Linhares de Cima – Hiking and Heritage

In Linhares de Cima, hiking and heritage stand side by side as distinct travel interests. The Trilho Chã da Burra is characterised by pastures, cultivated fields and its route along the Rio Coura. In the surrounding area, the Cividade de Cossourado and the Igreja Matriz de Santa Marinha de Linhares offer other historical points of interest. When planning your trip, you can therefore decide whether to focus primarily on the landscape, archaeological history or sacred architecture.

The Trilho Chã da Burra

The route of the Trilho Chã da Burra, described in April 2005, passes through pastures and cultivated fields to Linhares de Cima. It follows the Rio Coura upstream and goes around Chã da Burra. Monte, or Crasto, de Bruzendes is also one of the landmarks mentioned: the trail goes around it, and the terrain is described as an ancient agricultural castro. The route description thus encompasses cultivated landscape, the river and historical features. It names the Capela da Quinta da Cruz in Linhares as the starting point. At the Ermida da Sr.ª do Alívio, the trail reaches a paved path along which one of the signposted routes of the Caminho Português de Santiago runs. Since the route was recorded in a description from April 2005, check the current route before setting out.

Santiago routes in the surrounding area

In the wider region, the Caminho Português de Santiago passes through the União das Freguesias de Cossourado e Linhares. After a 50-metre alternative section from Pecene, one Santiago route reaches S. Bento da Porta Aberta and then continues through mountainous terrain towards Valença. These details provide a broader geographical context for the pilgrim routes: one describes the administrative unit they cross, while the other gives the sequence from Pecene via S. Bento da Porta Aberta and onwards towards Valença. The local description of the Trilho Chã da Burra focuses instead on pastures, fields, the river and terrain features.

Archaeology and history

The Cividade de Cossourado is located in the vicinity of Linhares de Cima. The site covers 10 hectares and is of particular importance in the context of Alto Minho’s Castro culture because of its age and striking topographical setting. It includes a reconstructed group of two huts representing the settlement’s former dwellings. The site’s size and the reconstructed dwellings offer two different ways of understanding it: its scale in the landscape and its portrayal of life in the settlement in the past.

Until June 2024, the summer solstice celebration at the Cividade was held almost every year on the Saturday closest to the solstice. If you are interested in this festival, check the current event dates.

The Igreja Matriz de Santa Marinha de Linhares, a typical 17th-century Baroque church, is located in Linhares de Cima. The name Santa Marinha de Duzães provides an older historical reference: in the Inquirições of D. Afonso III, the Freguesia of Linhares appears under this name. For the Freguesia of Linhares as a whole, a route description from April 2005 mentions dense pine forests and small areas of deciduous woodland along the Rio Coura and waterways. This landscape description refers to the Freguesia, while the church and the Cividade each offer their own points of reference for the history of the surrounding area.

Discover more destinations

Porreiras, Romarigães, Coura, Paredes De Coura, Agualonga

Go to the main travel overview: Paredes De Coura.