Places of interest

The Minho Valley

The River Minho forms Portugal´s most northerly border with Spain, at this point with the Spanish province of Galicia. In Portugal itself the river stretches inland in a north-easterly direction from the town of Caminha at the mouth of the river, inland to just beyond Melgaço, some 75 kilometres distant, though the river rises a further 200 kilometres away well into Spain.

The valley is a lush, green agricultural area where every square metre of land is used to produce maize, potatoes, cabbage, or just grass, depending on the time of year, and everywhere edging the fields, rivers and gardens, wherever there is space, the vines which produce the light, slightly sparkling “Vinho Verde” peculiar to this area. The very best of these, Alvarinho, is produced in the area around Monção and Melgaço.

This is an area where tourism is still in its infancy. Agriculture still reigns and any of the innumerable small villages in the area to the south can seem a million miles from the EU and Brussels and its inevitable progress. The ox and cart are still in evidence and the weekly markets at places such as Monção see local produce, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, fruit and vegetables all laid out on the floor for inspection and purchase. Photography conditions are near perect with the absence of any polution to the light. Time in many respects has stood still, beautiful images are for the taking around every corner.

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The far North

Set far in the north of the country, near the border with Spain, the village of França offers an ideal base for exploring the gentle mountains of this forgotten corner of Europe. The village is situated at 700m above sea level on the eastern edge of the Montesinho Mountain Range, where the rushing River Sabor leaves the rugged gorge to continue a more gentle descent to the Douro some 60 miles away.

There are a number of walks available varying in length from an easy 4 km to a more demanding 15km. These walks from França involve following the wooded river valley up or down-stream, and then climbing up on to the open hills to allow a gentle descent back to the village with uninterupted views. You will seldom meet anyone other than a solitary shepherd with sheep or goats. The walks will take you through secluded pastures, where the Mirandesa cattle graze, or beside small hidden vegetable plots growing cabbages and beans. On a large field below the village, individual strips are still cultivated using oxen or donkey. A short drive away, the bleaker expanses above Montesinho can be enjoyed, or further walks explored in Spain.

The village itself has much to interest the visitor, be it the working flour-mill or the local ´fumeiro´ where traditional sausages are made. Every home produces its own wine, bakes its own bread, and many women continue to wash their clothes in the river. A strong sense of community persists, which is reflected in the frequent village festas, marked by singing and impromptu poetry.

Key walking facts: Easy - moderate grade walks involving 400-500m ascents, 4-15km in length, mostly along tracks and paths. Wooded valley bottoms interspersed with cutivated fields, pastures & vines, and open mountain tops. Beautifully clear waters of the River Sabor in which to take a refreshing bathe. A well preserved Portuguese village still practising the traditional way of life. For the photographer, here is an opportunity to capture unique images not to be found elsewhere in Europe. This area is recognised as the most beautiful backwater of Western Europe

For the more experienced walker

The Peneda-Geres National Park lying in the north of Portugal in the Minho province, offers challenging walking for the more adventurous and experienced walker demanding quieter and more remote walking

A truly beautiful area where tourism is in it's infancy, the remoter villages retain many of their ancient traditions and where farming owes little to modern methodsThere is a wide range of landscape from rich meadows and lush pastures through deep, deciduous wooded valleys and up to the sparse vegetation of the higher ground where granite peaks rise to 1,545m.

This is Portugal's only National Park. You can expect to have this wild and beautiful landscape almost entirely to yourself, and enjoy a real sense of adventure as you explore this area.

We suggest your tour takes to the central (Geres) part of the Park and continues on to the lesser-visited northern (Peneda) area. Starting from the old spa town of Caldas do Geres, you can walk over the Serra do Geres (taking in Pe de Cabril 1235m as an option) to Campo Geres, then on over the Serra Amarela, passing by the picturesque mountain villages of Brufe and Cutelo, through the spectacular valley up to Ermida, on to Soajo and then the far north of the Park at Peneda Your tour could end at Arcos de Valdavez, an attractive market town with plenty of good restaurants and local colour. A photograpers dream in early spring or autumn