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Las Médulas

Carretera Carucedo, Las Médulas, Castilla y León

Description

The landscapes of Las Médulas are the result of open-pit gold-mining operations that took place during the Roman Empire, beginning at scale in the 1st century AD. A type of hydraulic mining was used, consisting in undermining a mountain with large quantities of water, so that vast quantities of the liquid had to be brought through an extensive network of canals and aqueducts. The best viewpoint is the Mirador de Orellan and popular trails include the Path of the Valiñas (4 km), the Reirigo Trail (5,5 km), and the Path of the convents (4,5 km).

Access & Transport

The site is in the western part of the León province, only a few kms from the border with Portugal. Access is by branching off the N-536 in the village of Carucedo. From the city of León, it is a 145km drive and from Santiago de Compostela or A Coruña, it is 200km.

Instructions & Recommendations

The visitor centre is located 400m from the parking and offers guided visits (3km route). Info here: https://www.turismodelbierzo.es/centro-de-recepcion-de-visitantes-de-las-medulas/

Meta review

The site draws excellent reviews, mostly because of the visual contrast of the red earth and green vegetation and simply because it is highly unusual. The walks are described as well marked and the interpretation center offers useful information in visual and written formats. Mixed reviews about the guided tour, essentially because it is quite slow, only covering 3km in about 2h.

Environmental & Social

The environmental damage was done 2,000 years ago, it is now a "green" attraction that brings a little bit of tourism revenues to the villages in the area

Conclusion

A fantastic detour for road-trippers; las Médulas mix some outdoor elements (walks), impressive landscapes and cultural/historical aspects - make sure to read up at the visitors' centre to get the most of what you see.

Key positive

Visually impressive landscape, especially when put in context

Several trails to discover the area

Key negative

Quite a long way out from other regional attractions

Suitability

Some trails are actually quite friendly for wheelchair users and there are viewpoints not far from the road so we rate this attraction as partially accessible

About this Rating

TYPE

Desktop

RESEARCHED IN

August 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit

av. transport time:1h 30m

est. visit time:2h 30m

Sunlight based

Sunrise / early morningOk

MorningOk

Lunch timeOk

AfternoonOk

Sunset / eveningOk

Night – bef. midnightNo

Night – aft. midnightNo

Pricing
Free

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