PR5 Arouca Geopark – Livraria do Paiva

Last Updated on 2025-08-08 by Jorge Bastos

PR5 – Livraria do Paiva (Paiva Bookstore) is a small pedestrian trail that begins and ends in Janarde, Arouca, and is located inside the spectacular Arouca Geopark. This is a very short walking path, only about 3 km, and therefore suitable for everyone who wants to take a short walk in the wild. But don’t let its reduced size fool you, there is plenty to see here.

Besides the beautiful landscape, along PR5 – Livraria do Paiva, we have four geosites of the Arouca Geopark, namely Conheiros do Paiva (G19), Meandros do Paiva (G20), Livraria do Paiva (G18), and the ichnofossils of Mourinha (G17).

Livraria do Paiva trail quick information

The experience in Livraria do Paiva – PR5 Arouca

This trail starts in Janarde, next to the Church, where there is a car park and the trail’s information panel. This is a linear trail, but it works almost as if it were circular, as the church is halfway through and not at one end.

So, from there, you have to choose whether you want to go towards Meandros do Paiva or Livraria. Whatever option you select forces you to return to the starting point and continue to the other side. We suggest you go initially to Livraria do Paiva, as it is further away and more difficult. So this is what we are going to describe here. However, the experience will be very similar if you do the reverse.

We start the trail by turning left and hiking a few meters along the national road. Don’t worry, it is a short distance, and the road has very little traffic. Then, we turn left on a path that will take us to the final destination. The trail is always very well signed, but there’s barely any chance of losing yourself, as you need to follow the same path for 1,500 meters until reaching the final destination.

During the initial part of the trail, the path goes up slightly, but it is pretty straightforward. It starts descending to Mourinha stream – at this stage, the soil is rocky, so it is necessary to pay special attention if there is moisture, as it is very easy to slip and fall.

One of the exciting parts of the trail is crossing the Mourinha stream, as it has no bridge. Some rocks can be used, but if the river is high enough, it is not possible to cross (at least without getting wet). If it hasn’t rained in the previous days, this will not be a problem.

After crossing the stream, we encounter the most challenging part of the trail, which is consistently ascending towards the final destination. It is not particularly steep, nor long, so we’ll quickly reach the final destination, Livraria do Paiva, and the ichnofossils of Mourinha. Don’t worry, you will know exactly when you arrive at your destination as it is signposted.

Livraria do Paiva is a place where quartzite strata are exposed vertically in such a way that it reminds us of the spines of books on a shelf. This geological phenomenon, 480 million years old, is quite impressive. It is also easy to see them because they are on the opposite side of the valley of the Mourinha stream.

Ichnofossils are traces and marks left by past living beings. They can be prints, tracks, eggs, or even fossilized excrement. At Mourinha, these stand out for their size, quantity, and diversity, with a track over 3.5 meters long being the highlight. Since access is via a small, narrow, and very steep path, we suggest you pay special attention when going there.

From here, we have to return through the same ancestral path, almost dug in the rocks, but nearly always paved. Again, pay close attention to possible falls due to moisture in the rocks. When you arrive at Janarde, you should continue straight in the church’s direction and then up a small hill. Again, it’s simple; the path is always signed. From the highest point on the mountain, we get a fantastic view, next to a small cross that marks this viewpoint.

From this viewpoint, we can see the other two geosites on this route, the Meandros (meanders) of Paiva and the Conheiros. Meanders are the sinuous curves that the Paiva River makes here, creating an incredible landscape, which from this point is very visible. At the same time, the Conheiros are vestiges of ancient alluvial gold exploration, probably Roman. These traces are deposits accumulated in the meanders’ convex phase (heaps of pebbles and rolled pebbles). Although it is not the most impressive geosite, it is interesting to see that something that happened many hundreds of years ago still has a visible influence on the environment.

Finally, we have to go back to the car park, but now you know that it is only a 5-minute walk. Overall, this is a very short route, which takes 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, depending mainly on the time you take to explore and analyze each of the geosites.

Best time to do the trail

The best time to hike this trail is in the Summer when the stream is low, and therefore you should not have any problems crossing it. Please note that during periods of heavy rainfall, it may not be possible to cross, which means you will not be able to visit the Bookshop or the Ichnofossils.

In addition, during the dry season, the stony path will be dry, which makes it less likely to slip on the slopes.

Is the trail family-friendly?

This trail is suitable for the whole family, as it is very short and even has some shade if it’s too hot. We believe that even older people and children will have no problem hiking the trail, the only problem being crossing the stream when the waters are high.

What to take?

Since this is a short trail, it is not necessary to take anything in particular, except the usual things for any hike.

• Water (about 0.5L per person) should be enough.
• Snacks;
• comfortable shoes;
• comfortable clothes;
• rain jacket if it’s winter;
• sunglasses, hat, and sunscreen if it’s sunny;
• Taking flip-flops may be a good idea to cross the small stream;
• camera and smartphone, there are plenty of photo opportunities here;
• A daypack to carry all your essentials.

As always, please do not make any trash. Bring back everything you take with you.

How to go to the trail?

The trail is straightforward to find, as the starting point is next to the small car park near the Church of S. Barnabé de Janarde, where the information panel is located.

To get to Janarde, we have to take the M510 in Arouca, and after passing Ponte da Telha, there is a fork with the indication Janarde. As soon as you arrive in Janarde, look for the church, and the car park is right by the road. It’s quite simple.

Where to stay?

There are accommodations spread over the Arouca Geopark, but as far as we know, there are none in Janarde. See below the accommodations available in the region of Arouca.

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