Home > Tour of the Surroundings
Description:
Starting point: Praza de Irmáns Garcia Naveira.
Number of stops: seven.
Distance: 2.5 Km.
Time: 2 1/2 hours.
Though perfectly feasible on foot for the visitor with plenty of time to spare, this excursion around the outskirts of Betanzos is intended to be made by car. We shall visit beauty spots that most of Betanzos’ visitors are unaware of, such as Roibeira, the Santuario de las Angustias, and the Romanesque church of San Martín de Tiobre. On our way to these last, we shall enjoy a spectacular view of the whole city and the estuary of the river.
1- The Shrine of Our Lady of the Sorrows
Legend has it that this church was built in response to the discovery of an image of the Virgin here. The present building, with a Latin-cross plan, replaced a smaller earlier construction in 1750.
2- Pasatempo Park
It was conceived as a “recreational encyclopaedia” where the people of Betanzos would derive both pleasure and education. Its layout is highly irregular because there was never any fixed plan: the park was thought of as an on-going creation that would develop as time went on.
3- The Laundry at As Cascas
This laundry, a rectangular building erected in 1902 that occupies 348 square metres, was another of the García Naveira brothers’ gifts to the city.
4-The Bridge at Roibeira
This picturesque spot, with its bridge, fields and watermills, is a favourite picnicking place for the people of Betanzos. Walk around at your leisure, stroll along the river, or sit by the bridge to contemplate its flow.
5- The Shrine of Our Lady of the Way
This church is located at the entry to Betanzos for pilgrims to Santiago coming along the “English Way”: from England to Ferrol by sea, and from there to Santiago via Betanzos.
6- San Martín de Tiobre
The present church of St. Martin here in Tiobre was restored and consecrated in 1108 by Archbishop Gelmírez, but is believed to go back considerably farther in time.
6- The Estuary
As well as being the habitat of the native shorebirds and waterfowl, including egrets and spoonbills, these marshes, like others in Galicia, are of great importance as way stations for birds of passage.
