Penascosa is a hamlet on the banks of the Côa, in a dry landscape of schist, scrub and old vines, and it has a double claim to fame. In the rocks beside the river is one of the three main rock art sites opened to visitors, with panels of engraved animals that include aurochs, horses and ibex, cut some twenty thousand years ago. The site is reached by guided tour from the museum in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, so the only way in is to book a place and turn up on time, and the walk to the engravings is short but can be hot.
The engravings were made in different periods. The oldest belong to the Upper Palaeolithic, when this valley was a cold grassland where herds of horses and aurochs roamed, and hunters followed them. Later people added their own images, and the surfaces were reused again and again, so the panels look like a palimpsest. The technique varies too, with some lines made by pecking and some by fine incision, a thin line scratched with a flint tool. The Côa is one of the few rivers in Portugal that flows north, and the valley opens to the Douro a few kilometres away.
The surrounding district is a quiet, thinly populated area where old men sit outside cafes in the shade and the smell of woodsmoke and olive oil hangs about the lanes. The vines on the hillsides belong to the Douro wine region, and in the autumn the leaves turn red and gold. Almond trees blossom in February, and storks nest on the church towers.
Riding here is slow and rewarding. The roads wind through the hills in hairpins, with views of the schist terraces and the river below, and the surface is usually good on the main routes but patchy on the minor ones. Summer heat is intense, and the schist radiates it, so start early. Wild fires are a hazard in a dry summer, and roads may be closed. Take care with gravel on the corners and with tractors.
Fuel is available at Vila Nova de Foz Côa, about eleven kilometres away, which has stations and shops, and Mêda has a few services. There is nothing at the site beyond the guide and a place to wait, so bring water and a hat.
Come in spring or autumn, and let the guide take their time. The longer you look, the more the rock gives up.