Discover Meis: Routes, Waterfalls and Romanesque Architecture

Meis can be explored through a range of themes: riverside routes, viewpoints, waterfalls and Romanesque architecture offer practical starting points for planning. The focus you choose depends on whether you want to prioritise a particular route, landscape views or historic architecture. The route descriptions and differences between the locations can help you weigh up the options.

Routes along rivers and through the landscape

The PR-G 172 Ruta do Río Chanca follows the Chanca River uphill to the monastery of A Armenteira. In its final stretch, the route leads to the monastery grounds and continues into the town centre. The PR-G 170 Ruta da Pedra e da Auga takes a different course: it begins in the municipality of Meis and follows a narrow path downhill, parallel to the Armenteira River. Some sections are difficult. Both the direction and the character of the path are therefore relevant when comparing them: the PR-G 172 follows the Chanca uphill to the monastery, while the PR-G 170 descends alongside the Armenteira on a narrow path.

The PR-G 171 Ruta do Río San Martiño runs along the slope of Monte A Escusa, with views of the Ría de Arousa. Its final stretch passes through Albariño vineyards and maize fields. The views and scenery along the later part of the route give it a different focus from the riverside paths. When comparing the routes, consider whether you are more interested in following a river or in views of the Ría and the vineyards.

Cycling the Monte da Escusa route

Meis has a mountain biking centre from which cycling routes can be planned. The Monte da Escusa cycling route is rated as low difficulty and offers views of the Rías de Pontevedra and de Arousa. When planning a ride, you have both a stated difficulty level and two specific viewpoints to guide you. The Rías de Pontevedra and de Arousa are the landscape destinations named for the route; the view of the Ría de Arousa is also mentioned in the description of the PR-G 171, which runs along the slope of Monte A Escusa.

Waterfalls, mills and route descriptions

The Fervenzas do Rego da Armenteira route includes a lower group of mills at Barrantes and an upper group at Serén. The path is signposted; check local trail conditions before setting out. The route to the Fervenza de Arcos is different: access is not signposted and involves descending from the recreation area to the river. In San Tomé de Nogueira, the waterfall consists of several low cascades over granite rocks. The Fervenza do Rego de San Salvador is beside a mill on the San Martiño stream. The waterfalls therefore differ both in their route information and in the landscape features described: groups of mills, granite cascades or a mill beside a stream.

Romanesque architecture and history

The monastery of Armenteira is first mentioned by name in official Cistercian Order documents in 1162. The Capela de Mosteiro also bears a specific date: an inscription on the Romanesque chapel’s triumphal arch gives 1150 as the year it was built. It initially belonged to a Benedictine monastery and, from the 16th century, to the Order of St John. Its history thus includes both an early date and a later change in institutional affiliation.

The Igrexa de San Martiño de Meis is a Romanesque church dating from the 12th century. The main portal and the nave walls have survived from that period. The atrium wall features 15th-century baldachins framing a fountain. These buildings offer different points of reference for exploring the architecture: the chapel has an inscription stating its year of construction, while the church is noted for its surviving structural elements and later baldachins.

Discover more destinations: O Mosteiro, Pontevedra, Carbia, Bon de Arriba, A Estrada, Viladesuso, A Torre, Anzo.

Back to the main travel overview: Pontevedra.