Old industries

Among the lovers of #IndustrialTourism, there is a section of true fans of the “archaeological” aspect of it. These are the people who especially enjoy visiting the ruins of old factories, discovering the remains of salted fish factories or visiting factories that have changed their raison d’être.

We understand this interest perfectly: on the one hand the historical references make us feel part of a tradition, on the other hand we remember things from our childhood or things told by our elders; we can visit what is left of them and remember, half imagination, half memory.

We are going to give you just a few hints, because fans of industrial archaeology are keen to discover things for themselves. We can suggest a visit to the San Fix Mining Museum, or to the Pozo Cachón Mill, or to the old Sel factory, but they will find that in the EXPERIENCES section, they want us to guide them in other ways.

For example, they want us to take them to the bridge over the river Traba in Noia and let them find the remains of machinery from old factories. They want us to encourage them to follow the Vilacoba river hiking route in Lousame, to contemplate the old paper mills, today devoured by an exuberant nature; they want us to encourage them to discover the old salting factories, origin of the canning companies, of which we have samples all along our coast, some of them reconverted into restaurants or warehouses (remarkable examples in Portosín), others in a ruinous state, sometimes with a small rehabilitation impulse that allows us to identify their structure perfectly. Take a stroll along our coastal path and you will see plenty of examples.

The old riverside carpentry workshops in Outes (“ruta dos carpinteiros cos pés mollados”) would fit perfectly into this section, as would the sawmills.

The Museo do Mar de Noia, currently renovating its facilities, will show us an example of old boat engines manufactured in Noia, of brands such as O Forte or Ayón (Noia in reverse), still in perfect working order. An example of the strength of other times.

In short, there is much to discover.