Mills in Alto Aragón - harinero
Liri
Liri is a small village in the
Valle de Benasque which is in the Ribargorza county of Huesca province.
The site of the mill is easily reached from Castejón de Sos. Take the road for Laspaúles and Pont de Suert.
Very soon you will find a branch to the left where Liri is signposted —Camino del Solano. Follow
this road until the first hairpin turn —with parking space at the left side and a ruin at the right side of the road.
This spot, the
Cascadas de Liri, is very popular among canyonists.
Pictures: 09.IV.2015
Understanding this site is not a straightforward matter.
The construction which is told to be the remains of an old mill (2), doesn't show any feature typical
for a mill —no pond, no drain or restitution gutter,
no cárcavo— and that is rather unusual, even for sites which were shut down a long time ago.
There are traces of more old construction work situated
on the top of the hill (yellow dot in 1, 3) at the other side of the road. This may have been a mill also, but if we take
it that the mill is below then this artefact (3 – 5) must have served as pond and pressure pit —very
similar to the situation in Abella, as the crow flies only 10 km away.
Huge boulders (3, 4) mark the highest point of the hill
and it is only from close up that the construction work that has been done becomes visible.
Between and around the rocks low walls (4, 5) have been erected that define a more or less square area.
The walls are constructed of carefully stacked natural stones (5). In accordance with a function as storage for water, most of the stone perimeter is plastered with cement.
On the slope facing the road a shallow depression (3) can be seen. This could be the path of the pressure pipe running down to the mill.
From the opposite side of what must have been the mill pond it is possible to follow the former canal
allong the ridge (6 – 8) until it arrives at the river (9). We can't be sure, however, where exactly the water was taken
in, or if there was a dam or not.
