The North of Portugal offers a lot of bouldering potential. It just takes a quick road trip there to realize it… There are endless granite fields covering the top of almost every mountain you see, although only a small part of it are established boulder spots. The best-known areas of the north are Pedra do Urso, Sto Tirso, Corno do Bico and Serra da Freita.

On a recent trip to Alvão, on the region of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, I was stoked with the quality of the granite and decided to return there for a deeper exploration. Unfortunately the weather didn’t fully cooperate and we couldn’t strike as much as we want. On the way home we visited the nearby Serra de Montemuro that some friends had told me about and once again I was blown away with the finding! The place is huge and looks promising and I hope to revisit soon…

Check out the Boulder Trás-os-Montes blog for more info about the opened stuff!

Morning fog over the slopes of Alvão Natural Park.

 

Local developer João Animado on a newly opened line called “Malha de Aço”, located on the Barragem sector.

 

The timeless coffee break at the “Cabana”.

 

Traditional sausages drying over the fireplace and other objects add a special atmosphere to the place.

 

View of the Arnal peak with its hills covered with boulders.

 

Rita warming up on a cool boulder.

 

Me trying “Posta Mirandesa” the best project of the area, before the rain started.

 

Rainy clouds over Vila Real and time to say goodbye to Alvão.

 

Reminiscences of Autumn!

 

Arriving at Serra de Montemuro for the first time and getting psyched seeing good boulders everywhere!

 

To wet to climb, but perfect mood to photograph and explore!

 

Trying seeing trough the fog just makes it more special.

 

Meeting and having a little chat with Sr. Marquês, a local hunter!

 

The roller coaster way home… 🙂