Fragas do Eume

The Fragas do Eume protect about nine thousand hectares along the Eume river, a temperate Atlantic forest of oak, chestnut, birch, alder and laurel with an understorey of ferns, mosses and lichens that thrive in the constant humidity, including species with a distribution going back to before the ice ages. It is regarded as one of the best-preserved coastal Atlantic forests in Europe. Within it, reached by a narrow road along the river, stands the monastery of Caaveiro, founded in the tenth century, abandoned in the nineteenth and restored from 2000, on a spur above the water. A large fire in 2012 burned part of the park. It became a natural park in 1997, one of six in Galicia, and fewer than five hundred people live inside it. Access along the river road is limited in high season with a shuttle from Pontedeume.

What's there

• The Atlantic forest - oak, chestnut and laurel under constant humidity.
• The Caaveiro monastery - a tenth-century foundation restored above the river.
• The fern and moss understorey - relict species from before the ice ages.
• The river road - a narrow route along the Eume through the forest.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the forest is green year-round and the rain that sustains it falls in every season. Autumn colour in the chestnut and oak is good. Summer weekends bring access restrictions.

Before you go

The river road is narrow and access is capped in busy periods with a shuttle replacing cars. Rain is very frequent. The 2012 fire damage is still visible in parts of the park.

Nearby

Pontedeume lies at the river mouth; A Coruna and Ferrol are on the coast either side.

Key facts