The best road cycling routes around Santalha

The Portela da Canda Pass, also known as the Canda Pass or simply A Canda, is a mountain pass of great geographical, historical, and cultural value that connects Galicia (province of Ourense) with Castile and León (province of Zamora). Located in the Sierra Segundera mountain range, within the Galician Massif, it has traditionally been a crossing point for travelers, merchants, and pilgrims. It forms part of the Sanabrés Way of St. James, an extension of the Silver Route (Vía de la Plata), and is the entry point into Galicia for pilgrims coming from the south. The surrounding area features Jacobean sculptures and wayside crosses (cruceiros) that guide the route, the work of the artist Nicanor Carballo.

It is not known when the castle was built or which monarch ordered it, however some authors argue that it was King D. Dinis, since there are references to works in Praça de Vinhais with the construction of some towers during his reign. Due to its border location, the castle had great military importance, as the territory had always been coveted by neighboring monarchs.

The walls of Vinhais date back to the time of the Roman invasion. Later, the Suebi or Visigoths reinforced and broadened the defensive line in the context of the Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. During the reign of King Denis of Portugal, the oval fence of the village was finished, with six towers, two of them flanking the main gate and one other, also integrated in the fence, functioning as a keep and an alcove. The castle's configuration, currently very dilapidated, would have a medieval image, in a late Gothic style. Already during the reign of King Manuel I of Portugal the degradation of the walls and of some towers was remarkable. Some bases of the old towers, a portal with a Gothic arch and a section of the barbican still remain.

The military road built by the Romans to connect Braga, Chaves and Astorga passed close to the present-day site of Vinhais and the Ponte da Rauca bridge also dates from that time. The town was founded in the thirteenth century by the Portuguese king D. Sancho, being situated on top of a hill that the Romans had used as a lookout post, from which they could supervise the whole region. It was later fortified in the fourteenth century at the orders of D. Dinis. Vinhais has succeeded in preserving a number of very interesting monuments, such as the church of São Facundo (founded by the Goths) and the convent of São Francisco, although, perhaps more than anything else, it is famed for the great richness of its cuisine, particularly its sausages, which are best purchased at the annual Smoked Meat Fair held here in February.

Small town located in the extreme south of the country and that offers us beautiful views of its old church, San Pedro de A Mezquita. Also, the Pazo da Mezquita.

Spectacular views that appear in these mountains that unite the towns of Seixas and Contim, with mountains full of green forests and surrounded by nature.

This group of towns chained by the road that connects them, Santalha for example, give us a landscape of mountains and hills that rise and fall. Nice to visit them with two wheels!

Beautiful views of the valley through which the Rabaçal River runs and where a bridge helps the road cross the same bank.