The panoramic view of the town As Pontes de García Rodríguez is breath-taking. As Pontes is widely known for its power station but the industrial landscape of the town is also respectful of the natural environment.

Crowned by the towers and the chimney of the power station, the landscape has a lot more to offer. This is the case of the lake of As Pontes, resulting from the rehabilitation of the natural environment of the old open-cast mine, which closed in 2007.

The lignite mine operated from 1976 and provided the power station with energy. The mine pit is now covered by water from the river Eume and has turned into a huge blue lake of impressive dimensions: 205 metres deep with an 18-kilometre perimeter.

On the lakeshore there is a 400-meter-long artificial beach. In the centre of the lake, there are two islands: one is a reserve for the indigenous flora and the other is a bird sanctuary.

As Pontes offers both eco-tourism and industrial heritage tourism, and the latter has shaped its identity.