Aldán. The Enchanted Forest. The Route of the Mills

About this heritage

The Enchanted Forest as its neighbors know it or Frendoal estate (Finca de Frendoal) is in the Aldán parish of the Cangas Council in the O Morrazo County. The Counts of Canalejas donated this land to the council of Cangas. Formerly, this estate belonged to another property, known as Tower of Aldán Lordly House (Pazo Torre de Aldán), until the construction of the road linking Cangas with Bueu.

The Counts and their guests used this estate as a place of recreation. To get there, take the PO-315 road from Aldán to Moaña, on kilometer 109, take the detour until reaching a small medieval bridge and a lavoir (wash-house or Laundry) called the Wash-house of The Pardellas (Lavadero das Pardellas), which marked the entrance of the park.

The Enchanted Forest was built in the '60s but never finished; nowadays, it is covered with mosses, creepers, and other vegetation giving it a magical aspect. From the initial journey, the path runs between oaks, chestnut trees, birches, parallel to Orxas River, and after passing underneath a medieval bridge, flows into the Aldán estuary.

The river Orxas also provides us with the Route of the Mills, a delightful walk under the shade of tall trees taking the visitors mill after mill through the same route used in the past to reach the mills and grind the cereals.

To learn more

Aldán is a village belonging to the Town Council of Cangas in the province of Pontevedra, and it is more than a recommendable destination. Throughout the visit, you will be able to contemplate typical houses and hundred-year-old granaries as a representation and testimony of the rich Galician traditional architecture.

It is bathed by the beautiful and often unknown Aldan estuary, into which the Orxas river flows, which, as we have already indicated, serves as a common thread, during visits, between the Enchanted forest ("Monte Encantado") and the Route of the Mills ("Ruta de Los Molinos").

The white and soft sandy beaches of Aldán have crystalline waters, and they – Menduiña, Francón, San Cibrán, and Areabrava – are waiting for you.

Aldán also has a monumental heritage, such as the Tower of Aldán Lordly House (Pazo da Torre de Aldán), a private property – not open for visitors – located in the urban center. The facade has a tower with battlements and pinnacles; it also has a coat of arms and a medium-sized land dedicated to cultivation.

Aldán has a church called San Cibrán, a neoclassical building dating back to 1866, built at the same place as a 16th-century temple. It has a longitudinal plane with walls made of granite ashlars; its facade is presided over by the image of the patron saint of the parish, San Cibrán. Also noteworthy is its large tower with two bodies in balustrades housing the bell tower.

To know it better

Cangas is a county in the province of Pontevedra belonging to the region of Morrazo. It has five areas: Aldán, Cangas, Coiro, Darbo, and Hío.

The town of Aldán - located at the end of the Morrazo peninsula - has a significant river, called the Orxas River, which crosses a large area of this territory. The river is born in Castiñeiras (Beluso parish, Bueu) and ends when it flows into the Aldán estuary.

The Enchanted Forest is one of the most visited and fascinating places in the County. It is a mysterious and magical place included in numerous legends and traditions from medieval times. In its mountain region, the residents knew it as the Frendoal estate (Finca do Frendoal) or The Counts' estate (Casa do Conde), because of the former owners of the property were the Counts of Canalejas. Their family used this estate as a place to rest and hunt. During the 20th century, everyone linked the estate to the Tower of Aldán Lordly House (Pazo da Torre de Aldán), but with the construction of the Cangas-Bueu road, the estates' nexus ended.

In the forest, visitors can find a great variety of flora, among others, oaks, chestnuts, hazelnuts, shrubs, or laurels; they can also appreciate many types of structures, for instance, the Castle of Frendoal with its drawbridge, an old croquet field from the 1960s, and traditional benches.

Further, visitors can make a rather enjoyable route through it, known as The Route of The Mills, by following the course of the river and exploring the watermills along the way.