Cerdeira is a magical place. At the entrance to the village, a small bridge leads us to a handful of houses peeping through the foliage. It seems like we are crossing the portal to a fantasy world. Everything appears perfect in this deeply romantic setting. The slate path points the way to a spring hidden among lush vegetation. Between steep slopes rent by watercourses tumbling down from higher up, Cerdeira nestles in the most bucolic of surroundings. This is a village that art and creativity have helped to refound. Indeed, at certain times of the year, the village becomes alive with events that combine art and botany.

Benefiting from the ease of access provided by the National Highway, Candal is generally regarded as the most developed of the mountain villages and is one of the most visited. Its inhabitants are used to being joined by holiday and weekend visitors who flock here in search of pure air and good company.

Here nature reigns. For a long time now, this is the Schist Village of the Lousã Mountain that has lent most visibility and charm because of the many details of the restoration of its houses. And also by the way the village seduces us through the mouth.

Passing along the unpaved road, the presence of Casal Novo almost escapes us. The village lies in a fold on the steeply sloping, north-facing hillside and the woodland surrounding the village hides its outline.

Gondramaz is a completely restored shale village with about 50 houses where there is a tourist resort and where we will have a coffee.

Cadaval Cimeiro and Cadaval Fundeiro are two abandoned shale villages that burned twice in the 1980s. There we will hike between the two.

Aigra Velha is the highest altitude Schist Village (770 metres), not far from the summits of the Lousã Mountain, but easy to get to. It is a small place, but one with wide horizons. The landscape surrounding the village makes all the difference. Here everything is simple and done following the natural cycle of nature that is all around us. * - Only Full day tour.

ith its simple plan of low schist buildings, Aigra Nova consists of three small streets that cross the village. Its spring and the mild climate favour agriculture and broad pastures. In this living village there are market gardens, livestock, donkeys and many activities that will surprise the visitor. * - Only Full day tour.

This village is the perfect result of construction in a combination of schist and quartzite. A centuries-old chestnut guards the entrance to the village. * - Only Full day tour. The local topography dictated that the village developed along a promontory, making it seem that the houses are defying the laws of equilibrium and the force of gravity. The village of Pena takes full advantage of the crystal clear waters of the stream. Alongside it, the Penedos de Góis offer adventure for the daring.