Visiting

Everything practical about getting here and being here. If you have not yet arranged a stay, start by getting in touch — dates are agreed before you travel, not on arrival.

Where we are

Bravos, concello de Ourol, province of Lugo, in the north of Galicia. It is inland and hilly, in the comarca of A Mariña Occidental, about half an hour by road from Viveiro and the sea.

The postal area is 27867 Ourol. The road that serves the area is the C-640, which runs between Viveiro and Betanzos.

Getting here

Tell us when you are arriving. This matters more than any of the advice below: the last stretch is not an obvious walk with luggage, and someone can usually meet you if they know when to expect you.

By bus. The nearest stop is Os Teixos. Buses along the Viveiro road are infrequent and timetables change, so check before you travel rather than trusting anything written here.

By train. The narrow-gauge coastal line runs to Viveiro. From Viveiro continue by bus or taxi.

Nearest cities. A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela have the closest airports; Lugo city is about 80 km away. Most people arrive via Viveiro whichever way they come.

By car. Easiest by far, and useful once you are here — the village has no shop. If you are driving, say so when you arrange your stay; someone else may need a lift from the bus.

What to bring

• Rain gear and boots. Galicia is wet, and outdoor work is weather-dependent.
• Warm layers, including in summer. The house is stone, 150 years old, and parts of it are still being insulated.
• Work gloves if you plan to help on the land or the building.
• A towel and toiletries, unless you have arranged otherwise.
• Anything specific you eat. Shopping happens in Viveiro, not next door.

Around the village

• Panadería de Galdo — the bakery, on the road towards Viveiro.
• Casa Eladio — the bar next to the bakery, run by our friend Patricia. Worth going to, and worth going to early in your stay.
• Ecohorta da Costa — organic shop in Viveiro.
• Estación Agroecológica de Vieiro — fruit and vegetables.
• Milk and cheese, and other produce, come from neighbours. Ask the steward on site who to buy from — the association would rather you bought locally, and those relationships matter to us.

Fiestas. San Isidro is celebrated in Bravos on 15 May. The Aturuxo festival takes place in the village too. The parish church of Santiago de Bravos and the chapel of A Ferrería are both within walking distance.

The coast around Viveiro has good beaches and is busy in July and August — during the Resurrection Fest in Viveiro the whole area fills up, so plan to travel around it.

Being here

Languages. English, Spanish and Galician are all spoken. You do not need to arrive fluent in any of them, but making an effort with Spanish and Galician matters here: this is a village, and the neighbours are not scenery.

The house has rhythms. Quiet hours are 23:00 to 08:00, the kitchen is cleaned by 22:00, and there is a collective clean twice a week that everybody joins. Some weeks hold silence in the mornings, or start work early. Ask the steward on site what this week looks like.

Smoking is outside, and the four cats stay outside too, however persuasive they are.

Leave your room ready for the next person — clean, bedding washed and the bed made. It is the difference between a shared house that works and one that does not.

The full house agreements are given to everyone who arrives, and the practices behind them are described on How We Govern Ourselves.

Money

Stays are paid by donation, on a scale published in the house manual, plus €20 a year for membership. Volunteers and stewards contribute time instead. Camping is cheaper than a bed; sharing a room is cheaper again.

If the amounts are difficult, ask for the sliding scale. It exists precisely so that money is not what decides who can come, and requesting it is normal rather than exceptional.

Getting in touch

foundry@bravosfoundry.com — for stays, visits, events and everything else. There is a phone at the house, and its number is on the association's public listings; email is more reliable.