Route of the Mills

A Gudiña mill route invites you to discover the mills of Pentes or A Ribeira likewise the spectacular environment housing them, i.e. birch and oak forests or stable populations of wolves and deer. The route is set in the Orensano Central Massif, a semi mountain area bathed by streams and rivers like Mente, A Ribeira, A Veiga, Pereira or Ribeiriña, which drain the area and belong to the Duero river basin which enters Portuguese territory. This fluvial wealth and fertile cropland conditioned the way of life associated with the land and exploitation of hydrographical resources. The mill route exists because of these factors coupled with the abundance of buildings designed for milling grain and fruits. These simple buildings were private or communal property and the owners received a percentage of the production calculated using a tool called “maquía”. The neighbours had to wait in long queues to mill their products; consequently they became the epicentres of social relations, meeting places, traditions and rumours, which got caught up in the picaresque of traditional songs:
“Na porta daquel muiño hai dúas pedras de asento, unha é para namorar e outra para pasar o tempo”.
“In the doorway of that mill there are two stone sets, one is for falling in love and the other for whiling away the time.”

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