Free walking tours in Torregamones and what to see

Must-sees

Torregamones is a village in the Sayago area, in south-west Zamora province, whose land reaches the Duero, which forms the border with Portugal here. It is part of the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, with the river set in a deep granite canyon where griffon vultures and black storks nest. In the village of stone houses, the parish church of San Ildefonso, the patron saint, stands out, and on the outskirts is the hermitage of the Virgen del Templo.

The most interesting sights are in the countryside. Along the Moriegos stream several flour mills survive, such as Matarranas, which no longer grind but can be seen on a walking route. You will also see chiviteros, stone huts with broom roofs once used to shelter young goats and sheep. The municipality also holds the remains of the Fuerte Nuevo, a 17th-century defensive structure, and a dolmen known as El Santo.

Free tours and guided visits

There are no free walking tours or regularly organised guided visits in Torregamones. The format here is hiking on your own: the mills route and the stretch of the GR 14, the Duero Path, that reaches the village. If you want a guide, the Arribes del Duero Natural Park runs interpretation activities, and river cruises through the canyon are organised in the area, such as those leaving from Miranda do Douro, across the border.

How long to spend

The village can be explored in an hour. If you add the route of the mills and chiviteros, allow half a day. Best of all, spend a whole day in this part of Sayago, combining Torregamones with an Arribes viewpoint and Fermoselle or Miranda do Douro. In spring the countryside is greener and the stream has water.

Where to stay

Torregamones has very few beds, with luck a rural house, so look around the area. Fermoselle is the most complete base in the Zamora Arribes, with rural houses and small hotels in its old town. Bermillo de Sayago also has some accommodation and is well placed. If you prefer a city, Zamora is just over fifty kilometres away and has accommodation of every kind.