Day 22 – to Rio Arado, near Ermida

A day of heavy showers with a bit of sun in between, just enough to keep the van’s solar happy.

The rain was heaviest in the morning as I drove through Gerês town to stock up at the small supermarket. It was one of those days when you get soaked just crossing the road.

North of Gerês is an area that has recently become restricted due to its conservation area status. Prior to that, five years ago, it was a much used road border crossing to Spain. Now, the eight kilometres before the border have become a toll road, not available to commercial traffic. The road curls to the west just before the border then south to Vilarinho lake alongside the Roman Road trail that I was on a few days ago.

Interestingly, as I was to find out, when on the toll road, parking is only allowed in three places, the two terminuses and a place by the border.

There was no one around at all, and no tolls collected at the moment. I parked at a place just off the through-road to the border and ventured out for a few more kilometres on the Roman Road trail.

Below is ‘milestone XXXIII’..

Here it follows the Homem River through spectacular cascades and waterfalls which were looking their best today.

At one stage, during a heavy hail shower, a wild boar ran across the path ahead, 10 metres away perhaps. I think with the hail and the noise of the river it had not heard us.

As I contemplated an overnight stop there, I met a ranger who explained the conservation area. At present, a number of the walking paths are closed also. It is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, designated in 2009. Many species of vascular flora are included on protection lists at European or national level, also the Southern smooth snake, the Bubo bubo (or Eurasian eagle-owl), the Iberian Wild Goat (which we saw plenty of yesterday, the Iberian desman (a sort of aquatic mole), the Golden stripped salamander and the Iberian wolf.

I moved on into the Ermida area. I have included a map shot today, which may help see the progress of the last 10 days or so. After turning down the option of a stopover at a couple of places, you really are spoilt for choice here, I found an excellent place by the Arado river. The showers were fewer now, so we managed an hour out before dusk, and another arrived..

There is a self-build German van here also. They are the only other campervan I’ve seen for a few days. They drove past me this morning when crossing the road to the supermarket, their van is so old, and white with an orange stripe, that it can’t be missed. They are a young couple, away for a year, working every now and then, currently on their way south for fruit and vegetable picking.