Peneda-Gerês National Park

Peneda-Gerês is Portugal’s only national park (established in 1971) and, for the adventurous motorcyclist, probably the wildest and best-preserved corner of the whole country. It is a granite massif in the far north-west, on the border with the province of Ourense, where the mountains rise to over 1,400 metres, the rivers form spectacular waterfalls and turquoise natural pools, and the oak and birch forests are centuries old, and the wildlife includes Iberian wolves, deer, golden eagles and the garanos (wild Gerês horses, a native breed that roams freely on the mountain peaks).

The roads in Gerês are the antithesis of a motorway: narrow, technically challenging, with no crash barriers, featuring hairpin bends over precipices and road surfaces that range from excellent to dreadful within just a few kilometres. The N308 between the village of Gerês and Campo do Gerês is probably the most famous stretch: it runs along the shore of the Caniçada reservoir, offering constant views of the turquoise water and the forests on the opposite bank, with bends that demand your full concentration. It’s a road best enjoyed at low speeds, savouring every bend.

The villages of Gerês possess a sense of authenticity that is hard to believe in 21st-century Europe. Villages such as Pitões das Júnias (with the ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian monastery lost in the woods), Tourém (a border village where post-war smugglers used to move cows across the border between Galicia and Portugal at night), or Lindoso (with its 64 espigueiros, 18th-century stone granaries huddled together like toy soldiers beside the castle) preserve a rural way of life that, in many cases, has changed very little over the last hundred years.

The natural pools and waterfalls of Gerês are one of the major attractions of the Portuguese summer. The rivers flowing down from the granite peaks form natural pools of crystal-clear water where locals have been swimming for as long as anyone can remember. The most famous are the Cascatas do Tahiti (so named for the turquoise colour of the water), the Sete Lagoas (seven interconnected pools on the River Homem) and the spectacular Cascata do Arado, visible from the road.

Motorcycling tips: the roads in the Gerês hinterland are technical and require experience. In summer, the natural swimming pools get very crowded; it’s best to go early or in September. You can cross the border into Galicia without going through a checkpoint via the EM-308 towards Entrimo. For accommodation, the Pousada do Gerês (a historic hotel next to the reservoir) is the option with the most character. For food, in the village of Gerês, any restaurant serves roast kid and arroz de sarrabulho (rice with pig’s blood), two essential Minho specialities.