Manor Houses of the Minho

A faultless holiday which exceeded our expectations. The section on Day 1 Around Durraes (page 45) the way was indeed blocked by thick brambles (long trousers and long sleeves needed!). It would be useful in the guide to Ponte de Lima to mention the open air swimming pool and kayak tours. 

Our holiday was excellent overall, with each walk being sufficiently different to the previous days.
A particular highlight for us was the trip to the Lagos nature reserve near Pont de Lima as it was so well laid out. We spotted 3 Kingfishers among many bird sightings. We also stopped at the Festival gardens on the walk back and was most impressed; well worth a visit.
During our stay at Paco de Calherios the Count was the perfect host throughout. We were fortunate enough to be there at the same time as he was hosting a large family wedding and we treated to local folk dances for the bride and guests.
On reflection it was a perfect holiday.

This was a little different from previous Inntravel holidays and we decided the best word to sum it up was “characterful”. We loved the two older Quintas that we stayed in and particularly appreciated the hospitality at each place, especially the delicious meal provided by Ruth at Sobreiro.

We found the walking a little disappointing – the walks were very short, we often arrived before expected – and the countryside was much less interesting than on other Inntravel holidays – especially the rather long straight walk along the Eco Via towards Ponte de Lima. The overgrown section of the first walk would have been distinctly unpleasant if we hadn’t been mentally prepared by the six Inntravellers who were one day ahead of us!

Ponte de Lima is very attractive and we enjoyed wandering around the International Garden Festival as well as exploring the streets and other gardens. However, our visit there was considerably overshadowed by the extremely loud and monotonous canned pop music from a large gathering on the river to celebrate the Nativity of St John the Baptist, which on one night continued without a break until 2am…..  We were possibly affected more than others as the Arc'Otel is situated slightly above the river and the sound travelled very clearly across.

We highly recommend the restaurant La Petiscas, right next door to the Arc'Otel in Ponte de Lima, where we had two delicious meals.

The Paco de Calheiros is definitely a major highlight – the Count was rather preoccupied during our stay but his lovely dog, Leo, was attentive. The views from the house are wonderful and we were lucky to have two beautiful clear evenings there. We very much enjoyed walking around the perimeter wall through the vines, sweet chestnut woods, olives and orange groves.

One unexpected highlight was the night-time chorus of a variety of frogs and toads. It took a while to work out some of the curious nocturnal sounds, especially at Calheiros where we eventually discovered that the strange electronic pinging at night was not a faulty security system but the mating call of the Midwife Toad!

We will gloss over the airport and flight experience. Apart from this, it was an enjoyable and memorable holiday.

This was our first holiday with Inntravel and we loved it. We thoroughly enjoyed this region of Portugal and the Manor Houses provided a nice historic link. Our itinerary coincided with two other couples (and partly overlapped with a third); this, for us, provided a perfect balance between independent walking during the day and socialising in the evenings. We will come again.

HIGHLIGHTS: The walk around the Paco de Calheiros. The bridges in Ponte de Lima and Durraes (Ponte das Tabuas & The Viaduct). The walk into Pont de Lima.

TIPS: Visit the Taberna Porta Vermelha by the Jardim da Freiria near the Arc hotel in Ponte de Lima. Masks are still mandatory on all buses and trains and is strictly enforced. As is ticket validation etc. There are lots of ticket inspectors travelling on the trains. it is best to buy your ticket in advance and not rely on on-board purchase. If travelling by Metro from the airport to Campanha station change at Lapa (same platform).

Highlights: Staying at the Quintas with their superb gardens. A lovely area of Portugal. Very friendly people.

We loved the Solar do Castelo hotel in Lisbon (we added on stays in Lisbon and also in Porto). Graham's port tour and tasting and meal at their restaurant was the highlight in Porto. The whole walking tour experience was very relaxing and enjoyable. Having an extra day at Paço de Calheiros gave us a really relaxed end to the trip.

 This is a very easy walk, the short distance travelled each day allows time to properly explore the area and to chat with other walkers. The first 4 or 5 days the sun shone from a clear blue sky, the detour day one to avoid the tangled vegitation was easy to follow, muddy patches encountered along the way were reasonably dry and we even had time to sit by the pool at Quinta do Sobreiro in the late afternoon sun. However this was northern Portugal in early May so we were not surprised when the weather changed drastically, rain and thick cloud touched the hill tops around Calheiros on our last day so the walk to admire the route of the path we had travelled from Durraes was not to be, we just put on our waterproofs and walked lower down. Could missing this last days walk possibly be an excuse to do it all again? Who knows, we have the Thames path to look forward to later in the year and by then the 2023 Inntravel brochure will have landed on the doormat.

Our highlights:

If staying in Durraes try the cafe down from the train station for an introduction to local life.

Paço de Vitorino presented a slightly forbidding exterior as the gates were closed due to Covid (April 2022) but when you enter you are provided with an interesting tour of a lovingly restored Manor House with all modern conveniences.

Paço de Calheiros, the Count is very passionate about promoting local tourism and provides another intersting tour but the beautiful grounds are best discovered walking his lovely dog, Leo.

Grahams Port Tour exceeded our expectations and the restaurant looked lovely,with great views over Porto, however a reservation was required.

Casa de Casal de Loivos, has stunning views overlooking the Douro.

Casa do Visconde de Chanceleiros is set in beautiful gardens with an amazing view and facilities, from swimming pool and hot tub to tennis court and pool table.

INNTAVEL NOTE: these customers combined our walks Manor Houses of the Minho and Valley of Gold

As usual with Inntravel, we very much enjoyed being taken to accommodation that we might not have found ourselves and appreciated the variety of different places. The friendly hosting and excellent food at Quinta de Sobreiros were a particular highlight of our week.

The quintas were very beautiful especially at Calheiros, and we enjoyed the gardens. It was a "slow" holiday in lots of ways - no bustle anywhere except Ponte de Lima market which was amazing. (but only fortnightly). Not a holiday for anyone wanting "usual" hotel service such as choice for meals, room service etc but a very relaxing time with lovely walking and fascinating places to stay. Ponte de Lima was a delight and a good change from the remoteness of other places. We found we needed cash rather than credit cards in many places (except restaurants).

The trip was up to the usual Inntravel standards and being entertained by The Count (just him and us for aperitifs and dinner) was huge fun, and very interesting.

The Quinta De Malta was excellent (save for the very hard mattress!). We didn’t mind having an unscheduled extra day there as they were so nice and the home cooked food excellent all round, including picnic. Paco de Calheiros was superb all round.
An excellent long awaited walking holiday. Thank you Inntravel. The Pandemic created circumstances of the last 18 months are unprecedented and you have all coped admirably. We are grateful that the holiday could run, in spite of three airlines rescheduling/cancelling flights and accommodation changes after the holiday had started! When you told us of these various alterations, which were completely beyond your control, there was always a solution presented. This is the gold standard way of coping with these sorts of problems.
Well done to everyone concerned. We will definitely be back travelling with Inntravel.

Probably the best pure walking holiday we have had for a few years, but  accomodation apart from Ponte de Lima was disappointing. Paco de Calheiros could be outstanding but I suspect the Count is immune to change! Spend more time in Ponte de Lima. The gardens are fabulous and it is such a great City. For us, the treat at the end of a walk is a beer/glass of wine in a village square. Maybe the Manor Houses are too remote?

We enjoyed immensely the itinerary in northern Portugal despite a week of very poor weather which made walking impossible on one day and unpleasant on a few others.  However our very helpful and supportive driver from the Limiana taxi company made sure we made good use of our time by taking us places when walking was not possible - thank you again to Antonio!
Accommodations were all good, with the standout being Quinta do Sobreiro at Facha, due to our host Ruth who, apart from being charming and generous and a good cook, was eager for us to make good use of non-walking time by driving us to Viana do Castelo whilst she had an appointment there.  Ponte de Lima was a highlight and a good place to visit in poor weather as so much to see.  The Calheiros visit at the end of the week was beautiful and atmospheric but our hosts were much less interested in providing comfort and good food than in talking about themselves.
The walking itinerary showed us wonderful country but we did find the conditions of the tracks which were not part of the Caminho to be quite deteriorated due to rain and erosion and we had great difficulty deciphering instructions for the walk around Durraes before the formal itinerary began.  We got seriously lost on paths which were under water and where the alternative route provided was most unclear to us. We did wonder how recently the tracks and instructions had been checked and reviewed for accuracy and suitability. We are aware that your walking holidays cater for all levels of walkers, but as relatively inexperienced walkers we were not equipped with multiple pairs of walking boots and full-length wet-weather gear which I would recommend in order to be able to keep to the itinerary which we were not at times.
The transfers and luggage arrangements all went smoothly and we would recommend this holiday to friends who want to get up close to the environment in which they choose to walk. Thank you for putting it all together for us - but please consider reviewing the instructions for currency and wet-weather suitability.

I have now walked each year (bar 2) with Inntravel since 2002 - so you must have got it right. My friends continue to want to walk also until age & infirmity prevents it. An interesting and varied selection for accommodation adds to the joy and interest. Friendly welcomes and good meals are the norm and the walking is seldom anything but most enjoyable.

A lovely walk from characterful manor house to characterful manor house. Blessed relief from brexit with like-minded people.

This was our first experience of Inntravel but we were thoroughly won over by both the character of the places we stayed, the detail of the routes, and the efficiency of the arrangements. An added bonus was the conversations we had with people on the routes (especially the sections of the Camino) and in the evenings at the Manor Houses. For me the very best of the route was walking through the vineyards, the stretch along the Ecovia less so.

Our first walking holiday - and we were looking at options for next year on the way back. At 69 apiece, we were flattered by our abilities, indeed some days could offer longer options - we went daringly off-piste three times, even nipping up a 700-metre summit on the last day. Meeting fellow walkers, other guests at communal tables, and pilgrims on Camino was a treat.  All our hosts were welcoming and very helpful. Travel via Porto proved simple. Do highlight the routes on the maps, to save wrestling with the copious notes!  Food and wine wonderful - but we would like to have seen inside more than two manor houses!

A very relaxing ramble through beautiful countryside, staying in unique and unusual accommodation. Particular highlights were our visit to Ponte de Lima a beautiful town on the river Lima, lots of history, things to do and good places to eat. Plus our stay at Paco de Calheiros, a large and grand manor house presided over by the slightly eccentric Count of Calheiros. A great trip thoroughly enjoyed by our whole party.

Wonderful holiday. Beautiful countryside and lovely people. We were made welcome wherever we went. Highlight was being given a bunch of freshly picked grapes by the pickers during their harvesting.

Excellent holiday. Lovely scenery, fantastic people, no pressure! Would highly reccommend.

We had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed every moment. The area is so unspoilt with the vines and chestnut groves all around on our walks. All our hosts were amazing and very friendly. We were lucky to have 2 evening meals, just the 4 of us, with the Count of Calheiros who we saw on and off during our stay. We would recommend visiting the Toy Museum in Ponte de Lima, also the information building in the parc de Arnado, right next to the Toy Museum. The park is beautiful but in the information centre for 50c you can see a museum and videos of the areas culture - wine making, flax growing for linen etc. - well worth a visit. The International Garden festival was also an interesting visit in Ponte de Lima. Do spend time talking to the owner of the Mercearia de Vila - he is such an interesting man and is so keen to tell you about all the artefacts on display. We stayed in the Cha Verde themed room which was fabulous.

We loved the variety of the accommodation and the friendliness of all the owners and their staff. We particularly loved Ponte de Lima as we arrived just at the end of their fiesta. We also enjoyed relaxing in the swimming pools at the end of the walks. The quality of the food at Quinta de Malta and Quinta do Sobreiro was exceptional.

The highlights for us of the Douro holiday were the train journey from Porto to Pinhao and the lunch at Manuel's restaurant in Pinhao. Also the circular walk whilst staying at Casa Vilarinho via Sabrosa. By amazing chance, we hit the very day the village was celebrating 500 years since Magellan circumnavigated the globe. We saw acrobats and tumblers performing in the little square and later had a beer in the central bar when players from the band piled in. What an atmosphere!  A local was trying to tell us something but it was too noisy to hear him. It was a lovely walk too, especially going through the pine woods. Made a change from vines!

The wine & port tasting and tour at the Quinta de la Rosa was excellent and well worth the 5km walk down there.

We enjoyed the Minho part of the holiday and felt the highlights were staying at Quinta de Sobreiro and accidently walking to Cruz where we were treated to the church bells at 12pm (Westminster Chimes) and at 12.03 (Ode to Joy, twice round!) while we sat in the bar opposite.

As always, it was good meeting the other Inntravelers and eating at a large table together.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our Valley of Gold and Manor Houses of the Minho walking holidays.