Sunflower Books: Landscapes of NORTHERN PORTUGAL: WALKS AND CAR TOURS

Northern Portugal, 2nd edition (2007) ; Updated 04/01/10

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Updates for walks and car tours (drives) in northern Portugal given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail, to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).

GENERAL: Just returned from visiting Northern Portugal between 23 August and 05 Sept 2008 and very much enjoyed the book and the walks and I have some comments/updates that others may find useful. These are most definitely not complaints, simply notes of what I encountered. I would add that I completed other walks with no problems at all. I am a regular Sunflower Guide user and experienced hillwalker. (User - see his comments on walks where he did have some problems, dated 10/09/08). Another user wrote later in September 2008 that they had problems on several walks and in the end decided just to do walks recommended by the national park. Their problems always stemmed from overgrown paths. The main problem is that the authorities, probably not realising the benefits of green tourism, do not keep the paths clear. Please bear in mind that northern Portugal is not an "in" walking destination, like Madeira or Mallorca - places where path clearance is hardly a problem if hundreds of people are out tramping the paths every day! The author writes: "I keep on at the authorities to do clearing - it is, believe it or not, getting better, but is
very patchy. I'll keep persevering with them! Perhaps in the next edition we should just use their recommended walks - although not all of these are properly maintained either!"

ERRATA

Page 51: The scale of the maps in the book is 1:40,000, not 1:50,000. The maps are gps compatible (UTM zone 29).

Owing to a fault during printing, bits of text are missing on pages 83 and 95.

Following is the complete text that should have appeared in the left-hand column on page 83:
... cordigera, are most easily seen in the early summer months, before the grass gets too long. The track rises up and away from the stream on the right (22min). The age-old field irrigation technique shown opposite, using simple channels cut into the turf, is still in operation in the fields up ahead, and a good example can be seen as you look over the wall on the right (28min). Stay ahead, soon catching sight of the old granite houses shown overleaf, as you arrive at Bilhares (36min). After looking round the village, return to the track, following it up alongside the wall on your left, ...

Following is the complete text that should have appeared in the left-hand column on page 95:
Large, well-built cairns mark the route followed by the locals all the way up to the top of Casarotas, seen above in the background.
... small valley (1h46min). You cross over the next shoulder (1038m; 1h49min), and descend into another valley. Cross the stream in the valley floor (1h52min) and follow the waymarks to rise up the other side - to a flat area on the shoulder of the hill (1041m). Locate a single small rock at the top and pick up waymarks leading off to the left (west downhill). Head down into the valley but, before reaching the bottom, the waymarks point you left (2h01min), down the valley, at the left-hand side of the stream. (Walk 5 follows this route.) You cross the stream (2h13min) and rise to a dirt track a minute later. Follow this track to the left, at this point leaving the waymarked route (and Walk 5). This track takes you over some fairly ...

Walk 1 was impossible to make because there had been a fire in the wood and
all the characteristics of the walk was changed. (User, 21/09/08) + [Paul Burton writes: There was a major forest fire around the first part of the walk in October 2007. The description in the book is clearly no longer accurate, but the path is clearly visible and so the walk is still workable (although less attractive in the first hour.] + This walk seems to have recovered from the fire and we had no trouble finding the trail. We took the alternative back from 1h03 but this track is rather boring so perhaps we should have braved the heat and fatigue and done the whole thing. The river picnic spot was superb! (User, 6/09)

Walk 2: A user seems to have strayed into the wind farm early in the walk, presumably by not turning right after the 28min-point. Here are some minor comments to clarify the turn-off: At 16min turn left off the road on a tarred surface that becomes a dirt road after 25 metres. Ignore the first rough track joining from the right; cross a bridge (28min); then, just in front of wooden barriers on the dirt road, turn right onto the rough track signposted to Senhora do Minho. (Author, 6/07) + The signpost (1h22min) was missing, but the route is obvious and cannot be missed. After the 1h54min-point, "just after this there is an iron gate on the left - there is a waymarked post just beyond it": the waymark is now on a lamp-post just before the first gate. "Descend past an espiqueiro and into woodland": The path led past the right-hand side of the espiqueiro but the area beyond the espiqueiro is now cultivated, so access to the woodland was not possible. There is a single strand wire fence starting about 5m to the left of the espiqueiro which then curves round to your right and up the rise. The area beyond the fence is all cultivated with a maize crop and vegetables so I returned and took the cobbled track out to the main road. I then intended to rejoin the walk near the church at about the 2h1min-mark, but the track at the small chapel up near the main road that leads to Gandara and beyond is currently being rebuilt and a sign advised walkers to take the main road for the next 3km. (User, 9/07) + Short walk 2: At the 31min -point we had to return the way we came as the walk was
a wilderness. When we returned my husband did the walk in reverse and met the watermills but was held back again at the wilderness near point 31 min. He said it was only a question of a few hundred metres. [Paul Burton writes: The book does warn readers of the problems at this point; the text says (after 31 min) "This waymarked walk isn't always kept clear; be aware that it may be very difficult to follow between 31-48 min points!'. This comment was put in the book simply because at the time of revising the second edition (field work done in Dec 2006) there was little sign of clearing being done, although it had been promised!]

Walk 3: At the 42min-point there are only two paths, not three. At the football pitch, the main path bends left and the route follows a faint trail straight ahead. Later, at the Slab Bridge, there has been a great disturbance of the earth. The trail continues ahead for some 100m before re-crossing the water channel ­ this is not clear from the text, which suggests an immediate re-crossing. (User, 7/07) + At 51min and after very bad weather, even late in May the "boggy" bit of path was impassible, it was like a large stream. We looked at passing below, but water was pouring over the terraces and it was raining heavily, which made decision making more difficult. We backtracked and walked around the valley along the road to Germil... At 3h10min the cairns are impossible to see due to the bracken, but heading down hill you can see the route described. (User, 7/08) + At the 51min-point, "There are some boggy areas to contend with..." When I was there the path was a stream. This part of the path and up past the watermill to the bridge was somewhat overgrown but passable with care. At the 1h-point, as you cross the bridge and rise up and over the water channel, the water channel was completely overgrown with no visible path, so I decided not to continue and exited the walk via the old granite trail which continues to rise diagonally up from the bridge and then makes a left curve through the shrubland and on up to the road (this trail shows on Google Earth). It appears that this trail has been cleared sometime this year, perhaps as an exit route for walkers? On returning to the main road I viewed the levada though binoculars but it appeared to be just a line in the vegetation. To sum up: I found the route overgrown and unused. (User, 10/09/08) + We had to return at the 1 hour mark because the channel was quite overgrown. There was nowhere you could place your feet. (User, 21/09/08) [Paul Burton writes: Walk 3 was cleared (after much nagging) in the autumn of 2006. When
the book was revised in December 2006 this walk was still perfectly clear. Clearing has been done on the upper part of the route and we continue trying to get the local authority to clear this lower section.]

Walk 4: we did not see any of the "beehives". At 36min, at Bilhares, all of the "huts" now have corrigated metal roofs". Roi do Porto (50mins) was so swollen as to be impassible (May 2008), had to return the same way. (User, 7/08) + Important: The walk as described in the book has become almost impassable between 1h15 and 1h28. In order to avoid this and to still have a reasonable length walk we suggest the following alternative. Instead of crossing the Rio do Porto at 49mins, continue up the valley with the stream on your left. The path will lead you steadily uphill until, after about 5mins it breaks away from the side of the stream and leads up alongside a small copse. The path now becomes a rough track and shortly levels off before dropping slightly downhill into a larger woodland area. There are picnic tables here. The track leads round to the left of the tables and then, in a further minute, bridges the stream. In another minute you will come to a T junction with a major dirt track. Turn left, downhill, and shortly come to a shrine alongside an abrigo and small pond.
Continue across a grassy area towards a second abrigo and then join a rough track, keeping in the same westerly direction. In a couple of minutes this will begin to lead you gently uphill through and out of a shallow valley. At the top swing slightly left, heading WSW and, looking ahead you will see the rooftops of Bilhares and the stone bridge (previously crossed at 47mins). Head towards the bridge ­ there is no obvious path but the ground is open and easy to cross. In another 5 mins you will come to a large flat area in front of a drystone wall and join a well defined path that leads down to the river crossing a couple of minutes from the slab bridge. Now retrace your steps towards Bilhares but just 2 mins after leaving the bridge, look for a rough path off to the right (about 20 metres before the woodland and opposite a small layby on the left of the track). Take this path. It will lead you immediately downhill across a small valley and then up the other side to come alongside a drystone wall. Follow the wall around, keeping it on the left. Soon you will see the stream down to your right and then further down, a bridge (described in the book at 1h28). Keep followimg the path roughly along the line of the drystone wall until you see ahead and below a small area of woodland enclosed in a drytone wall. Pass down to the left of this enclosure (with the original drystone wall still up to your left) and just beyond it meet a larger trail. Turn left. You have now rejoined the walk as described in the book at the 1h35-min point (The Authors, 6/09) + We loved the walk to the slab bridge, and on up to the saddle (1hr09) From this point, the trail was overgrown, markers invisible... And we also met another couple who had walked it years earlier succefully but could not find this last section down, either! Great book. (e-mail, 9/09)

Walk 5: We had to return the way we came at the 1 hour 5 min point because there was no trail, only many different trails from the animals. (User, 21/09/08) [Paul Burton writes: I walked this stretch just one week ago. The trail is indistinct now - braided but heading obviously in the direction of the summit of Carvalhinha - the key is to keep heading in the direction of this summit and the clearer, well defined path will come into view after the shoulder (951m) mentioned in the text.] + The initial trail down to the river was being bulldozed wider as we used it - apparently for farmer access. At 53 min we had trouble seeing the waymarks described - the point would be better described as a major track junction - the large overhanging rock is the most obvious clue to the right path. We also had trouble beneath Carvalhinha - the trail is very faint all the way up the hill and we weren't totally sure which peak was the summit. We missed the 'two large boulders' entirely, saw the ship mooring but made the mistake of getting too close to it and facing a precipitous scramble down again. Maybe it would be easier just to contour round the head of the valley. This was a spot where a 'Wainwright' drawing or marked photo would have been handy. The rest was fine and we completed an excellent walk. (User, 6/09) The author says: The walk over to Carvalhinha (1h20 to 1h27) is somewhat devoid of
landmarks, however the ground is open and largely vegetation-free and so even though the path is indistinct, one simply needs to head in thedirection of the summit of Carvalhinha. The actual ascent of Carvalhinha (from 1h27) has become easier following heath fires. The idea of a photo is good. Pity, I was up there just last week and didn't think to do this. Next time!

Walk 7: The original campsite fence has gone and been replaced by one slightly further uphill. The start of the walk should be revised as follows: Follow the fence up to the left and after passing through a small gap in the row of trees, turn left, following the line of the trees; then, 20metres further on, you will see the start of the granite trail running up the hill to the right. (Authors, 7/07)

Walks 7 and 8: In the village of Branda de Berzavo, we could not find the "junction of paths" nor the forestry house, despite walking the route in both directions (Walks 7, 8). (User, 6/07) + The author comments: The photo below shows the junction; it is just above the Branda shown in the photo on page 56 (the 26min-point on Walk 8). Furthermore the forestry house described as being reached 15 mins after this junction is still there (if you continue round to the upper left of the photo). These are both major features which remain unaltered from when the book was prepared and I fail to see how they could be missed on what is an easily followed route on a well defined forestry track. Both the junction and the forestry house also appear on Google Earth.

Walk 9: Important: The cumulative timings from the top of page 113 are all 20 minutes 'short' and should read 2h49min, 3h52min, etc. This means that the overall time for the walk should be 4h53min, not 4h33min. (The Author) + In an e-mail received 9/07, a user complains bitterly about Walk 9, but with no details. We suspect he was using the first edition of the book. The author comments: 'It is difficult to comment without being sure of the edition he was using. If it was the old one then he would have problems as the old route has become impassable. If he was using the new edition then he would almost certainly have found the route marked. There are now yellow waymarks from the point (just after 2h46min) where the text reads 'Turn left away from the wall heading 085º......' all the way through to where the walk joins the track above the cowshed (3h12min). This should make navigation far easier over this stretch.'

Walk 10: I was doing Walk 9 but an electrical storm was brewing so retreated and attempted to do Walk 10 in reverse down the river and back to Soajo. The comments start at a point on page 116; ".... until you reach the crest of the rise. Turn right at a red and yellow waymark". This is where I start in reverse so the path heads away from the waymark towards and over the crest and then makes a left turn diagonally downwards. After about 30m the path is blocked with bushes but broken ground leads about 5m down to a lower path. I followed this path diagonally downwards (high on my left, low on my right) but it was massively overgrown. I got shredded by the thorns so had to return to the starting post. Assuming I was on the correct path then the route up from the river is completely impassable at this time (I would have stopped to recheck the paths on my return but wasdiscouraged by the lightning storm exploding above me!). (User, 10/09/08) + We did to the 1 h 10 min point where we should take the smaller walled-in trail heading diagonally left. This was completely overgrown and a wilderness, so we took the main trail to the town. (User, 21/09/08) [Paul Burton writes: I will have to check this point on the ground. I am puzzled, though, because this is a walk that was 'adopted' by the Park Authoity just last year and was subjected to clearing at that time.]

Walk 11: A bit of a disaster but possibly the most interesting scenery. We found the start OK but following the right trail through the woods/bracken proved impossible. There are many iron gates and many side tracks. We scored a major own goal by identifying what we thought was Avelar ahead (it turned out to be Lordelo) and struggled towards it, going down into the valley, over the bridge and 2/300m up the other side. Fortunately we gave up, decided to retrace our steps back up the very steep track/stream but then found a way-marked path up to a village we quickly realised *was* Avelar, which had been virtually out of sight on the hillside above us. I think it's worth mentioning that if you lose the trail you describe you have to head up towards the odd building and radio mast that you can see, and, at all costs avoid the main valley/ river! We were too knackered to complete the full walk and took Alternative 1 back. Part of the problem appears to be too few walkers and hence overgrown trails. We never saw a single other hiker and indeed only a couple of animal herders on the 15 or so miles of walks. There was never another car at the start point. When we got back, I had a look at the area on Google Earth. Although you can't use it for detailed trail-finding, it does provide a useful substitute for an OS style map and if we'd had it we would have recognised our Lordelo mistake much sooner. Having said all that, we really enjoyed our week - the scenery, the countryside and Viana and Ponte de Lima were delightful. But when you see the extent of abandoned terraces, you wonder how long it will be before the whole lot reverts to wilderness! (User, 6/09) The author writes: I confess that I haven't done this walk for over a year. It was beginning to be a problem in a couple of places then, so if, as it seems, there has been no path clearing, we may have to change the route. I will get up there asap. As the reader says, the scenery around there is particularly good, so it is worth trying to find a way around the problem The general comment about lack of walkers is particularly true this year. Whilst the area has never (thanfully!) been swamped by walkers, this year has been exceptionally quiet - adding to problems with invasive vegetation.
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