Slow down to enter the territory
Lamas de Mouro – Peneda is the third stage of the Peneda-Gerês Great Route (GR50). Around eight kilometres walked without haste, in a state of quiet attention, where the body moves and the mind rests. It is a sensory and restorative journey, especially meaningful for those living under constant intellectual pressure and permanent connectivity.
Here, the invitation is simple: slow down, release tension, disconnect.
The forest as a threshold
The route begins near the Lamas de Mouro Interpretive Gate and immediately slips into a dense, mixed woodland. Even before the body warms up, the mind has already yielded to nature. There is a gradual dissolution: the landscape surrounds, welcomes and sets its own rhythm.
We then follow ancient paths and stone tracks, fragments of a territory shaped and inhabited for centuries. Each bend, each wall, each clearing reveals stories of transhumance, survival and an intimate relationship with the mountain.
Learning through silence
Whenever possible — especially when walking with others — words are reduced to what truly matters, allowing silence to do its work. A living silence, filled with birdsong, the murmur of streams and the deep breathing of those learning, step by step, how to be present.
Fresh, lightly scented air fills the lungs as the eye rests on granite massifs cut sharply against the clear sky.
Landscapes in motion
The path unfolds through a sequence of striking natural scenes: a glacial valley, steep slopes, ancient oak woods and mixed forests where light and shadow alternate.
We meet cows grazing calmly, lifting their heads with quiet curiosity, the river Mouro — born nearby and flowing towards the Minho, the border river — and the Peneda stream itself, clear, slow and almost meditative.
Arriving in order to stay
From time to time another walker appears. Few enough to preserve harmony, enough to remind us the path is shared. And so, without the pressure of time, we reach the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Peneda.
Here it is worth lingering: talking slowly, observing architectural details and letting the surrounding mountain landscape resonate. A place where the outer path echoes an inner journey — and where one always returns lighter than before.
