Grande Rota de Castelo de Vide

This circular Grand Route winds through a landscape of wide horizons and gentle contours, along old walled rural paths and paved roads. It begins near the Póvoa Dam and, heading north, passes through the villages of Póvoa and Meadas and extensive areas of well-developed cork oak forests. In more open areas, livestock graze, and we can appreciate the tranquility of the cattle and the playfulness of the goats. Over the course of several kilometers, we’ll also encounter a vast megalithic heritage consisting of several dolmens and the imposing
Menir da Meada, as well as more recent remains, such as anthropomorphic graves carved into the rock, stone-paved paths, and a “lagareta” (wine press) from the medieval period. We’ll also have to cross a few streams via ancient granite stepping stones. In the southernmost part of this Great Route, we pass near Castelo de Vide, intersecting and
following sections of the Small Routes established here, and crossing several times the decommissioned Cáceres Branch of the Eastern Line. Continuing even further south, we cross the Serra de São Paulo and descend into more open, flat areas where extensive fields of grain are still cultivated. Toward the end, the route turns north and follows the banks of the Póvoa reservoir to the point where this route begins.