PR4 SMP Trilho do Aguilhão

With the Church of Louredo at the starting point, the slopes quickly invites us to go down the narrow dirt path, but for a regular and easy walk. Do not be surprised if, in a lower point in the middle of summer, you find a Macroglossum stellatarum butterfly or any other specimen of Lepidoptera in a circling flight looking for the golden nectar in the flowers. Louredo is rich in species and along the whole trail we see the butterflies flying over the Aquilegia, the Lythrum salicaria, the Agrimonia, or in any of the many other plant species that embellish the route in Spring, Summer and even trough Autumn time. In any case, before starting the ascent, which will take you to where you can observe the starting point of the trail, behold the route marked with the church at the top that looks more like an arm extended directly to the sky.Further up, and as we gain altitude, the mountain peaks appear overlapping the endless horizon. The stripes formed by the millions of vines draw contour lines on the protrusions and recesses of the slopes, giving them an unparalleled volumetry, a unique cut and geometry. 

Among the folds of the slopes, small shale houses appear, almost unreal, ornamented by walled levels of the same stone that was used to build the house, with vines and an occasional fig and orange tree. They look like life-size toys. And so the trail goes up through the villages of friendly people.Finally, we start the descent that takes us back to Aguilhão River. We follow its course for a few tens of meters, already on the way up to the church, which awaits us. Along the riverbank the trees extend their colourful branches, between late autumn and early winter, seasons where you can also see some varieties of mushrooms emerging from the wet soil.

It is always worth observing this miscellaneous beauty that they offer us during the year. Chestnuts (Castanea sativa), Oaks (Fagaceae), Arbutus, Pines, Fraxinus, Salicaceae and many other species embellish the beautiful landscape of Louredo. The flora, so abundant, attracts birds and insects, making the trail seem short, as all these wonders of nature dialogue with us along the entire route, so let us know how to listen to it. 

Aguilhão is also on people's tables for its varied fish dishes.

Fried, marinated or in crumbs, river fish is still a regular presence, with the Faro trout being one of its greatest exponents.

Currently considered a Critically Endangered species, the Salmo trutta fario only presents a sedentary form here, which does not head to the sea to spawn. It feeds on invertebrates, winged insects, amphibians and other fish.

The most recent studies point to the disappearance of half of its habitat in the Iberian Peninsula by 2040 and the probable disappearance of the species by 2100, as a result of pollution, climate change, the extraction of water for irrigation and excessive fishing.

The ICNF, as well as the Municipality of Santa Marta de Penaguião, have been reintroducing this species to Aguilhão, with only sport fishing being authorized, with mandatory return to the river.