Discover Calvos: Trails, Oak Tree and Neolithic Traces

Calvos offers a varied combination of long trails, exceptional natural surroundings and traces of human history. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment in Calvos can plan their trip according to their own interests: the GR 117 – Via Romana XVII is suitable for a clearly structured hiking tour, the Carvalho de Calvos focuses on the environment and tree studies, and at the Ribeiro do Pontido, ruined watermills recall former uses. Neolithic finds and monuments add another dimension to this picture.

Hiking the Via Romana XVII

The GR 117 – Via Romana XVII is a 15-kilometre linear route with a stated walking time of four hours and a difficulty rating of 3 out of 5. These specific details help you fit the tour into your daily itinerary. Near Botica, in the parish of Calvos, the route also includes a considerable, well-preserved section of paved road surface. The Itinerário Pedestre “Maria da Fonte” footpath follows the same route as the Via Romana XVII.

Another route option is the Short Route PR1 – Maria da Fonte. It starts and ends at the Centro Interpretativo Maria da Fonte and is 12 kilometres long in total. When choosing between the trails, it is therefore worth considering their length, route and the focus you want for the day, rather than treating both routes as equivalent.

The Carvalho de Calvos and Its Environment

A prominent natural feature of Calvos is the Carvalho de Calvos, a pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) that has been classified as a tree of public interest since 22 August 1997. The tree is also known as Carvalha grossa or Carvalha da Fondoua and is estimated to be the oldest oak tree on the Iberian Peninsula and the second-oldest in Europe. Because of its large amount of deadwood, it provides an exceptional habitat for stag beetles. Numerous specimens can be observed there during the summer months.

The Centro de Interpretação do Carvalho de Calvos, located in Calvos, was created to interpret the Carvalho de Calvos and the ecosystems surrounding it. It offers environmental education and environmental awareness activities for children, young people, adults and older people. For families with different age groups, this focus can be a welcome addition to a longer hike, without the trip having to be devoted exclusively to sporting activities.

Ribeiro do Pontido, Mills and Historical Traces

The Ribeiro do Pontido also shapes the choice of possible experiences. The GR 117 – Via Romana XVII crosses the Ribeiro do Pontido towards the Centro de Interpretação do Carvalho de Calvos. The Trilho dos Moinhos do Pontido passes nine ruined watermills along the Ribeiro do Pontido. Anyone interested in the landscape and former forms of land use will find a different focus here from that offered by the longer Via Romana XVII route.

Calvos’s prehistory is supplemented by several finds and structures. A polished stone axe from the Mamoa da Tojeira in Calvos is dated to the Neolithic period, between the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. The Mamoa do Madorro is a circular structure that is presumably a Neolithic burial mound monument. It was identified near the Carvalho de Calvos in 2006 and is dated to approximately the 4th millennium BC.

Calvos as a Base for Planning Your Trip

When choosing accommodation, you should consider whether your trip will be shaped primarily by the 15-kilometre linear route, the 12-kilometre PR1 trail, environmental education or the historical themes.

If you would like to expand your trip planning beyond Calvos, you can also include São Torcato, Briteiros (Santo Estêvão), Guimarães, Caldelas and Guardizela in your further research.

For the higher-level travel overview: Guimaraes.