Rural Tourism holiday country house in Peneda Gerês
Footpath: Brandas/Sistelo
This trail starts in the village of Sistelo, in the Largo do Visconde do Rio Vez, about 22 km from Arcos de Valdevez. We recommend taking the EN101 towards Monção, which is an pleasant drive along the banks of the Vez. About 9km from Arcos de Valdevez, turn right towards the parish of Aboim das Choças. When you reach a chapel, after 1 km, turn right again towards the N202-2, following the sign to Sistelo
Parking
Cars in the Largo do Visconde do Rio Vez (with its cross) and coaches alongside the EN202-2
Type of trail: Short Route; Circular Walk
Distance: 6880 meters
Difficulty: moderate
Minimum Time: 5 hours
Suggested Time: 6 hours
Maximum elevation: 270/797 meters
Route Profile with points of interest and Times
1 . House of the “Castle” of Sistelo
2 . View over Padrão
3. Branda de Rio Covo
4 . Branda do Alhal
5 . Padrão Village
Hiking trail in Sistelo For better visualization please click on this link
1. House of the Castle of Sistelo
The cross, surrounded by railings, is part of a series of patrimonial elements built by the 1st Viscount of Sistelo, which includes the fountain, the casa do castelo (house of Castelo) and the family vault. Manuel Gonçalves Roque, who was born in the borough, built the house upon his return from Brazil, which explains its name: Solar do Brasileiro. D. Luís I, King of Por tugal, granted him the title of Viscount of Sistelo in 1880. Eugénio Castro Caldas recounts that a stonemason found wealth in Brazil and made himself a Viscount. When passing in front of a perfect wall, a companion from his youth, who had remained in the area and continued his modest profession, could not resist the emotion of memories and exclaimed: “Remember, Lord Viscount, we were the ones who made it! It seems that the Viscount never forgave this little jibe. In a contradiction between the progressive spirit and nostalgia for the old order, many Brazilians motivated schools and modernization in the country. It was Manuel Roque that had the primary school of Sistelo built.
Going back to the cross after visiting the castle, you go up the EN 202-2 passing a footpath between two houses. Crossing the road, we continue inside the village of Sistelo. We turn left down the first street and go past some cornstores. We continue to climb, going right until we leave the village. After crossing the road that connects Sistelo to Padrão, we go up until we cross it for the second time. On the right, there is a dense wood of cipreste de lawson (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana). A little further ahead, next to a well used for irrigation, there is a crossing where we take the path on the left. As we climb, we have an increasingly better view of the countryside that surrounds us. The view of the village of Padrão is well worth a mention.
House of "The Castle of Sistelo"
2. View over Padrão
The village of Padrão, in the middle of the mountain range to our left, is a paradigmatic example of the intelligent way in which mountain inhabitants organise and manage the land. The centre of all the activity is the village or hamlet, crowning the area of terracing that goes down to the Vez River. The location of the housing is the result of a sensible choice. It occupies a rocky summit unsuitable for cultivation and is strate seems to be marked by a corral and by isolated trees around the cultivated fields. Above is the mountain, where flocks of goats and sheep and herds of cattle graze. The entire land is put to use, depending on the altitude and its intimate link to climatic variations.
The configuration of the village and use of the land date back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when corn finally arrived at the higher lands. More productive than wheat and rye, which has almost slipped into memory, corn brought with it an increase in population and work. There was not enough land for this cereal, which requires great care, but brings great rewards. So it was necessary to go up the mountain more often to conquer a few more feet of land and feed the cattle in the spring and summer. In the middle of the 20th century, maximum land use was achieved, interrupted by mass immigration in the 60s and subsequent decades. A great piece of work remains, which is still well-preserved by the people that live here. Arriving at a plateau of altitude, the Chã da Armada, the trail follows the ridge that separates the two slopes, marked by some pine trees. A little further on, there are two rocky outcrops to our right. This part of the path is rather unclear, but further on, it becomes magnificent once again, with its granite paving. We follow a practically flat section and fabulous scenery that opens up along the banks of the Outeiro River. At a junction in the path we go left to the wood. Skirting around this to the right, we continue as far as the first walls of the Branda de Rio Covo.
View over padrão
3. Branda do Rio Covo
The Branda de Rio Covo is part of the village of Sistelo, where we began our journey. The brandas are forms of human occupation adapted to the necessary movements of flocks and herds in search of better pastures. They are used mainly in the summer, when the fields around the village are being cultivated. This is a cattle branda (it does not include cultivated fields), with picturesque stables in a circular pattern, which are used very little today. Some only have one floor and serve only as a shelter for animals. Others have an upper floor, accessed via a rough staircase, where the shepherd would light a fire on colder days and take shelter in bad weather. The walls of these stables are built using a simple juxtaposition of stones so that they form a false dome, Using only granite, of which there is plenty in the area, the stables and the walls are all original. The silent ruins of some fade into the natural surroundings. But it is the unstoppable march of time and the invasion of vegetation that give the place a certain magic. The wolf is a frequent visitor. It comes here in search of an unwary prey to satisfy its hunger and will leave behind only the stripped carcass. Leaving Rio Covo, the path goes through the middle of a wood of conifers and deciduous trees. The exotic trees, such as the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), were introduced here decades ago. The Douglas firs can be recognised from their pinecone, with its protruding three-toothed bracts, of which the middle one is the longest. It is an ideal spot for a picnic, where we can listen to the wind whispering in the treetops and make the most of the shade. Once again, we come out into a bush area, with a cattle track to our left. The path crosses a plain and leads us to the Branda do Alhal.
Branda de Rio Covo Men and animals shelter
4. Branda do Alhal
The Branda do Alhal, belonging to the Padrão village, is a branda for cultivation and cattle, with no habitation. As it is so close to the Padrão village, it can be reached every day, returning to the village to sleep. In contrast to the Branda de Rio Covo, it is often used by the population in an almost daily union of the river and the mountain. The cortelhos (shelters) are rectangular in shape, though there are some circular ones with a false dome. They are almost all twostorey with tiled roofs that have replaced the thatching. The lower level is designed for the animals and the upper level serves as a barn for hay and for storing farming implements and tools. Even when the cows graze freely on the edge of the branda, their young are protected in the shelters or inside the bezerreiros, small walled-in areas around the building. The fields, which were once used for potato and rye cultivation in the centuries-old fight against hunger, are now almost exclusively devoted to the production of fodder and hay. We go across the branda along the main path that winds its way down to Padrão. At the second junction, we turn right. We cross the road and go down the path as far as the group of houses.
Branda de Alhal
Iberian Wolf
The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is an endangered species found throughout most of the Peneda-Gerês National Park and the surrounding region. It is a large carnivore, weighing between 30 and 45 kg with an average length of between 110 and 140 cm. Its fur varies in colour from white to black, and can be grey, ochre or brown. It is a social animal forming small groups of 6 to 7 elements: the packs. However, it has been heavily hunted and only two remain, which are normally spotted alone. They mate once a year, during the winter. During gestation, the female prepares the den for the young litter of four to six cubs. The wolf feeds on deer, hare and rabbits. If it cannot find its favourite prey, it will attack domestic animals such as ponies, cows, goats and sheep.
Iberian Wolf