We love walking, bird watching, and exploring the life and culture of northern Portugal. Over the last few years we included on the site:
- Walking trails we have discovered over the last 15 years, mainly around Bragança and particularly our village of França, which is 18 kms north of Bragança, towards the Spanish border.
- Blogs on birds we have seen, linking this to our birding website www.woodcockwood.com
As a taster, I wrote the following about 10 years ago as a preparation for the website, and have now just got round to doing something about it. Like the wine, it is now a well matured piece!
Parque Natural de Montesinho
Parque Natural de Montesinho offers a great variety of walking country from shady tracks in wooded valleys to exposed uplands providing spectacular views. While much of the indigenous holm oak has been replaced by conifer and the somewhat regimented plantations of chestnut, you will still find significant stands of natural woodland bordering the streams and rivers that have shaped the park, and there is wildlife to match – butterflies abound, and black squirrels, deer, elusive boar, and wolf at least by reputation. In spring you will hear Cuckoos (Cuco-cinzento) , Golden Oriole (Papa-figos), woodpeckers, (Pica-pau) and Owls (Corujas), and see buzzards (Águia-d’asa Redonda) , harriers and a variety of other birds. Mixed flocks of Bee-eaters (Abelharuco), Swallows and Martins (Andorinhas) feed in summer over the heather before joining Dartford Warblers (Toutinegra-de-mato) and others of their type on migration. Heather, orchids, and cistus, are there to be admired, and those willing and able can sample from the vast array of mushrooms that emerge when conditions are right.
We first stayed in a gite in the village of França, and became smitten with the countryside, the people and the simplicity of life. This was in 2003. Since then we have become regular visitors to França, and over that time have explored the tracks and byways around the village.
Through this website we would like to share some of the routes we have discovered with those who are also interested in this beautiful area and wanting to explore it on foot. But first a few points on why you may find this guide helpful, and where you can turn for further information:
There are a number of guidebooks published in English and Portuguese that provide an overview of the park and its facilities, and some provide maps and suggest a few routes for day walkers.
There is also a well signed circular 50 km trail which has recently been marked by the park authorities, passing through Montesinho, Soutelo, and França. This route passes through some of the best examples of the scenery that the park can offer.
Of course many things have changed since we first wrote this. A number of people who were important to us in our early days have died, or gone to live with relatives. There are fewer birds and butterflies now than what we remember. We have no way of quantifying this, but it is true.
But also good things have happened. For instance, Sergio’s Cafe has opened close to the bridge, and is a great social centre for the village.