Gold Trail (Senda del Oro)

Route Description

The Path of Gold (which shares sections with the PR-AS 306, the PR-AS 24 and the GR 203) is the perfect route to understand the essence of Ibias: sun, wine and a history marked by the Roman Empire. 2,000 years ago, these mountains were removed to extract tons of gold, and those scars today form a unique cultural landscape.

The route is circular and begins in the capital of the council, San Antolín de Ibias. From here we go down to cross the Ibias River (an optional detour leads to the very charming village of Cecos). Then the path ascends between centuries-old soutos (chestnut forests) and vineyards perched on impossible slopes, testimony to the “heroic viticulture” of the area.

The most impressive thing about the tour is being able to identify the “ancient”: Roman canals dug into the rock to bring water and collapse the mountain (ruina montium system), similar to Las Médulas but dressed in green.

💡 Practical Tips

• Heat: Ibias has an almost Mediterranean microclimate. In summer it is very hot, avoid the middle of the day.
• Wine: You are in the land of Cangas Wine (D.O.P.). Take the opportunity to visit a winery or try it in San Antolín.
• Heritage: Don’t miss the Palloza Interpretation Center in San Antolín to see how people lived here until recently.

📸 Key Points

• The terrace vineyards that defy gravity.
• The optional detour to the village of Cecos.
• The panoramic views of the Roman gold mines transformed into a forest.