Cenlle. Hot Springs Trail. Barbantes Hot Springs

About this heritage

Barbantes is a parish of the Cenlle municipality in the Ourense province within the Ribeiro region. This region, located between Faro and Suido Mountains, is a confluence of the valleys of the rivers Miño, Avia, Arnoia, and Barbantiño. It has a dry and warm microclimate and yet with a high level of humidity throughout the winter.

Its thermal or hot springs trail is alongside one of the banks of the Miño River. A 4.7-kilometer low-difficulty linear route that reaches Santa María de Razamonte without straying from the Riverside. A journey with exceptional charm because of its centenary cork-oak forests and catwalks to cross over the creeks.

This trail starts at the Barbantes hot springs, which are available for free and accessible to those visitors who want to enjoy its hypothermal waters. It has three pools with temperatures between 21˚C and 26˚C, depending on the period of year and weather conditions. Their springs are of weak mineralization, bicarbonate, alkaline, sodium, magnesium, and chloride, and indicated primarily for bones, joints, and skin.

The hot springs offer all the necessary services to ensure an enjoyable day with the family. Among the different amenities, visitors can benefit from thermal water showers, benches, stone tables with seats, restrooms, and a snack bar.

Close to the Barbantes Hot Springs Area is the first permanent Sports Orienteering circuit that exists in Galicia, inaugurated in 2014.

To learn more

Cenlle is a municipality in the Ourense province with Xubín as its capital, which has ten parishes: Barbantes, Cenlle, Esposende, Laias, Osmo, Pena, Razamonde, Sadurnín, Trasaríz, and Villar de Rey. It has a great artistic heritage, highlighting the Wayside Shrine (Peto de Ánimas) and calvary statue (cruceiro) with a "pousadoiro."

The parish of Barbantes stands out for its hot springs natural phenomenon, which is abundant in this area. Resulting from the composition of its soil, which allows the water to filter down to several kilometers deep, where it heats and, with the pressures, returns to the surface, acquiring the mineral properties when flowing through the rocks; ultimately, giving rise to the thermal area of the Barbantes hot springs.

This hot springs area can be accessible by car and has a large parking lot area with approximately 60 parking spaces. Surrounded by a large garden area, it is ideal for sunbathing, resting, and enjoying the scenery of the Miño banks. This thermal water type is recommended for many diseases treatment and improvement, such as arthritis, rheumatism, and several skin problems.

From this area, a 4.7-kilometer low-difficulty linear route connects Razamonde with Barbantes Station, passing through the Laias parish. This trail runs along the Miño River right bank, with stretches across catwalks. It passes through a centenary forest of cork oaks, an unusual tree in Galicia. Nowadays, this route extended to the Xubín parish, turning into a seven kilometers long trail.

In the surroundings of the Barbantes Hot Springs Area is the first permanent Sports Orienteering circuit of Galicia, inaugurated in 2014. This area has several routes accessible on foot, horseback, or bicycle, all within more than 10 hectares on the Miño River Banks.

It consists of five fixed routes of ranging difficulty. Each one has numbered purple circles indicating the location of the control posts. These posts are half a meter high and marked with the International Orienteering Signal, a white and orange square with a code number. To help with the location of any control post, each trail map provides on its right side a brief description with symbols in a table, according to IOF criteria.

To know it better

Cenlle is a municipality in the Ourense Province in the Ribeiro County. It sits between the Miño and Avia rivers, and constitutes ten parishes: Barbantes, Cenlle, Esposende, Laias, Osmo, Pena, Razamonde, Sadurnín, Trasariz, and Vilar de Rei.

Visiting the parish of Barbantes, on the banks of the Miño River, we can enjoy its Thermal Area, which offers natural leisure free of charge to experience nature and three thermal water pools. The waters are warm and highly beneficial for their characteristics, namely weak mineralization, bicarbonate, alkaline, sodium, magnesium, and chloride. These types of springs are recommended to treat arthritis, rheumatism, and several skin problems.

On top of that, this thermal area offers stone picnic areas, benches for resting, and a wooded landscape, as well as thermal water showers, a hut with toilets, and another hut with a tourist information point and a bar.

In the surroundings of the Barbantes Hot Springs Area is the first permanent Sports Orienteering circuit of Galicia, inaugurated by the Cenlle Town Hall in 2014. This initiative has the objective of getting to know the terrain while identifying specific posts. It has five routes accessible on foot, horseback, or bicycle, all within more than 10 hectares on the Miño River Banks.

Additionally, the Town Hall organizes an annual solidarity route through San Trocado, where one can discover interesting heritage sites.