Lake of Sanabria

Lake of Sanabria

El Lago de Sanabria is a lake located in the community of Castilla y León, in the province of Zamora and near the border with Galicia. This lake is surrounded by a beautiful natural space and is one of the favorite places to go hiking or to discover the beautiful surroundings. It is also near the town of Puebla de Sanabria, which is another tourist point of interest.

Let learn more details about Lake Sanabria and what we can see in it. Also, we will see some things that are nearby. This place is ideal for a simple weekend getaway, where you can enjoy the tranquility of a natural setting of great beauty.

History of Lake Sanabria

Lake of Sanabria

This lake can boast of being the largest glacial lake on the Peninsula. A lake of these characteristics is formed when the water takes the place of the depression that It was formed by the presence of a glacier thousands of years ago. In fact, it is estimated that this glacier took place in the Würm glaciation, which is the last glaciation of the four that occurred in the Quaternary period. You have to imagine a glacier located in this area 100.000 years ago, which is what gave rise to this lake when that glaciation retired 10.000 years ago. At present we have a lake of about 370 hectares of river surface, which is about three kilometers long and a kilometer and a half wide. Its main inlet and outlet water system is the Tera river and is part of the Lago de Sanabria Natural Park and the Secondera and Porto mountains. Thanks to this old glacier, some cirques were formed that are currently occupied by small secondary lakes distributed throughout the park.

What to do in Lake Sanabria

Lake of Sanabria

This lake is a place that the surrounding people visit a lot during the summer season, since in it we can find several beaches. Considering how far the coast is, it is a luxury. So we can enjoy a good swim and a day at the beach in the mountains and inland. The main ones are those of Viquiella and Custa Llago, which even have sand. There are other secondary and smaller ones that can also be quieter, such as Los Enanos, Los Arenales de Vigo, El Folgoso and El Pato.

Lake of Sanabria

Another one of the things that we can doing in this natural environment is a fun picnic, since it is not an exploited place where we will find bars or restaurants. These are at the entrance but at the lake it is always better to bring something to eat. Thus you can enjoy the best environment and a natural space in which to eat outdoors. During the summer this is an area with a lot of activity and we can find camping areas to spend a few days. In the lake you can also do different activities such as sailing or boat trips. You can also rent canoes to enjoy a quiet walk on the lake.

For some years now, the lake has also had a catamaran route. This catamaran has a camera that allows you to show the interior of the lake while doing the sightseeing tour. On the other hand, the visit to the picturesque spa of Bouzas, an old building from the XNUMXth century that had bathtubs into which the medicinal and sulphurous waters were poured.

The legends of the lake

Lake of Sanabria

This lake is surrounded by many popular legends that have been passed down from father to son over the years. One of the best known is the origin of the lake in the town of Valverde de Lucerna. On the night of San Juan, a pilgrim appeared asking for shelter, but all the inhabitants refused him except one family. The pilgrim confessed to this family that it was actually Jesus Christ and that he had come to see if the inhabitants of that town were as selfish as was said and that they should leave because of what would happen next. To punish this behavior, it is said that the town was flooded with the waters that today form Lake Sanabria. From the old church they saved one bell but the other apparently was submerged and it is said that truly charitable people can hear it on Saint John's Day.

This place leaves those who visit it captivated, and for that reason you can also read about him in authors like Unamuno. This writer visited the lake in 1930 and from this came the inspiration for the book 'San Manuel Bueno, martir' in which there are two poems, one of them referring to the town of San Martín de Castañeda and the other that talks about the famous legend of Valverde de Lucerna.


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