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Tourism that came with the wind
Rural Spain is home to places of great historical and natural value. Paradela wind farm.
From the foot of the wind turbines you can barely make out where the river flows, the altitude causes a loss of perspective. High up, the vegetation suffers from the continuous onslaught of the wind, by that energy which appears to be inexhaustible, and which in Paradela (Galicia) ends up being converted into electricity. But on the River Loio, one of the innumerable tributaries of the Miño, there is a different story.
The pathways alongside the banks of the river are hidden beneath natural domes formed by chestnut and oak trees. Inside, only the song of the birds, the rustling of the branches and the eternal and hypnotic movement of the water resound. When the path opens up, the vineyards cascade downwards until they become practically submerged in the powerful torrent that comes from the mountains.
Revitalisation and natural heritage
This is the magical Ribeira Sacra which astonished the Romans and the construction of the wind farms has enabled it to be revitalised and to highlight the historical and natural heritage of this town in the province of Lugo. The Loio route, which was recovered as part of the construction project of the green energy production complex, stretches for 16 kilometres between centuries-old trees, waterfalls, mills and bridges.
The idea is that tourism also helps to diversify the local economy which focusses on agriculture and livestock, and it acts as a catalyst to retain population in an area on an imaginary map that is entitled "the depopulated areas in Spain", in a place in the interior of Galicia that does not escape one of the biggest problems currently facing society: rural depopulation.
Must-see destinations in nature
But the plant in Paradela is just one example of the new opportunities that came with the wind. The Wind Power Ecotourism Guide, promoted by the Asociación Empresarial Eólica y Vientos de Futuro (Wind Energy and Winds of the Future Business Association), includes 10 extraordinary routes through rural Spain in which wind farms in dreamlike landscapes form the backdrop. From the Sierra del Perdón, in Navarre, where pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago appear shortly after leaving Pamplona; to the Serra da Capelada, in the province of A Coruña, where the highest cliffs in Continental Europe are to be found and where you get a unique view of how the land merges abruptly with the Atlantic Ocean.
La Terra Alta, in Tarragona, with its mountain range of Els Ports from where you can see the estuary of the River Ebro; La Rueda de Jalón, in Zaragoza, guarded by the steep slopes of La Muela; Campo de Borja, also in Zaragoza, with the imposing lagoon of La Estanca created to store the water from the Sorbán River; the surroundings of Huérmeces, in the heart of the high plateau of Las Loras, in Burgos, with the gorge of the River Úrbel.
The extraordinary beauty of Medinaceli, in Soria; the magnificent oak groves in the Boeza riverbed, an icon of the Alto Bierzo; the wonderful confluence of the River Sil with the Minho, in a fascinating landscape, between mountains carved out by water; or Coaña, with one of the most spectacular hillforts to have been found in the territory between the Navia and Eo Rivers, on the border with Galicia, these are just some of the destinations not to be missed by those who enjoy the force of the wind and the infinite power of nature.
When you travel on the road, by bus, train or bicycle, on the horizon, in the distance, the wind turbines rotate to the sound of the wind blending harmoniously with the natural environment.