CRD03Southern Route of the Concelho

Three landscapes of the south

This route reveals a different side of Vinhais — its southern reaches, outside the Parque Natural. It is not a circuit of villages but a sequence of three landscapes across 71.7 kilometres: the realm of the Minas de Ervedosa at the bottom of the Tuela valley, the olive groves of Agrochão, and the Cerro de Penhas Juntas, with around 1,600 metres of accumulated climbing. It is a red-graded route, with the longest climb saved for the end.

Start and finish in Vinhais

The route is circular, beginning and ending at the Porta de Vinhais, at the Interface de Transportes. From the town it heads westward, through Sobreiró de Cima and Curopos — at kilometre 14.2, where there is a restaurant — as far as the entrance to Rebordelo. Between kilometres 9 and 30 the road descends almost 500 metres, with a brief rise midway.

The realm of the mines

At the entrance to Rebordelo the route turns towards Nuzedo de Baixo, where a fountain at kilometre 29.1 marks the beginning of the realm of the Minas de Ervedosa. The Praia Fluvial de Soutilha and the Café Beira Rio, at kilometre 30.4, sit at the lowest point of the day, 344 metres above sea level; along the way there are traces of the mines, views across the former mining settlement, and monuments in the villages that lived by the mine throughout the last century. Ervedosa, at kilometre 34.7, has the Igreja de Saint Martin, a pillory, a chapel, and a café. Between the river and Ervedosa the route climbs around 350 metres.

The olive groves

Agrochão, at kilometre 39.8, with fuel pumps, opens onto another landscape — that of the olive grove, which predominates in this part of the municipality and stands in contrast to the chestnut woods of the north.

The cerro that dominates

Heading towards Falgueiras, the Cerro de Penhas Juntas asserts itself through its sheer scale and its curtain of quartzite crags. Penhas Juntas, at kilometre 46.5, has a fountain and a café. The longest climb of the day follows: around 370 metres between kilometre 44 and the highest point, at 990 metres, reached at kilometre 59.9, passing through Edrosa and Zoio.

Ousilhão, Nunes, and the Ponte D'Arranca

Ousilhão, the village of masks, lies at kilometre 63.3, with a picnic area; the descent leads to Nunes and the Ponte D'Arranca, at kilometre 68, at 465 metres. It is here that the final challenge begins: around 200 metres of climbing back up to Vinhais, where restaurants await on arrival. Those wishing to tackle another red-graded route from the town will find the Travessia da Serra da Coroa.