Hiking Discovering the Historic Village of Sortelha (Sabugal), Hiking, Trekking, Walking Trails, Tracks, Pedestrian Routes, Portugal

On the last day along the Historical Villages of Portugal route we couldn’t miss visiting one of the most beautiful and well preserved, the Historic Village of Sortelha.
From Sabugal, we took about 15 minutes to drive the 12km that separate the village from the Municipality. We parked at Dr. Vítor M. L. Pereira Neves Street to begin the discovery on foot of another pearl of our country.
In a position overlooking the houses, located on top of a rock, the Bell Tower marked on its clocks a few minutes after 3pm. The paths, some with steps carved into the stone, guided us towards the walled ring, which, like a package, hid the desired gift.
These are also the same paths of GR 22 – Historical Villages Great Route and PR7 SBG – Historical Route of Sortelha hiking trails. It makes you feel like you must return one day to hike these marked routes.

The medieval aspect of the village merges with the landscape, great granite rocks define the buildings and the streets, they are born from the walls and the from ground that we tread.

We descend the sidewalk and we arrive at the medieval nucleus of Sortelha where we enter on a kind of time portal. When we cross “Porta da Vila” (Village Door), we find a cluster of granite houses that make us go back a few centuries. The medieval aspect of the village merges with the landscape, great granite rocks define the buildings and the streets, they are born from the walls and the from ground that we tread.

Overlooking the houses, the 13th century castle formerly with defensive functions, it has been classified as a National Monument since 1910. The preservation of this medieval nucleus benefited from the displacement of the local population to more fertile and less rugged areas where they were able to provide the houses with the necessary improvements to modern times, thus maintaining the characteristic layout in the walled zone.
In “Largo do Pelourinho” (Pelourinho Square) we find the same one that gives its name to the square, an impressive example of Manueline style and the old House and Chain of the 16th century. With the extinction of the county in 1855, the building was adapted for elementary school, currently disabled.
Through the Castle Door we climbed the battlements and walked in the “adarve” that surrounds the Castle Keep. The village seen from above is even more beautiful and the surrounding landscapes complete a stunning setting. The heather blooming wild pinions of yellow the hills and rocky valleys.
We leave the Castle behind and near by, we find the Mother Church, dedicated to “Nossa Senhora das Neves”. We continue the walk through the irregular streets of the village and we return to the departure point almost in the evening. We wanted to prolong this day to the fullest, we stayed a little longer in the bar next to the Castle, recording in our memory each stone and feeling the deep soul of the village.