Las Herrerias de Valcarce

Las Herrerías de Valcarce is a small hamlet in the province of León, situated at the foot of the steep final ascent to O Cebreiro on the Camino Frances. The name refers to the iron forges, herrerías, that historically operated here using the fast-running Valcarce river as the power source for the bellows and hammer mechanisms.

The hamlet marks the true beginning of the demanding climb to O Cebreiro, with the path rising approximately 700 metres over the next few kilometres through forested mountain terrain. The surrounding chestnut and oak woodland has the deep, humid quality of the Bierzo-Galicia border zone.

For pilgrims, Las Herrerías is the last flat terrain before the climb, a final pause in the valley before the mountain effort required to cross into Galicia.