The Peneda trail is one of the most exciting walking routes in our territory. It starts and finishes near the sanctuary of Our Lady of Peneda, has approximately 9 kilometres long and requires sturdy legs

This morning the sky is thinly overcast, millimetres away from being radiant. It's as if we’ve had a bad awakening that's quickly dissipating. It's not too hot, which is good considering it's an arid trail with no shade.

We continue slowly. The old cobbled path winds its way up the hillside and the surrounding silence imposes its order, interrupted by occasional conversations, the neighing of garranos (equines) that look at us without much interest or the cry of a bird of prey that glides through the air.

As we got closer to the top, the granite of the mountain took the centre of the stage, showing off its magnificent sculptural forms. By the time we reached the top of the route, the sky had cleared completely and the light was now at its peak of perfection.

We continued along the plateau and then sat down for a snack. As we did so, we quietly  contemplate the magnificent tracery of light and shadows on the wide horizon.

Then we went back  walking along the uneven stone track. We passed a group of hikers heading in the opposite direction and spotted at a  distance the "marsh" of peneda, a small dam that once supplied the sanctuary with electricity.

We approached the lagoon, with the eyes overwhelmed by the beauty of the landscape and the Meadinha massif. Once there, we greeted another group of hikers sitting down to rest and began the descent, which requires particular attention, as from here and almost to the end the trail becomes quite winding. And so we went, keeping an eye on our feet, all the way back to the starting point.