Sernancelhe - Moimenta da Beira

Vila da Ponte lies on the banks of the Távora River, where its riverbed opens out into broader horizons. Further ahead lies the Vilar Reservoir, which the Way follows alongside for part of its route. In Vila da Ponte, however, it is difficult to fully grasp this geography. To gain that perspective, one must climb up to the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora das Necessidades. From there, visitors can admire the vast waters of the Vilar Reservoir and the peaks that define the Távora River basin—a small world unfolding before our eyes, waiting to be explored by the pilgrim’s footsteps. After such a demanding climb, it feels particularly rewarding to fill both the lungs and the eyes with this magnificent horizon.The section along National Road 226, between Penso and Rua, includes some dangerous stretches, and particular care should be taken when walking in groups, as there are places without pavements and crossings where traffic travels at high speed. The approach to Moimenta da Beira is quiet and pleasant, passing through small villages and along short unpaved tracks between pine forests. Moimenta da Beira is the heart of the Terras do Demo (“Lands of the Devil”), the title of a celebrated book by Aquilino Ribeiro and also the name associated with a renowned wine. Although travellers will no longer encounter the harshness of the land described by the writer, they will nevertheless be walking through the sentimental landscape of one of the greatest figures of 20th-century Portuguese literature.