The Schist Village Route (PR1 LSA) is one of the most popular in the Lousã Mountains, and it’s easy to understand why. This circular walking trail is officially 5.7 km long. It takes us from the mythical Arouce Castle (Lousã Castle) to three of the most beautiful Schist villages: Talasnal, Chiqueiro, and Casal Novo. Finally, we can bathe on the delicious river beach of Nossa Senhora da Piedade at the trail’s end.
Located in Serra da Lousã, very close to the city of Lousã, this is one of our favorite trails and, therefore, one of Portugal’s best trails.
The entire route is well-marked, and the beginning is easy to identify. The only exception is the climb to Chiqueiro, which we explain below. In any case, we advise you to take the route marked on your GPS.
Since this is a circular trail, you can start and finish in any part, particularly Talasnal, Chiqueiro, and Casal Novo. Here, we will describe the official and recommended route, which involves starting near the castle and walking clockwise.
Schist Villages Route – general information
- Name: Schist Villages Route
- Home – Arouce Castle
- End – Arouce Castle
- Distance – 5.7 km
- Time required – 3:30
- Difficulty – Moderate
- High/min altitude: 674/225 meters
- Altitude gain: 616 meters
- Type – Circular
- Signaling (1-5) – 4
- Highlights: Arouce Castle, Talasnal, Chiqueiro, Casal Novo, Nossa Senhora da Piedade river beach,
- You can download the
Our experience on the trail of the Lousã Schist villages
We will then describe what to expect on the Lousã Schist villages route – PR2. We will follow the recommended route, starting and ending next to Arouce Castle and the river beach of Nossa Senhora da Piedade.
The trailhead is well-marked with an information panel and arrows indicating the direction to follow. If you have never visited Arouce Castle, we advise you to do so. It is a beautiful, unusual, schist tower.
From Arouce to Talasnal
The Schist Villages route starts in an undulating, wide, and very easy path. This first stage is about 1 km long and takes us to the Ermida hydroelectric plant. After crossing the river, everything changes; we enter a narrow path that is always going up.
This climb will eventually take us to Talasnal, almost always in the middle of a monumental grove of trees. It’s about 1 km uphill, which is very tough as we have to climb over 200 meters of elevation in such a short distance.
A little more than halfway up the climb, a detour takes us to the Talasnal waterfall. It’s only 300 meters (600 round trip), but from what we saw, it is very difficult. We didn’t do it this time, but we’ll go back one of these days.
Just before entering Talasnal, it is possible to take the variant (PR 2.1), which allows you to shorten the path and return to the Castle. We will continue to do the entire route. We never did this variant, but from what we saw, it seems to be always downhill until we return to the Nossa Senhora da Piedade park area.
Talasnal to Chiqueiro
Arriving at Talasnal, we will enjoy this beautiful, completely restored Schist village. It’s fabulous and probably the best-known and most popular of all the Xisto villages. You will also find a shop, cafe/snack bar, and restaurant here. You may want to check if they will be open before going, especially the restaurants. Be that as it may, this is the only possibility of shopping along the route.
After enjoying Talasnal and taking the opportunity to get some steam, we head towards Chiqueiro. Note that there is a new variant/detour (it is well marked), PR 2.2, with a direct connection to Casal Novo. This makes it possible to shorten the route and avoid the strenuous climb to Chiqueiro. But we want to go to Chiqueiro, so we continue on the main PR2 path.
The route from Talasnal to Chiqueiro is about 500 meters flat, and after crossing the road, it is about 1 km uphill. This uphill section takes us from 500 to 675 meters in elevation—the highest point on this trail.
The path to Chiqueiro is not very well marked, and there is a left turn that we did not see marked at all. But know that even if you miss this turn and go straight ahead, you will arrive in Chiqueiro via a slightly longer route.
Chiqueiro to Casal Novo
We’ll enter Chiqueiro through the back of the village, but it’s so small that we’ll quickly find ourselves in the central square. There are some local accommodations in Chiqueiro, but we are not aware of any shops or restaurants. It’s a place where you rarely see people and is, therefore, great for those who want to relax and get away from it all.
After exploring Chiqueiro, we have a slight and final climb along the paved road to the implanted letters of Lousã, which also serves as a viewpoint for the city in the background. It’s an excellent place to take selfies and photos for Instagram.
From Chiqueiro to Casal Novo is a short walk. It’s downhill, and there are no turns. In a few minutes, you will reach the paved road again, and on the other side of the street, we have the village of Casal Novo. In total, it is only 600 to 700 meters.
Casal Novo to Arouce Castle
Casal Novo is a little bigger than Chiqueiro and is one of our favorite schist villages. The entire village is situated along the extended staircase with schist houses on one side and the other. The views of the mountains, Arouce Castle and Lousã are perfect.
The route always follows the steps to the end of the town and then along a wide and well-indicated road, but it is incredibly steep. In the rain, it should be very slippery. The descent is very long. It goes through a dense forest until it ends at the well-known Mirante da Cruz (an excellent lookout).
From the lookout, head to Parque de São João and the Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Piedade until you reach the O Burgo restaurant, the river beach, and the small walkways back to the castle. Even if you don’t want to go to the beach or don’t have time, don’t forget to explore the area a bit, as there is a small but beautiful waterfall.
This fabulous trail constantly surprises us, whether by the beauty of the Schist villages, the landscape of the Lousã mountain range, the viewpoints, or even the river beach at the end. The O Burgo restaurant is one of the best in the region, so we highly recommend you take the opportunity to have lunch or dinner there. It is essential to reserve a table.
When to hike the Lousã Schist Villages Route?
The best time of year to hike this trail is summer, when it is warm enough to go into the water on the river beach. Trees entirely cover the route, so the sun, although strong, won’t be too bad. Even so, remember that the route is quite challenging and can be problematic if it is very hot.
Therefore, the ideal would be to choose a beautiful sunny day but not too hot.
On the other hand, we advise you to be careful when traveling in the rain. There are very steep parts with some rocks, which can become complicated. We didn’t find the route particularly slippery, but with rain, everything changes.
Who can do the trail?
This trail is suitable for people who have some mountain walking experience. It’s not especially hard or long, but the climbs and descents are very steep. More than 600 meters of accumulated altitude gain on a circular trail of less than 6 km is quite tough!
Still, we don’t consider it technical; therefore, anyone without mobility problems can do it as long as they have the stamina. However, due to the inclines, we don’t think the trail suits older children and adults.
What to take?
The trail is relatively short, so you don’t need to bring anything very specific, but if you want to buy something last minute, you should do it in Lousã. Next to the castle, we have the famous Burgo restaurant, but there are no shops or cafes.
So we advise you to take:
- Water (about 1l per person will be enough);
- Snacks;
- Comfortable walking shoes;
- Comfortable clothes;
- Raincoat, in winter – we are in the mountains, and the weather changes quickly;
- Sunglasses, hat, and sunscreen in summer;
- You can leave your swimwear in the car as the river beach is next to the parking lot.
- Camera and cell phone, as there are many opportunities to take beautiful photos. Cell phones are also to be used as GPS.
- Small backpack to carry all this;
In Talasnal, there is a little shop where you can buy drinks and snacks to refuel. There are also restaurants, but we strongly recommend booking or calling to confirm their opening hours if you want to eat there.
As always, please don’t litter. Bring back whatever you take with you.
How to get to the trailhead?
The start of the trail is easy to identify, as it is well-marked with an information panel and arrows indicating the recommended direction to follow (clockwise). To get there, the ideal is to go by car, and fortunately, there is plenty of parking space. However, please note that on busier weekends, places may become scarce.
As we initially mentioned, the official trail starts next to Arouce Castle. This is very close but outside the city of Lousã. From Lousã to the castle, it is about 3 km, which takes 5 minutes by car.
Lousã is around 150 km from Porto, which takes around 1 hour and 45 minutes, and 210 km from Lisbon, which takes just over 2 hours. Both routes are mainly done via the motorway (A1).
Where should you stay when doing the Schist Villages Route?
Since we are heading to the heart of the Schist villages, the ideal is to stay in one of them and enjoy the whole experience. If you don’t want to, the ideal is to stay in the city of Lousã, where several hotels, restaurants and supermarkets exist.
If you accept our suggestion of staying in a Schist village, you can stay in the beautiful village of Talasnal or the much calmer villages of Chiqueiro and Casal Novo. As the trail is circular and passes through them, take the opportunity to start right there.
In Lousã we recommend the Octant Lousã Hotel or the Youth Hostel, both right in the city center.
- The Octant is a four-star hotel housed in an 18th-century palace, which combines a historic setting with picturesque views of Serra da Lousã and offers gardens and an outdoor pool. See more information here.
- The Lousã Youth Hostel is a low-cost option, allowing us to enjoy the entire region with comfort and an almost unbeatable price-quality ratio. It has private twin rooms and shared dormitories. See prices here.
If you choose to stay in the Xisto villages, we suggest AL Talasnal Montanhas de Amor and Casa Princesa Peralta, both in Talasnal.
- Casa Princesa Peralta: It was our choice to spend the night at Talasnal, and our stay was very pleasant. It has three bedrooms, all featuring exposed slate walls, heating, and traditional wooden ceilings. See more information and book here.
- Talasnal Montanhas de Amor: it has fabulous views, an equipped kitchen, a fireplace, a dining table, and a living room. See more information here.
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