The route

The version published by Castilla y León Tourism as route Z3 leaves from the Los Enanos beach car park. It is 10 km circular with about 250 metres of ascent. You head first towards the camping area and El Folgoso beach; past the car park of this second beach, a marked path enters the oak forest and climbs to San Martín de Castañeda, which they call the balcony of Sanabria. On the way out of the village is the Peces viewpoint. From there you go down towards Ribadelago and return along the shore and its beaches to the starting point.

The park leaflet recommends a detour near the Los Robles campsite to see Bouzas, one of the loveliest corners of the shore. If you are short of time, the stretch from El Folgoso to San Martín and back already gives the most striking part.

The monks and the monastery

In San Martín de Castañeda stands the church of the former monastery, founded in the 10th century and Cistercian from the 12th, with an exhibition in its outbuildings. It is worth stopping, but bear in mind that outside summer it opens mainly at weekends: check the hours on the page for the monastery of San Martín de Castañeda before counting on going in.

When and how to go

Spring and autumn are the best times: the oak forest is green or russet and it is not hot on the climb. In summer, set off early; the beach car parks fill up and the shore stretch is very busy. The climb to San Martín is felt in the legs, but has no difficult passages; take water, because between the forest and the village there are no marked fountains on the official leaflet.

Before setting out, call in at the Park House, on the lake road, where they tell you which trails are passable and give you the map. With small children, an alternative is to drive up to San Martín de Castañeda and do only the walk along the shore between the lake beaches. If you have energy to spare the next day, the road that continues from the village leads to the Laguna de los Peces.