Stage Vitorino dos Piães to Ponte de Lima

This short stage of about 12.5 kilometres completes the split of the Barcelos–Ponte de Lima day and is one of the most pleasant on the Central Portuguese Way. Predominantly downhill, it takes the pilgrim from the hills of Vitorino dos Piães to the bank of the River Lima in little more than three hours, ideal for a quiet morning or for those linking it with a later stage.

From Vitorino dos Piães the Way continues among villages of the Minho interior —Facha, Seara and other small hamlets— along shaded lanes, cobbled tracks and plots of trellised vine. The descent is gentle and steady, with the odd minor ramp, through a calm rural setting where the pilgrim passes granaries, chapels and wayside crosses.

As height is lost the broad Lima valley opens up, and the Way approaches Ponte de Lima through its outskirts before entering the town over its emblematic medieval bridge across the river. Considered one of the most beautiful and ancient towns on the Portuguese Way, Ponte de Lima welcomes the walker with its long Roman-medieval bridge, its old quarter of armorial houses, its riverside promenades and a notable culinary tradition. The end of the stage invites lingering before tackling, the next day, the climb to the Alto da Portela Grande on the way to Rubiães.