Sweet chestnuts: where they fall and when they are gathered

Autumn's fruit in the groves of the north and the mountains of the south. It falls on its own, and every valley has its week.

An open burr with three glossy chestnuts on the leaf litter of an old chestnut grove
A burr split in three and its chestnuts on the litter of the grove: the glossy shell, the pale scar at the base and the dry tuft at the tip.

The sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) comes out from September to December, at its best in October, in woods of sweet chestnut, from low ground up to the middle mountains. It is also known as chestnut, Spanish chestnut.

See where it is ready this week

Right now, the best day forecast for sweet chestnuts is 30 September.

The sweet chestnut has been in Spain for two thousand years, and almost always someone planted it: the groves of Galicia, El Bierzo and Asturias, Las Hurdes and the Sierra de Francia, the Genal valley and the Serranía de Ronda. Under every old tree lies an acid soil, damp in autumn and clean, which is exactly where the burr splits open and drops the fruit.

The gathering is ruled by height and by how far north you are, not by rain or waiting. In the Genal it starts in late September; in Galicia and El Bierzo, around the middle of October; in the high groves of Sanabria and O Courel, in November, when the chestnut-roasting nights fill the villages with smoke.

Two warnings worth more than any date. The fruit of the horse chestnut, the tree of city avenues, is not eaten: it is neither the same tree nor the same burr. And a chestnut grove is rarely unowned: most Spanish groves have an owner, and many councils set the week when gathering begins.

What the date depends on

No rain sets it off and no waiting counts: the fruit ripens at its own pace and falls on its own. The week changes from one valley to the next, coming earlier in low country and in the south, and later the higher and the further north you go.

Where to look

It comes out in woods of sweet chestnut, from low ground up to the middle mountains, always on acid soils.

Sweet chestnuts by province: Andalusia: Huelva, Málaga · Asturias · Basque Country: Álava, Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya · Cáceres · Cantabria · Castile and León: Ávila, Burgos, León, Salamanca, Zamora · Catalonia: Barcelona, Girona · Galicia: A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, Pontevedra · Madrid · Navarra

Sweet chestnuts season in Andalusia

Finding Sweet chestnuts in Huelva

In Huelva we follow 28 zones with woodland for sweet chestnuts, between 350 and 750 m above sea level. This week, its best day is 30 September. The zones with the best forecast lie near Jabugo, Aroche and Aracena.

Sweet chestnuts season in Málaga

Málaga has 12 zones with the woodland sweet chestnuts need, from 500 to 1,150 m. The forecast points to 30 September as the best day of the week. The best placed are near Jubrique, Genalguacil, Igualeja and Pujerra.

When to look for Sweet chestnuts in Asturias

We count 420 zones in Asturias where sweet chestnuts can come up, between 100 and 1,050 m. The best day this week is 30 September. It looks best near Proaza, Grado, Lada and Pola de Siero.

Where to find Sweet chestnuts in the Basque Country

Sweet chestnuts in Álava: where and when

In Álava we follow 11 zones with woodland for sweet chestnuts, between 200 and 950 m above sea level. This week, its best day is 30 September. The zones with the best forecast lie near Laudio / Llodio, Balmaseda, Amurrio and Eskoriatza.

Foraging for Sweet chestnuts in Guipúzcoa

Guipúzcoa has 85 zones with the woodland sweet chestnuts need, from 150 to 750 m. The forecast points to 30 September as the best day of the week. The best placed are near Arrasate / Mondragón, Bergara, Andoain and Segura.

Sweet chestnuts spots in Vizcaya

We count 58 zones in Vizcaya where sweet chestnuts can come up, between 100 and 500 m. The best day this week is 30 September. It looks best near Elgoibar, Amoroto, Güeñes and Elexalde Mendata.

Sweet chestnuts in Cáceres

In Cáceres we follow 27 zones with woodland for sweet chestnuts, between 550 and 1,200 m above sea level. This week, its best day is 30 September. The zones with the best forecast lie near Valencia de Alcántara, Casas del Castañar, Guadalupe and Navezuelas.

Where to find Sweet chestnuts in Cantabria

Cantabria has 112 zones with the woodland sweet chestnuts need, from 50 to 750 m. The forecast points to 30 September as the best day of the week. The best placed are near Cartes, Selaya, Barrio de la Iglesia and Villacarriedo.

Sweet chestnuts in Castile and León, province by province

Finding Sweet chestnuts in Ávila

We count 8 zones in Ávila where sweet chestnuts can come up, between 650 and 1,350 m. The best day this week is 27 September. It looks best near Sotillo de la Adrada, Santa Cruz del Valle, Cuevas del Valle and Navalonguilla.

Sweet chestnuts season in Burgos

In Burgos we follow 5 zones with woodland for sweet chestnuts, between 300 and 1,350 m above sea level. This week, its best day is 30 September. The zones with the best forecast lie near Villasana de Mena, Balmaseda and San Pedro del Romeral.

When to look for Sweet chestnuts in León

León has 114 zones with the woodland sweet chestnuts need, from 600 to 1,300 m. The forecast points to 30 September as the best day of the week. The best placed are near Carucedo, Carracedelo, Puente de Domingo Flórez and Vega de Valcarce.

Sweet chestnuts in Salamanca: where and when

We count 29 zones in Salamanca where sweet chestnuts can come up, between 600 and 1,350 m. The best day this week is 30 September. It looks best near Sotoserrano, San Esteban de la Sierra, Miranda del Castañar and Cepeda.

Foraging for Sweet chestnuts in Zamora

In Zamora we follow 10 zones with woodland for sweet chestnuts, between 700 and 1,300 m above sea level. This week, its best day is 30 September. The zones with the best forecast lie near Rábano de Aliste, Alcañices, Galende and Cobreros.

Sweet chestnuts season in Catalonia

Sweet chestnuts spots in Barcelona

Barcelona has 19 zones with the woodland sweet chestnuts need, from 150 to 1,150 m. The forecast points to 30 September as the best day of the week. The best placed are near Gualba de Dalt, Vilanova de Sau, Montseny and Sant Pol de Mar.

Sweet chestnuts in Girona

We count 35 zones in Girona where sweet chestnuts can come up, between 250 and 850 m. The best day this week is 30 September. It looks best near Anglès, Santa Coloma de Farners, Breda and Osor.

Where to find Sweet chestnuts in Galicia

Where to find Sweet chestnuts in A Coruña

In A Coruña we follow 235 zones with woodland for sweet chestnuts, between 50 and 450 m above sea level. This week, its best day is 30 September. The zones with the best forecast lie near Mesia, Cesuras, Coirós and Arteixo.

Finding Sweet chestnuts in Lugo

Lugo has 430 zones with the woodland sweet chestnuts need, from 350 to 900 m. The forecast points to 30 September as the best day of the week. The best placed are near Monforte de Lemos, Quiroga, Castro Caldelas and Chantada.

Sweet chestnuts season in Ourense

We count 106 zones in Ourense where sweet chestnuts can come up, between 400 and 1,100 m. The best day this week is 30 September. It looks best near Castro Caldelas, A Rúa, Vilamartín de Valdeorras and Petín.

When to look for Sweet chestnuts in Pontevedra

In Pontevedra we follow 36 zones with woodland for sweet chestnuts, between 200 and 650 m above sea level. This week, its best day is 30 September. The zones with the best forecast lie near Lalín, Touro, Silleda and Moaña.

Sweet chestnuts in Madrid: where and when

In Madrid we follow 1 zones with woodland for sweet chestnuts, at about 900 m. The forecast points to 27 September as the best day of the week. The best placed are near Casillas.

We count 70 zones in Navarra where sweet chestnuts can come up, between 250 and 1,000 m. The best day this week is 30 September. It looks best near Betelu, Urdazubi / Urdax, Elizondo and Lekaroz.

How the forest is doing this week

Forecast of 16 September, updated every day.

Mushrooms that share its woods

How we know when the forest wakes up.