Day 9 Mezio to Lamego

The first full day of walking opened with glorious blue skies.

leaving Mezio

One was quite quickly reminded of how untrodden this route is.

The remoteness of this way was underlined by the pond below. The racket from the mating frogs and toads was incredible but they are obviously left undisturbed.

The route runs through a series of interconnected villages Magueija, Mageuijinha, Matanca, Matancinha, Bairral, Outeiro, Purgacal and Sucres. There was a wedding at Magueija so the coffee stop was amidst a crowd attending the wedding - seeing the ladies very high heels staggering over the cobbles was entertaining.

I was a little tempted by the wine offer in the coffee shop. At only 1.25 per litre, I'm guessing that it may not be the finest vintage.

Lunch was in a great little shop / cafe in Penude. Taberna O Poco served up nice ham and cheese sandwiches and beer. It seemed to be a family affair and the owner was fascinated by having someone so tall in his shop. Very friendly reception - and in fact the owner came chasing down the road to deliver a bit of kit that I had left behind.

The final leg was into Lamego. Coming from the south, the route went past the amazing Santuario de Nossa Senhora which dominates the skyline in Lamego. And then a bone-jarring descent down the 686 steps to the town.

The overnight stay was in a pleasant hotel and dinner was in an initially deserted wine bar (or "wine house") called Licor Cafe in the town centre. The food was delicious and the wine was good. The waitress / cook / everything was very friendly and helpful.