The Valley of the Ancares


The Ancares Valley, in LionIt is one of the great natural wonders that exist in our country. There is the Bierzo region, in León, and limits with Galicia and the Principality of Asturias, so it can be said that it is in one of the most natural areas of our country, since these three Communities are the ones with the greatest green treasures in all of Spain. It comprises a total of eleven municipalities with a marked Celtic origin and a deeply rooted culture between pallozas and granaries.

All those municipalities, located next to the Ancares river, they preserve vestiges of the past and form a natural heritage that is not usual in this area of ​​León. From Ponferrada, the capital of El Bierzo, you must cover about 60 kilometers by road, and when you arrive it gives the feeling that the road does not continue anywhere. In the Ancares Valley you will discover lands and nature with spectacular beauty. That landscape is precisely what most attracts all tourists, delighted to be able to see an environment full of holly forests, oak and centennial chestnut trees, blueberries and strawberries, among others. In this area there are also many native animal species, such as the mountain goat, the grouse, the short-toed eagle or the Cantabrian bear.

The population of the Ancares area is linked to history and many places remain intact despite the passing of generations and time, with still houses with thatched roofs (few but some are) and especially slate roofs, something which characterizes these municipalities very much. I was many years ago in a excursion to León What I did with the school, and the truth is that I would love to be able to return to really appreciate it, since it is already known that when we are little we do not value nature in the way that we should.

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  • Leon, Valley of the Ancares
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