Congosto de Ventamillo, a route between limestone walls

The Ventamillo Gorge or Narrow Pass closes access to the Benasque valley to the south, narrowing the pass of the river Ésera and the N-260 road. It is a three-kilometre long gorge with impressive vertical limestone walls. It is an ideal route for hiking between the towns of El Run and Seira, and it is possible to start the route in either of them. The route goes around the gorge on both banks at a considerable height and follows a circular route with significant slopes and unbeatable views of the cliffs, the valley of the Ésera and the Maladetas massif. In this natural space there is an abundance of protected animal species and leafy forests of beech, oak and pine trees.

History

Around 40,000 years ago, the place where the wall of the Ventamillo Gorge was buried by the Ésera glacier, a mass of ice that reached a length of 36 kilometres. It is estimated that this glacier had a depth of 500 metres and the current gorge, which was formed after the retreat of the ice as a result of over-excavation, was one of the tongues where it disappeared.

The road that crosses it on the left bank is relatively new, as it dates from 1905 and was used as a supply road for the construction of the power station.

Activities and routes

The Ventanillo Gorge has something for everyone. It is ideal for hikers, but also for photographers, birdwatchers, mountain bikers and climbers.

Hiking

The original path that linked the villages of El Run and Seira is known as "the old path" and was travelled on foot or on muleback. It is on this path that the new routes lead to, gradually ascending to an altitude of over 1,000 metres.

From the old road we can make out the bottom of the gorge and see the road and the river sharing the limited space. Along the route there are also memorable views of the Cotiella massif and you can see the Seira power station, a magnificent architectural work dating from 1918.

The route alternates between extremely thickly wooded stretches that keep out the sun and luminous stretches where there are only bushes.

When you reach the highest point, the path begins to descend gently and offers stunning views of the gorge walls.

Climbing routes

For rock-climbing enthusiasts, the walls of the Ventamillo Gorge offer an incredible variety of routes with different characteristics and degrees of difficulty. There are at least eighteen marked routes, with picturesque names such as "Bin Laden", "Kiss or Die" and "Toxicomontañeros". On all the routes it is possible to descend with double rope abseil.

The Ventamillo Gorge is a highly recommended place to spend a morning of mid-mountain hiking on a daring route or to climb these walls that seem inaccessible from below.