Vilacoba river paper mills

In less technified times, the quality of the water was essential for the manufacture of paper, which is why many factories were located on the slopes of the rivers Vilacoba and San Xusto in Lousame. Today these paper mills are ruins that nature is fighting to recover, in a battle that seems to have been won in advance. The quality of the water is still present, unaltered, providing a serene atmosphere that rounds off the decadent beauty that attracts all our attention.

A very successful hiking route encourages us to walk through the territory of these old factories, extending the route to the mines of San Finx and the Monastery of Toxosoutos, which makes it one of the best routes in the Galician community.

First we find the old Paper Mills of Brandia, next to the San Xusto River. These old factories take us back to a time of hard work and give the whole area a mysterious atmosphere, of great natural and scenic attraction.

In the next village (O Castro) we have the still impressive ruins of the majestic Fontán paper mill. In this section, and as the river does not have any significant gradients, the course of the river forms a small river beach, such as the one we find a little before the village of Cerquides, near the ruins of the Galiñeira paper mill, the third on our route.

Along the whole stretch, on the banks of the Vilacoba, there are waterfalls, although in other areas the water flows smoothly. We will come into intimate contact with nature and we will get to know the history of the past, the hydraulic devices that are part of the popular culture of other centuries. Paper mills, canals and mills make up a system of ecological use of water.

The Lousame paper mills route is a good example of how nature often appropriates what is its own, creating unusual images, where vegetation and stones establish a unique environment. A path that shows an industrial heritage, surrounded by ferns, trees and moss.