Guaso

Guaso is easily reached from L'Ainsa where you start at the signpost pointing to Guaso. You'll leave the village, cross the Río Ena and then reach a bunch of houses at the foot of a higher plateau. Turn right towards the Río Ara. The road is becoming narrow, runs straight-on and then takes a sharp turn to the left. Shortly thereafter a branch to the right will bring you down into the riverplains. Time to drop the car. Follow the road and you'll soon find the markings of the local PR-walking circuit. Follow this path to the West and You'll long the irrigation and drainage channels and first encounter the Batán, then the new powerstation and eventually the main building.

Pictures: V.2001, VIII.2006, XII.2007

The mill of Guaso lies quite some distance from the village and almost 200 m lower in the valley of the Río Ara. The circle on map 211 of the Spanish Instituto Geográfico y Catastral (2a ed. 1952) shows the position of the mill between the Río Ara and Río Ena. Notice the red lines radiating away from that point showing how the mill provided Boltaña, Guaso, Latorrecilla and Ainsa with energy.

The map shows another surprising thing. Look carefully and learn from the arrows that the water originally came from the Río Ena.
Today the water is tapped from the Río Ara but at a point farther to the west near Margudgued. All channels are very well maintained because they are still used for irrigation and needed to feed the new power station.

The waterflow through the channel nowadays is managed by computer. The door (8) is opened or closed depending the needs of the new electricity generator.