The Minho - Portugal - page 942

ESPIGUEIROS
They look hauntingly like mausoleums, but espigueiros are in fact the stuff of life. New World corn was a great
innovation in these low-yielding lands when it was introduced in the 18th century. But there was a catch - it
ripened late, when autumn rains threatened harvests with rot. Espigueiros - granite caskets on stilts with slotted
sides - were created to dry and store the valuable kernels. Usually built in clusters, covered with moss and topped
with little crosses, they look like the village graveyard. Neither the washing lines lashed to them nor the squat,
long-horned cattle grazing at their feet can entirely dispel their eerie charm.
Serra do Soajo
POP 980 / ELEV 300M
Sturdy Soajo (soo- ahzh -oo), high above the upper Rio Lima, is best known for its photo-
genic espigueiros . It has splendid views over the surrounding countryside, with scenic
walks providing a fine opportunity to take in the beauty of this protected region. Although
it lacks the majesty of the Serra da Peneda high country, it's accessible by public transport
and, thanks to village enterprise and the Turismo de Aldeia, you can stay in one of Soajo's
restored stone houses and glimpse a vanishing way of life.
Soajo is 21km northeast of Ponte da Barca on the N203 and N530, or the same distance
from Arcos de Valdevez via the scenic N202 and N304. Buses stop by Restaurante Videira
at the intersection of these two roads. A few hundred metres down the N530 towards Lin-
doso are Soajo's trademark espigueiros .
Soajo's small main square, Largo do Eiró - with a pelourinho topped by what can only
be described as an ancient smiley face - is down a lane in the opposite direction from the
bus stop.
Activities
Soajo is filled with the sound of rushing water , a resource that has been painstakingly
managed over the centuries. A steep walk on the eastern slopes shows just how important
these streams once were.
On the N304, 250m north of the bus stop, is the signed trailhead for the Trilho do Ramil .
Initially paved with immense stones and grooved by centuries of ox-cart traffic, it ascends
through a landscape shaped by agriculture, taking in granite cottages, espigueiros and su-
perb views. Further up are three derelict watermills for grinding corn, stone channels that
once funnelled the stream from one mill to the next, and the reservoir that fed them. Once
you reach the old guardhouse at 500m, the trail parallels Laceiras Creek and runs through