Sao Lourenço

The name ‘Guarda’ refers to the extraordinary number of forts and castles keeping watch over this mountain territory, so close to the ancient border with Spain. Trancoso, quarter of an hour away, is an excellent medieval example of the kind, sitting on a high plateau and full of traces of a history dating back to the Moorish invasions in the 10th-century. On a more contemporary note, it’s also your nearest point for restaurants, bars and supermarkets. To walk history of a more ancient kind, make tracks for the Parque Arqueológico do Valle do Côa (50 minutes’ drive), to see open-air rock paintings in a nature-filled river valley that’s ideal for hikes and picnics. For wilderness walks, watersports and lazing on the beach, it’s half an hour to the Vilar dam and reservoir, one of many in this region of mountains and rivers. To get high up, head for the Parque Natural de le Serra da Estrela, a natural park region containing Portugal’s highest peak and only ski resort; the mountain village of Linhares da Beira, 50 minutes away, makes a good starting-point for walking, biking, driving and hang-gliding trips around the northern part of the park.