The area around Casa das Pedras Grandes is just totally stunning. A five minute drive to the village of Serpins can be a voyage of discovery. Tiny hamlets giving way to tree lined roads and small fields, with sitings of the occasional javali (wild boar). The trip to Lousã will take you along either the newly surfaced Gois road, with beautiful views down into the valley below or down small country lanes through clusters of traditional Portuguese houses, sitting comfortably next to new build villas. Gois is around ten kilometers over the mountain and is a pretty little town next to a river which provides an opportunity for canoeing and swimming from the river beaches. The area is criss crossed with off road tracks, which range in difficulty from 4x4 only to those which are accessible with a standard car, and make interesting trips for both hikers and mountain bikers. . All are documented on Portuguese Military maps (similar in detail to English Ordnance Survey), of which we have a few.

Lousã is an attractive town, with a small castle, river pool and access to the Serra da Lousã, a mountain range which is home to a vast array of wildlife and wild flowers which thrive on the forested slopes. The castle sits on a wooded hillside with views over the valley and narrow gorge to the hermitage dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade. From here there are various walks which take you up to the abandoned schist villages, casualties of rural emigration in the 1950’s, but are now being renovated and redeveloped. Down in the narrow gorge, a river pool is created in the summer for the hardy to take a dip in its chilly waters. There is also the popular Burgo Restaurant, for which it is worth making a reservation and a small cafe bar.

Whether traveling around the many villages and towns or heading out to lesser known beauty spots and unlikely places, that can be explored by the more adventurous visitor, you will always enjoy a scenic drive. Whilst on your travels you will see various signs for miradouro (view points), various parques and barragem (dams), which are well worth following.

Some spectacular finds.   

*****  Casa  das  Pedras  Grandes  *****