Ribeira Sacra

Inland from the Galician coast the Sil has cut a canyon several hundred metres deep, and the south-facing slopes are terraced with vines on ledges too steep for machinery. Grapes here are still carried out by hand or hoisted on small rail winches, and the wine, mostly mencia, is made in small quantities. Romanesque churches and monasteries are scattered thickly through the hills; the name, sacred riverbank, goes back to a seventeenth-century reading of an old charter that tied it to the monasteries along the Sil. The usual way to see the canyon from below is a flat catamaran running a stretch of the reservoir. Above, a series of roadside balconies stand out over the drop, several of them glass-floored.

What's there

• The terraced vineyards - vines worked by hand on ledges above the canyon.
• The catamaran - a slow boat along the Sil between the canyon walls.
• The balcony viewpoints - platforms out over the drop, some with glass floors.
• The Romanesque churches - small granite churches and monasteries across the hills.

When to go

May and June for green terraces and long light, late September and October for the harvest and the colour on the vines. Boats run to a set timetable and need booking in summer. Winter is wet and many small wineries and viewpoint cafes shut. Roads are narrow, steep and slow, so plan fewer stops than the map suggests.

Practical notes

Distances take far longer than they look because the roads switchback constantly, and public transport is no help at all. Boat trips depend on weather and water level and get cancelled. Some viewpoints sit at the end of unsurfaced tracks. Winery visits usually need arranging ahead, and several monasteries are in private or hotel use and closed.

Nearby

Monforte de Lemos, and Ourense with its thermal pools on the Mino.