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Wise Pilgrim APPA bar and restaurant sit about 1 kilometer from the dam on the way back up. The dam itself is an imposing structure of raw concrete, built in a narrow gorge.
The hydroelectric dam was completed in the early 1950s, one of Franco's massive infrastructure projects. The abandoned concrete structures on the north side are leftovers from its construction -- most of the materials, particularly the concrete, had to be produced on site in this remote mountain valley. Building it required flooding villages and displacing communities, a story repeated at reservoirs across Spain during the dictatorship.
What goes down must go up, in this case it is about 300m back up to Grandas de Salime. It is mostly, but not entirely, along the road. Along the way is a scenic overlook (about 2km from the dam). Shortly after the most severe turn in the road (a 180 degree bend) the camino turns left to follow a trail uphill.
