The village of Colmeal

The village of Colmeal lies at the most easterly edge of the province of Gois. Colmeal gets its name from the bee-keeping that was traditional in the area (mel=honey), along with the cultivation of olives, cork-oak and pine sap.

The village is set high above the river Ceira, and from it lead fantastic paths up to the Cabeco do Gato (963m) giving splendid views of the whole region. After you have walked on the mountain or swum in the beautiful clear waters of the river Ceira, there are cafes and bars in which to sit and recover, while watching Portuguese life go by.

Colmeal is famous for its picturesque little houses built from xisto (a slate-like material). Today the houses of the village are still stepped up the mountainside with little lanes and passageways running between them. Even in mid-winter the air is heavily scented with a mixture of wood-smoke and pine that fills the senses.