The true full name of it is Valbuena de la Encomienda del Santo Hospital de Jerusalem, which points to its origin as the domain of the Knights Hospitallers settled a few kilometres away, in the Monastery of Cueto de San Bartolo.
In its time, it was an important industrial hub, where the mills and smithies of the region were concentrated, probably under the protection of the privileges adjacent to being a monastic domain. Settled in a privileged place, its territory was exploited from time immemorial and there are still traces of iron mines, and even gold.
Its ferruginous waters, sulphurous waters and magnesium waters were also famous, beneficial for a large number of diseases, which made the village appear among the best known for this subject within the province of León.
Its small church, built by the military order, still retains the old medieval style. Its people were dedicated to agriculture, and livestock.
It is a district of the Villagatón City Council in the province of León. It is located at 1013 meters of altitude, located in the western part of the Cepedan region.
It is a linear route of 8 km (one way) that runs between the church of Ucedo and the picnic area of Valbuena, the round trip being the same way. Most of it runs parallel to the Retuerta stream.
During the tour you will see 6 flour mills (some better preserved than others),
petroglyphs, numerous fountains, the Peña el Oso or Peña la Muria that marks the boundary between the two towns.
Being in a riverside environment, the vegetation of this type of areas predominates, such as birch, alder, poplar ... but there is also heather, pine, broom, oak, hawthorn...etc. There is a varied fauna such as wild boar, roe deer, wolf, fox, hare, eagle, cuckoo, great spotted woodpecker, lizard...etc.
UCEDO MILLS
In the Canalina area there are 3 mills, the Raimundo, the Canalín and the Nuevo,
dedicated to the milling of cereal. They are monohydraulic, consist of a single horizontal or rolling wheel to move the drive shaft. It also consists of two grinding wheels to grind the cereal grain and turn it into flour.
They were used by the residents of the town to transform the grain into flour to feed animals or for human consumption.
VALBUENA MILLS
In Valbuena there were 5 industrial mills, which grind cereal for most of La Cepeda.
At present, you can see the remains of 3 of them, the Ramón mill, the Victoriano mill and the Pedro mill, which is the only one that sifted the cereal (it separated the shell of the cereal from the flour) for human consumption.
They are mini-hydraulic mills, they consist of a single horizontal or rolling wheel to move the drive shaft. It also consists of two grinding wheels to grind the cereal grain and turn it into flour.
