Departure from Branda da Aveleira

The route begins at Branda da Aveleira, an idyllic mountain settlement, and crosses the still young river Vez towards Branda do Furado. From there, the ascent leads to a viewpoint over the Alto Vez Glacier, before continuing along a narrow track that resists — with almost heroic dignity — the persistent advance of brush, until reaching the ruins of yet another branda: De Real.

The soft universe

The brandas — satellite settlements of the main villages, sometimes located at considerable distance — were seasonal spaces, mainly occupied during summer, when the mountain became a place of life and work.
Here, every stone, path, and clearing recalls ways of life that, generation after generation, shaped this landscape.

The opening of the path

From this point onward, the trail opens up, clear and defined. Gradually, the landscape, of irreproachable beauty, gains scale, depth and presence.
Forms become more powerful, shadows more generous, and the natural scene intensifies its magnetism, eventually dominating both gaze and spirit.

At the top of Pedrinho

High above, at the Pedrinho's geodesic markerit is the wind that rules — sharp, persistent. Around us, the horizon gleams in pure radiance, like a shimmering trace of eternity.
The eye drifts across the granite mountains of Peneda, the distant and voluptuous hills of Galicia, the steep slopes of the Vez, and the broad valleys of the Mouro and Minho.

Life inhabiting the territory

Meanwhile, cattle and horses graze calmly, perfectly adapted to the austerity and severity of this magnificent place. The harshness of the land seems to have become part of their very nature, in a silent harmony that unites living beings and landscape.