We left the border with Spain and set of to climb over the south side of the Serra da Estrela mountains and back down the other side.
Our first stop was Paul, yes a place called Paul! A lovely mountainside village near to Covilhã, situated on the southern slope of the wide Estrela Mountain range, on the left bank of the pleasant Caia river.
We stayed there for the night at a spot that was on the app Park4Night. One of the comments said not to worry about the cobbled street and I can understand why! It is fairly narrow and steep, although looks worse from the top than it actually is! We went down, (and back up again the following day), with no problem.
This lovely village has been, inclusively, voted as the second most Portuguese village, being the first one Monsanto. It is worth to visit its winding narrow streets, surrounded by small houses in agricultural areas, with some interesting monuments.
The highest point that we travelled through on our way home was between Paul, and Poco de Broca. It is where the Castelo Branco district borders the Guarda district and our journey was all downhill from there!
There is a bar/restaurant here which is very popular but we didn't stop there as we had a waterfall to go and see! Also it was incredibly windy!
The Poço da Broca Waterfall is a waterfall highlighted by its unparalleled beauty. It is located on the Alvôco stream, more specifically in Aldeia de Barriosa, in Vide. This small waterfall forms the pleasant river beach known for its tranquility.
This magnificent landscape is the result of the direct intervention of man who over 200 years ago realized that if the water course were diverted, it would be better used for agriculture. The areas of difficult cultivation, specifically in shale and in areas where the rivers themselves form tight curves, have undergone changes. In that same narrowing of the rivers with the use of drills, a cut was opened. Thus, the waters were diverted from their course and in this way flat agricultural land was obtained with easy irrigation. It is in this succession that the water falls to a considerable distance, forming a well, hence its name, “Poço da Broca" meaning drill well.
From here it was a short drive to our favourite restaurant where we had a lovely evening meal and stayed in their car park overnight before heading home in the morning!
Thanks for looking :) xxx
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