Trilho de Vilarelho da Raia

The short trail “Trilho de Vilarelho da Raia” begins and ends at the Vilarelho da Raia. It is a 17.4-kilometer circular route connecting the villages of Vilarelho da Raia, Vilela Seca, and Cambedo, with a 5 km that passes by the Facha Mineral-Medicinal Waters spring, next to the Cambedo stream, allowing hikers to choose between two shorter routes of about 13 km.
It winds through a mythical landscape of breathtaking scenery, rich in history and tradition.

Between Cambedo and Vilarelho da Raia, the route follows the “raia,” coinciding with the old smuggling trails and the mixed paths that ran along the former “raia seca” demarcation line, which was abolished by the 1864 Treaty of Limits, putting an end to the so-called “Promiscuous Villages.”
It is one of the most representative routes of Portugal’s smuggling history, not only for its economic importance, but above all because of the bonds that were forged in these communities and the spirit of resistance and adventure that characterized these border communities over the centuries.

The parish of Vilarelho da Raia was often a point of entry for armies and the scene of battles, skirmishes, and clandestine crossings. In the 1930s and 1940s, the protection and aid provided by the people of Cambedo to those fleeing the Spanish Civil War — initially, and later to the anti-Franco guerrillas, led, in December 1946, to the arrests and suffering of several local families, making this village an example of solidarity without borders.

As evidence of bygone eras, although located outside the route’s path, the following remains can still be found: the fortified settlement of Wamba, from the Iron Age; the fortified settlement of Alvorinha, from the Bronze Age; the archaeological sites of Quintela and Vale da Ermida, dating to Roman times; the medieval castle, destroyed before 1434; and the Atalaia, a small fortification located to the right of Ladeira do Alvito, in the direction of Chaves, which was demolished in the 19th century; and the wine presses carved into the rock at the foot of Alto de Wamba, which attest to the region’s importance as a wine-producing area.