Percurso Pedestre - PR6 - Castro de S.Lourenço

Not only will the monumental valence be the reason for this journey, as there is much more to appreciate, in terms of landscape, natural and ethnographic. Going in any direction, this route, signaled in both directions, will allow you to pass through different landscapes that are found around the parish of Vila Chã. Among the woods and forests of maritime pine, broom and heather, agricultural fields and vineyards, and also by the fossil cliff, it is necessary to appreciate the diversity of fauna, where the fox, the wild cat and the wild boar, the jay, coexist. the round eagle, the hare and the squirrel, which delight those who travel its 10km. The secret will be to make this trail in the time that your observation and luck dictate.
Occasionally, archeology will present you with some of the most emblematic examples of funerary monuments, such as the dolmens of Portelagem, Rapido and Cruzinha, the latter being one of the most rare and interesting, for having two stone structures under the same suck. As it is one of the most interesting places, you should stay longer in the Castro de S. Lourenço. Once there, you can visit the ancient ruins and imagine, through the reconstructed nuclei, the day-to-day life of the Castro populations. But, if your interest is landscaped, next to the chapel dedicated to the martyr S. Lourenço you can enjoy the scenic beauty of the Atlantic coast and almost the entire coastline of the municipality of Esposende, with special attention to the Natural Park of the North Coast and the mouth of the Cávado river.

Once in Abelheira, you can extend the visit a little more and contemplate the windmills and the water mills that once worked to grind the corn.

As for the many legends that populate the popular imagination, you may not be able to see the “enchanted Moors” that hide in the mammoas but, if you are lucky, you will find on a large granite slab (boulder of Pata do Cavalo) the marks of the horseshoes that he carried N. Sr.ª and the Child when they fled from the Romans to Egypt, or even the “Fountain of Virtue”, which will free him from the “maladies” of the heavy burden of time with the water of eternal youth. Perhaps, isn't that really the secret of this journey !?

Location: Vila Chã - Esposende

Departure Point: Castro de S. Lourenço - Vila Chã

Route Type: Short route, circular

Scope: Historical-Landscape

Distance to be covered: 10.5 Km

Difficulty Level: Easy

Recommended Season: All year.

Cartography: Military Letter of Portugal, nº 54 and 68, of the Geographical Institute of the Army in the scale of 1/25000.

Interesting reasons: Arriba Fóssil de Esposende, dolmens of Portelagem, Rapido and Cruzinha / Arribadas, views of Esposende coast / coast, Castro de S. Lourenço, Capela de S. Lourenço

Google Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/0uJJh
Wikiloc: https://goo.gl/gZ47eP
Alltrails: https://bit.ly/3eqCvuT
Brochure: https://goo.gl/6VoXWf

Source: https://www.visitesposende.com/