I do agree with
@Albertinho ! Especially on a wet day it can be treacherous. Btw Albertinho is there a ( main ) road alternative for that part?
Yes Sabine but a dangerous one.
follow the main road , the N201, but I will find out where to change from the caminho path to the N201 in
Brierley’sguide. I come back that later today.
how do I know ? We stayed for some weeks nearby Fernanda’s on a campingsite.
during the meal at Fernanda’s I was sitting next to a tall Viking like guy , blond hair and blue eyes. Where you from ? I asked him, expecting to be a Swedish , Danish ,Norwegian or Finnish . From Namibia he said . Huh..? He was a butcher there.
His ancesters were Swedish long time ago.
Two days after meeting him it was pouring with rain and we decided to do some shopping in Valença and fill up the gasoline tank in Tui.
From Ponte de Lima we saw all poor pilgrims walking on their way to the Alto daPortela Grande facing slippery muddy dirty and above all dangerous ascending and descending paths.
we continued the N 201 road , narrow and with lots of curves and bends and all of a sudden we saw our Namibian Viking walking aside the road with no footpath.
we stopped and gave him and his wife a lift to Rubiães.
so.. when it rains I am not so sure the road around the mountain is a good alternative.
pretty dangerous , especially because the road leads through dark woods. You hope they see you.Always wear a reflecting safety jacket.