Querença

Querença is a small village with white washed houses, a dominant church on the village square, with adjoining a café and a restaurant. In the area, there are different walking trails (percurso pedestre), which we understand perfectly. This mountainous landscape offers a choice of possibilities to descover not only the mountains, but hamlets, traditional farming life, flowers and trees and birdlife.

We chose this 5.7 mile round trip because it gives a good impression of the bigger picture and it contains a little bit of everything. The birds, plants and trees, the valleys and the mountains and also village life in this 778 soul community. It is not a very easy route however. The first two times we tried to find it without a GPS track and we failed. The third time however, we did it spot-on and it was worth it!

The route 

Leave the village downhill opposite the church choose the old Roman road to the left towards the river. Follow follow the river for a couple of miles to the right and cross the asphalt. Go down into the valley to your left after the bridge Now follow the valley and the difficult part is. finding the river crossing to your left. We missed this on two occasions. After the river crossing, you enter an area of silence. No traffic, no houses but just the mountains and trails. It is possible to climb all the way to the top of the Cerro do Negros, but you’ll have to come down the same way. It is worth it and the view reaches all the way up to Rocha da Pena.

The second part of the walk leads you to Corte Garcia where you find a restaurant: Sol e Serra for a great lunch. In the hamlets that follow now, a sleepy “boa tarde” (good afternoon), will come from fields and doorsteps. The Portuguese here are used to a traditional greeting. The last climb leads you up the hill back to the Querença village square. Senhora Rosa, at the traditional café will gladly serve you a well deserved drink!