The impressive fortified town of Almeida

Located in a vast high plain overlooking the Côa River. The walls were built in the shape of a twelve-pointed star, which you don't get to see if you are on the ground so we found a photo below which shows it. The walls are all intact and you enter through various gates.

We stayed just outside the walls in a free Aire including electricity! Just as well because at 760 m it was a bit chilly. In fact, most fortified towns we have visited recently are at similar altitudes, including our previous stop at Meda.

The weather was very cold - ignore the shorts, they are just for show! This is one of the entrances.

We were able to look around the Picadeiro Del ́Rey stables and see the very well kept horses in their very posh accommodation. You can do a horse and carriage ride but there didn't seem to be any going on. The horses were lovely and there was a very handsome stallion there.

Before we left, Dee went for a run and logged her path - looks familiar!

We left Almeida to visit the museum at Vila Nova de Foz Coa, located on a peninsular just outside town where the Coa river meets the Duoro river.

The museum is a brutalist designed building on the cliff - quite impressive but inside it is like a dungeon! It was very modern with lots of exhibits of findings from the Côa Valley including replicas of the rock art that we have already seen. The ultraviolet lighting used for the outlines made us look like zombies!