An Enchanted Forest, a Paradisiacal Beach and Crazy Big-Headed Giants

Hi, welcome to this trip and thank you for choosing this route! I'm sure you'll have a great time and a lot of fun!
You will start by making a first stop at this recreational area which hides an enchanted forest that children will love.
If you come here in summer, the little ones will surely want to dip their toes in the river Tera. The proposal is that, once you get to the river beach and they have explored around for a while, follow a small path that opens up to the right (facing the river) along the path that borders the river.
First you will come across an old water mill and then, further on, you will find the enchanted forest.
For us, it was a surprise that we didn't expect to find, and we loved it!

The enchanted forest is a forest full of trees hand painted by a local artist called Flora. My children loved discovering the different drawings and we took funny pictures with them, which are now a treasured souvenir!
Then you will come to a bridge over the river, on that side there is a tree that wants to be hugged, you will also be surprised to find poems attached to the trees at some points along the route that touched me very much.
I recommend you not to go much further than the river bank, where the forest ends on both sides of the path. As I said, this trip is designed for children and we must not forget that this is just the beginning, there is still a long way to go.

There are several places to park around the old town of Puebla de Sanabria, I recommend you to park here because it is the best located for what I propose to see in this town.

I recommend you to take a moment to walk along the river bank and take some nice pictures of the village with the bridge.

The best thing about visiting castles with children is all the explanations you give them about their strategic position, the walls that defended the city, the battles… between the magic of putting them into history, we end up putting ourselves into it too…
The most interesting thing about this castle, in my opinion, are the views from the top of the central tower or Tower of Tribute (also called el "Macho" by the locals). The black slate tiles that cover some of the roofs with the views of the river Tera and all the greenery that surrounds the castle, looks like a painting.
The castle is open in July and August, every day from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 22:00 h. (take into consideration that the ticket office, where you can buy tickets, closes before each time slot: 13:30 h. at noon and 21:00 h. at night).
For the other months of the year, it is advisable to check the opening times here, as they will vary.

A beautiful place to have lunch like no other!! If you visit in summer, as we did, you can eat on the terrace outside, in the square. It's magical! The children, if they are restless like mine, can run around a bit when they finish eating and let you have a bit of an after-meal chat while enjoying a good glass of Toro wine... Mmmmm!
Meal times are daily from 13:30 to 15:30 and from 20:30 to 22:30 h. They are closed to rest on Wednesdays except in summer, holidays and Easter.
If you want to make reservations or need more information here you have the website.

Leaving the Plaza Mayor, I recommend you take Rua street, next to the beautiful Town Hall. You'll come to the Plaza Armas and right next to it is this viewpoint with beautiful views.
Then, what I did, was to walk around the little streets of the old town, but not for too long as the kids got bored and tired.
Let me tell you a trick? We played a game with the kids, which consisted of looking for the most beautiful balconies to take photos of and then choosing the two best balconies (I have two children so there was no competition). On each balcony they found, which they thought was worthy of a photo, I left the camera for them to take the photo themselves. It was a precious moment (I don't lend it to anyone!!... My preciousssss!!.... haha...) so they ended up taking pictures of any balcony with some flowers, which are abundant in this town.... But at least this kept them entertained for a while.

It's time to get back in the car to go to the beach! Even if it's not summer, I recommend you go to discover the largest glacial lake in Spain and the attractions there.

Ah.... paradise! There are several beaches bordering the lake, I recommend this one because it has the best access, parking is very easy too (right next to the beach) and it also has services (essential when travelling with children!).

This ecological cruise is powered by wind and solar energy, it is unique in its kind and takes you around the lake while they explain absolutely everything about the lake, its formation, fauna, history and even a legend.... (Don't worry, I'll tell you about it later in case you decide not to take the cruise, my kids loved it even though it's a bit creepy).
The whole experience was great fun for us and they adapt the content so that the children also have a great time.
The views from the cruise are priceless and when sailing on board, what struck me was how quiet the cruise is... it's not the typical annoying noise (of conventional engines) that you are used to hearing on other boats. A pure pleasure experience, my children did not want to go back to land.
Here you have the page with the calendar of departures, one of the fixed departures is at 17:00 h. depending on the day, for this reason I suggest this time to come.
The best thing to do is to get your ticket online in advance.

Time to go back to the car to continue with the adventure and yes... I'll also take this moment (while you get the car keys) to tell you the legend of the lake, let's see if I remember it well...
According to the legend, in the place where the lake is the deepest, a long time ago there was a village called Villanueva de Lucerna where the people were very bad and inconsiderate. One stormy and cold night a beggar came to the village asking for shelter and alms, everyone turned their backs on him, except a group of women who took pity on the poor man and helped him.
The beggar turned out to actually be Jesus Christ (in a vigilante version) and to punish the heartlessness of the villagers he brought down a terrible storm on the village, submerging everything under water. Well, not everything, he saved the group of women who had helped him, advising them to take shelter on high ground. And according to legend, on the night of San Juan, the bells of the submerged village can still be heard ringing...
Nice story, isn't it? Ideal for a diver to emerge from the lake just as you finish telling it to the children... hahaha...

Inside a building that remains a little unnoticed, the giants and big-headed puppets of what is considered in Spain to be one of the best gigantic dancing troupes in the country, are kept. In the mid-19th century, these giants began to parade and dance to liven up the local festivities, and today they are a fundamental part of the town's culture.
The children will have a lot of fun here, my children were looking for giants that looked like their father, me and other members of the family (oh look! ... that one looks like the uncle!!. We took a picture and showed to my brother in law... he loved it!)
The truth is that apart from being fun, they are historical if we consider the age of some of them.
The museum is open from July to August and until the 6th of September from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 21:00. The rest of the year it is open on weekends from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 20:00, but this may vary throughout the year. It is always the best to refer to its official website to check opening times.

I recommend you to have dinner right here, in the same hotel where I suggest you spend the night. The reason? The reason is that the 3 dining rooms were formerly cellars where the food, oil, wine... was kept. It is very peculiar and the children love these places!
I also recommend you to have dinner in the hotel itself because at this time of day the children are usually tired and this hotel has a very cosy games room to relax with the family if you want to use it.
There in no need to make reservations, but in case you need to call them in advance, for any reason, here's the number: +34 980 62 03 12.

If you can book one of the rooms overlooking the river you will understand why I recommend sleeping here.
Besides that I also recommend it for its treatment, service and all the details that this inn has.
Always remember to book in advance!
Sleep well!