Peneda-Gerês: trilhos, a Roman road and villages of stone

The Portugal that fills travel pages is the one of the ocean: Lisbon, the Algarve, the waves of Nazaré, the trams of Porto. Few venture up to the far north, where, on the border with Galicia, lies the country's only national park, the Peneda-Gerês. And yet here there's a whole world of granite mountains, oak forests, waterfalls and stone villages left almost outside of time. Precisely because the tourist flows stay concentrated on the coast, the trails of the Gerês are often walked in solitude, even in high summer.

The Roman road

The hiking heart of the park revolves around the village of Gerês, in the spa valley, and the hamlets scattered across the highlands. One of the best-loved walks follows the calzada romana, the ancient road that linked Braga to Astorga: even today you can walk paved stretches of it, dotted with the stone milestones that once marked the distances. Walking on those very stones, among moss and broom, gives you a sense of just how layered this land is. Another classic destination is the village of Pitões das Júnias, with its ruined monastery hidden in a green hollow, and the hamlet of Soajo with its espigueiros, the distinctive stone granaries raised on pillars.

Water and wildlife

The park is also water. Waterfalls are everywhere: the most famous is the Arado falls, but in spring every valley has its own, and the pools at the foot of the cascades invite you to pause. On the highlands, with a bit of luck, you'll come across the garranos, the small native wild ponies that graze freely, and the herds of long-horned barrosã cattle. These are encounters that happen far from the roads, when you head off on foot into the high pastures.

How demanding the routes are

The routes vary widely in difficulty. They range from short walks between a village and a waterfall, suitable for everyone, to demanding traverses across the highlands of the Serra do Gerês and the Serra da Peneda, with constant ups and downs and stretches where the waymarking thins out. In general it's wise to carry a GPS track and not rely on signs alone, because some secondary trails are poorly maintained. The terrain is often stony, and in summer the sun on the shadeless highlands makes itself felt, while the valley floors stay cool and shaded.

Getting there

To get there, the handiest base is Braga, well connected to Porto, from which you reach the park by car in a little over an hour. Public transport exists but is designed for residents, with few departures a day, so to move between the various trailheads a car remains the most practical choice. Many choose to sleep in the villages inside the park, in restored stone houses, so as to start walking early and enjoy the valleys while they're still deserted.

When to go

The ideal time is late spring and early autumn. May and June find the park in full bloom, with swollen waterfalls and the deepest greens; September brings stable, still-warm days without the mugginess, and the few summer visitors have already gone. July and August see a little more presence in the Gerês spa area, but you only need to walk an hour away from the easiest access points to find the silence again. On weekdays, even in high season, the highlands are practically empty.

A practical tip: always carry enough water, because on the highlands the springs aren't guaranteed and the shadeless stretches can be long. And leave yourself time for the villages, not just the trails: a stop at a café in Soajo or Pitões, with a plate of barrosã beef and a glass of vinho verde, is as much a part of the experience as the Roman road beneath your feet.