PR5Ribeira de Ladrões

An entire valley, along both banks

This route does not merely visit a stream — it goes all the way round it. For nearly twelve kilometres the walk circles the valley of the Ribeira de Ladrões, a tributary of the rio Tuela, following one bank and then the other, always with water close at hand. This is not the landscape seen from a viewpoint, taken in from a distance all at once: it is a valley discovered from within, bend by bend.

The setting is one of the freshest in the Parque Natural de Montesinho. Extensive stands of Pyrenean oak cover the hillsides, and along the valley floor a succession of lameiros unfolds — permanently green meadows traced by rows of ash and alder. It is a quiet route, full of shade and the sound of water.

Rio de Fornos

The route is circular and begins and ends at the small picnic area at the entrance to Rio de Fornos, a village old enough to have stories to tell: it is already recorded in the Inquirições of 1258, and in 1796 it had 35 households and 133 inhabitants. The name is explained by the stream that runs through it, from whose banks the clay used to build the ovens was extracted. The trail enters and leaves the village by different streets and passes the drinking trough beside the EN316.

The terrace of the Chapel of Saint Peter

Still within the village, the Chapel of Saint Peter merits a stop. Its platform is a balcony over Rio de Fornos and the whole valley, revealing at a glance what the hours of walking will disclose little by little. Two hundred metres beyond the last houses, the countryside begins.

The stream

The encounter with the Ribeira de Ladrões comes quickly, and from that point it never strays far. The water runs between moss-covered stones, drops in small falls and widens into clear pools. Cattle graze in the lameiros, in the shade of the alders. The stream's name promises alarms, but the only thing stolen here is time: one walks slowly without noticing.

Two routes in one

The full route is approximately twelve kilometres. Those who prefer a shorter walk have an alternative at around 2.5 kilometres from the village: a signposted direct link between the two banks, called Meiral, which reduces the circuit to six kilometres. The upper part of the valley is lost, but not the stream.

The picnic area

The picnic area that serves as the starting point also serves as the finish, and for the purpose for which it was made: sitting down, eating and letting the legs rest, with a café opposite. Those left wanting another Montesinho valley will find the PR6 · Rota de Soeira close by, alongside the Tuela.