Under the Boardwalk

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From Spain we drive almost due west into northern Portugal. The Pargue Nacional da Peneda-Geres looks interesting and we find a atmospheric place to stay just outside the town of Arcos de Valdevez. The apartment is a real find – close to the town but perched on the hillside up a steep and narrow road. The house has vines growing in the garden and we sit outside in the garden for every meal.

We came here to see some of the country which is an interesting mix of scenery and history. We have 2 days here so on the first day take local advice and walk the EcoVia. This is a 32km walk that follows the Rio Vez and runs through Arcos. We choose to do the 3^rd and highest section which is just over 10km (each way) and runs from the villages of Vilela to Sistelo. Though the walk is reasonably flat and for much of the distance on boardwalks 21km is still a fair hike in 37C. Sistelo is famous for its terraces and known as the Tibet of Portugal. In Sistelo we see some of the stone granaries that are common in the villages here.

The next day we do a trek on the via Geira, an ancient Roman road that once stretched 320km between Braga and Astorga and now has World Heritage status. We find a marked path that takes us past 4 of the original Roman Milestones (XV to XVIII). It’s a 10km circular walk but in 37C heat again and with a little more ascent that the day before, so we feel tired by the time we are back.

This area is a good find and is quite low key despite Portugal not having many National Parks. In the end we didn’t even go into the national park area so there is plenty to do here. The local tourist office is working hard to make it appealing to visitors and had plenty of good guides in multiple languages, but I struggled to find much online but maybe that is me. There also seems to have been significant investment in tourist infrastructure, the paths we walked were well marked with informative signs and audio guide QR codes though we met very few people walking them. Maybe it just needs a few more years, but somehow I think it will struggle to attract many overseas visitors, but who knows.

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Photos

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Our apartment in the hills outside Arcos d V

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EcoVia boardwalk

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Bridge at Vilela

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Old bridge at Vilela

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Rio Vez

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Graneries at Sistelo

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Granery at Sistelo

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Via Geira Roman Road

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Roman Milestone XVII

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Chapel of Lady of Nazare

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Milestone VXI