What you can see on the Manzaneda webcam
The camera stands near the top of the ski area. In the foreground are a dirt track, dry mountain grass and a small wooden hut; behind them, the return wheel and pylons of a chairlift, the white top station with its row of windows, and more lift lines running down the slope. Beyond the edge of the mountain, ridge after ridge of inland mountains fades towards the horizon. It is live video, and Windy also shows the view as a time-lapse of the last 24 hours.
Manzaneda webcam at the top of the chairlifts
Galicia's public broadcaster runs this live camera near the summit of the ski area. The foreground is open mountain: a dirt track, tufts of dry grass and a small wooden hut. In the middle distance stand the return wheel and pylons of a chairlift and the white top station with its row of windows, while other lift lines run down towards the pine forest. Behind, layer after layer of blue ridges fades to the horizon.
It is the quickest way to answer the only question that matters in this Atlantic resort: has the snow arrived, and is it still there? When the grass is hidden and the lift lines stand out against white, the season is on. On foggy days the far ridges disappear entirely.
Skiing among the pines
The resort uses the north and east slopes of Cabeza Grande, at about 1,780 m (5,840 ft) the highest point of the Macizo Central of Ourense, with runs from about 1,500 m (4,920 ft) to the top and around 17 km (11 miles) of alpine pistes. Its lower slopes cut through a pine forest of more than 2,000 hectares, which gives it a feel quite unlike the bare Pyrenean resorts. Manzaneda was one of the first mountain resorts in Spain to stay open all year, with outdoor activities when there is no snow.
When to watch Manzaneda
Spain is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. This is an Atlantic mountain, and snow comes and goes with the storms, so the season varies a great deal from year to year; the camera settles the question on the day. Cloud and fog often cover the top, while on clear mornings, especially after a cold front, the view stretches for miles. In summer it shows whether the summit is clear for a walk.
Around Manzaneda
A Pobra de Trives, the nearest town, is about 11 miles (18 km) down the mountain. To the north lies the Ribeira Sacra, with its Romanesque monasteries and vineyards terraced into the gorges of the Sil and the Miño, one of the most spectacular corners of Galicia.
Getting to Manzaneda
A mountain road climbs from A Pobra de Trives; Ourense is about 56 miles (90 km) away. The nearest airports with flights from the UK are Santiago de Compostela, about 127 miles (204 km) by road, and Porto, about 169 miles (272 km). Carry chains in winter.
