Monte Santa Trega

Santa Trega rises about three hundred and forty metres above the mouth of the Mino, and its slopes hold one of the largest and best-known castros in Galicia, an Iron Age hillfort occupied roughly from the first century BC into the Roman period, with several hundred circular stone houses, some reconstructed with conical thatched roofs to show how they looked, laid out within defensive walls. Excavation began in 1913. A museum near the summit holds finds including carved stones and pottery. From the top the view covers the Mino estuary, the Atlantic and the Portuguese bank opposite. A road climbs to the summit, where a chapel and a hermitage stand, and the site is busy on the pilgrimage day in August.

What to look for

• The round houses - hundreds of circular stone dwellings on the slope.
• The reconstructions - a few houses rebuilt with conical thatch.
• The site museum - finds from over a century of excavation.
• The estuary view - the Mino, the Atlantic and Portugal from the summit.

When to go

April to June and September to October; the hill is exposed and often in cloud or rain. The August pilgrimage fills the summit. A road runs to the top, so the site is accessible without a climb.

Practical notes

Only a fraction of the castro has been excavated and the reconstructions are modern interpretations. The museum is small. The summit is developed with a chapel, car park and cafe rather than left bare.

Nearby

A Guarda's fishing port is below; the Portuguese border and Caminha lie across the estuary.

Key facts