It is located in the interior of the province of Pontevedra, twenty kilometers from the city, and has been recognized by travelers as the Capital of Rural Tourism in 2023. It is Campo Lameiro, a small town with barely 1,800 inhabitants, known as the capital of Galician rock art and one of the corners with the highest concentration of petroglyphs on the Old Continent.
The brand new capital, the first town in Galicia to win the award, takes over from Cazorla, one of the most beautiful towns in Jaén, which last year won first place in a contest that, for the last seven years, has organized the tourist portal Escapadarural.com. Campo Lameiro has been imposed on nine towns scattered throughout the Spanish geography, after having previously surpassed more than two hundred applications that met the requirements of having a population of less than 10,000 inhabitants, having rural accommodation, and possessing enough charm to fall in love with the rural traveler.
Candeleda (Ávila) and Zerain (Gipuzkoa) have been in second and third position, followed by the Madrid municipality of Colmenar de Oreja; Nalda, in La Rioja; Bocairent, in the province of Valencia, and Cardona, in Barcelona. This singular classification closes Elche de la Sierra (Albacete), Segura de León (Badajoz) and Ricote (Region of Murcia).
Nestled in the Ría e Terras de Pontevedra region, surrounded by mountains of chestnut and oak trees, in the vicinity of the Lérez River, the new rural capital stands out for its natural wealth that invites you to enjoy endless outdoor activities. hiking and biking trails; canoe rides through the meanders of rivers and streams with the Lérrez, and its tributary, the Meneses, as protagonists; fishing, or bathing on a river beach are just some of the proposals open to foreigners.
On clear days, it would be unforgivable not to go to one of its natural viewpoints. In particular, the Moraño viewpoint, in O Campo, from which you can see herds of wild horses running free, and from which you can marvel at the spectacular panoramic views of the Arousa estuary, located to the west.
Campo Lameiro has historically been surrounded by a halo of mystery. The traces of civilizations that have disappeared have added a special charm to this town, known beyond our borders for its petroglyphs. Rock engravings with very diverse motifs from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age have been found, which allows us to locate settlements in the area around 3200 BC. in the Archaeological Park of Campo Lameiro.
Among them stands out the Pedra de Serpe, the most remarkable petroglyph found in the Castro de Penalba, at the top of Mount Agüeiros, a true paradise for history lovers, full of enigmatic messages from our ancestors.
In addition to this incalculable archaeological treasure, Campo Lameiro conserves a remarkable later heritage, featuring Romanesque and Baroque art, with churches such as those of San Miguel do Campo, Santa María de Moimenta and Santa Mariña de Fragas.
The objective of the Escapadarural.com initiative is to make visible the municipalities that are committed to the development of sustainable rural tourism and offer proposals of interest and quality for nature getaways. On this occasion, Campo Lameiro joins Cazorla, Sigüenza (Guadalajara), Aínsa (Huesca), Santillana del Mar and Potes (both in Cantabria) and Olvera (Cádiz), the award-winning locations in previous editions.
