The surrounding countryside
The traditional land use here is a patchwork small, extended family dairy farms that produce the majority of the family’s food and fuel, from their animals, managed woodland, a bearded wheat or rye crop, orchards and gardens.
There are scattered areas of deciduous woodland, sweet chestnut and oak which were pollarded for fuel.
The area is crisscrossed by many small tracks bordering the fields and through woodlands.
Foraging is good in the area partically for sweet chestnuts and mushrooms. We collect boletus, parasol and chicken of the woods, because these are the ones we know well, but there are local courses on mushroom identification.
Palas De Rei
Palas De Rei is our nearest small town (4km) of approximately 2000 inhabitants it lies on the Camino De Santiago route, and is very busy from April through to October with pilgrims.
Palas has 3 supermarkets, banks, Health Centre, Sports Centre with outdoor swimming pool and football pitch, two pharmacies, hardware shops, mechanics, petrol station and many cafes and bars, one of which is a live music venue for local musicians.
Around the second week in September, is the main local festival, which runs for four days and features outdoor concerts, carnaval rides etc, other festivals include the Festa da Xuventude (the Festival of Youth), the date varies but it's always at the beginning of summer, and the San Juan festival on the 23rd June, which features an informal outdoor meal of barbequed sardines, chorizo (sausage), wine and bread in the town square.
There is also an outdoor market on the 7th and 19th of every month.
There is a regular bus service to Lugo (1/2hour) and to/from the airport at Santiago De Compostella (1 hour).
More information about our local town can be found here, https://vivecamino.com/en/palas-de-rei/