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North Portugal, the Serra da Cabreira In the eastern part of the Minho province, also known as Costa Verde, and situated along the border with Trás-os-Montes, you will find the Serra da Cabreira (Mountains of the Goat Shepherdess). An old, granite, low mountain range with steep valleys and clear mountain streams and rounded peaks, the highest 1262 metres. In the west and south are the towns of Vieira do Minho and Cabeceiras de Basto, surrounded by smaller villages, some of which only just entered modern times. In the village square near the public fountain there’s a plaque to commemorate the recent opening of the tarmac road. The people have lived for centuries on the basis of subsistence and small-scale farming. Twice a day three or four cows with big horns are led from the village to the fields. The harvest is kept in espigueiros (the local name is canastros), narrow, granite-built sheds on legs that are a characteristic feature of the Minho. All fields, meadows and yards are bordered with high climbing vines, which produce a red wine with a high tannin content. This wine is mainly for home use. Professional growers however produce a very good sparkling white vinho verde. In the sub-region called Terras de Basto (including Cabeceiras, Celorico and Mondim de Basto) and the municipality of Póvoa de Lanhoso are some renowned wine growers who export an important part of their yield.

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To see and to do Cabeceiras de Basto and Vieira do Minho, and also their neighbouring towns like Póvoa de Lanhoso, Fafe and Terras de Bouro, hold on firmly to their traditions, such as the annual procession. Yet, time hasn’t stopped there. You will find banks with cash dispensers, a post office, an Internet café, a tourist office, a healthcare centre and all kinds of shops, cafés, restaurants and of course pastelarias. The weekly markets are nice to visit, they are very lively and offer a wide variety of goods. In Cabeceiras the former monastery with baroque church also merits a visit. In the municipality of Vieira you can find a spectacularly situated medieval bridge and a chapel built under a huge boulder. Agra, halfway Cabeceiras and Viera, is one of the best preserved villages in the region. The main attraction of Póvoa de Lanhoso is the 12th century castle. The nearby village of Travassos is famous for its gold filigree workshops. Mondim has a nice old centre with narrow, winding streets, where the views are dominated by the Senhora da Graça, a cone shaped mountain, named after the pilgrims church on top. The region is a paradise for walks and hikes. Between villages and fields are lots of old roads, lanes and paths, some no longer in use after the rise of the car. In several places you can see deep marks in the stone, ground away over the years by the wheels of ox-carts. In the Serra’s you can walk for hours without meeting anyone, except maybe a shepherd with his sheep and goats or a small herd of garranos (semi-wild horses). In addition you can find stone shelters some centuries old or arte rupestre (rupestral art) from before our time. You need to be in good condition and have a multi-geared mountain bike, but then the Serra da Cabreira is also very good terrain for cycling tours. Swimming is possible in many places, for instance in the reservoir of Ermal or in one of the small rivers. Some villages have a praia fluvial, an enclosed part of a river with picnic facilities or a bar. The large reservoir of Caniçada, situated between the Serra da Cabreira and the Serra do Gerês to the North, has all kinds of water sports. Those who love outdoor sports like rope sliding, rafting, paintball etc., can exert themselves at the Diver Lanhoso and Pena Aventura outdoor parks. The Gerês mountains, which form the southern part of the impressive Peneda-Gerês national park, are also a great area for hiking and for safari trips with a Land Rover. A bit further away, but all within reach for a day-trip, there is also a lot to see. For instance:    • Braga, the religious capital of the North with the sanctuary of Bom Jesus,    • Guimarães (Unesco World Heritage), with the nearby excavations of Briteiros (Iron Age),    • Chaves where a bridge built by the Romans is still in use,    • Barcelos with its famous weekly market,    • the charming town of Amarante,    • Vila Real and the manor house Mateus (seen on the label of the rosé wine),    • the city of Porto (also a Unesco World Heritage site),    • the fine sandy beaches near Esposende,    • the small but exceptional nature reserve of Alvão, west of Vila Real,    • the vineyards of the Douro valley.

[ top | North Portugal | see & do | useful information | links | slide show | map of the region ]

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