Mós

How long to stay?

A break is enough. Mós lies in the middle of the 31.3-kilometre stage from Freixo to Torre de Moncorvo, and you still have 15.7 kilometres ahead of you afterwards. Half an hour is enough to walk the straight main street, look at the castle remains and the square with pillory and church, and rest.

Mós in Ninja numbers

• 15.6 kilometres lie behind you since Freixo de Espada à Cinta, 15.7 are still to go to Torre de Moncorvo on the Caminho Leon de Rosmithal.
• 327 metres is the lowest point before Mós, at kilometre 31.7; from there you climb to 565 metres into the village.
• 731 metres is where you are 6 kilometres after Mós, the highest point of the stage.
• 1162 was the year Mós received its charter from Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal.

Arriving: into the village on the hill

From Freixo the route crosses the plateau and descends into a valley; at kilometre 31.7 you reach the stage's lowest point at 327 metres. Then you climb to Mós at 565 metres. The village stretches along a straight street, the Rua Direita, and north of it, on a hill, lies what is left of the castle.

In brief: a castle that disappeared

In the Middle Ages Mós mattered more than it looks today. In 1162 Afonso Henriques gave the place a charter, and around the church of Santa Maria a castle grew up with an oval ring of schist walls. A third of the church tithe went to its upkeep. But wars emptied the village, power moved to neighbouring Carviçais and to Torre de Moncorvo, and in the 17th century a priest described the castle as largely ruined. In the 19th century Mós also lost its own municipality.

Around the castle: what to see

Everything lies on the main street and on the square in front of the castle gate.

• The castle remains: Only sections of the oval wall survive, with houses built against them; in 1963 a collapsed stretch was rebuilt. The remains have been protected since 1955. The south gate once opened the castle to the roads to Freixo, Moncorvo and Miranda.
• Pillory and church of Santa Maria: Both stand in front of the castle gate, the pillory on the square with the old town hall. It is a reminder that justice was once administered here.
• The Rua Direita: The straight street divides the village from north to south. According to a report on the route, a stretch of it has medieval paving.

Honestly

• No bed. There is no accommodation in Mós on the route; it is still 15.7 kilometres to Torre de Moncorvo.
• Don't count on supplies. We have not found a documented café or shop. Bring water and food from Freixo.
• There is little to see of the castle. If you expect a fortress you will be disappointed; Mós is worth it as a quiet village, not as a monument.

Ninja tips

• Have your lunch break here. Mós lies exactly in the middle of the longest stage, and after it comes the climb to 731 metres.
• Save energy for the afternoon. After Mós the route climbs once more, 6 kilometres to the stage's highest point, before you descend to Torre de Moncorvo.

Onward: to Torre de Moncorvo

From Mós you first climb to 731 metres at kilometre 41.3 and then descend to Torre de Moncorvo at 396 metres: 15.7 kilometres with 200 metres of ascent and 370 metres of descent.

Deep dive: A village that grew smaller

A short read, in case you want to learn more about Mós. About two minutes' reading.

A charter from the first king

Mós is old. People lived here as early as the early Iron Age, and in the year 1162 Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, granted the village a charter. In the twelfth century that was a distinction: a place with a charter had its own rights and its own duties, and Mós got a castle with an oval ring of schist walls. In front of it stood the church of Santa Maria, and a third of its tithe went to the upkeep of the walls.

How power moved on

But border places have a hard time. Fighting emptied the village, and power moved to neighbouring Carviçais, which soon grew larger. In the seventeenth century Mós counted ninety households, Carviçais two hundred and fifty. A priest described the castle at that time as largely ruined, with a cistern inside. In the nineteenth century Mós lost its own municipality and became part of Torre de Moncorvo.

What remains

What remains are a few walls with houses built against them, a pillory in front of the old gate and the straight street that still orders the village today. You are walking through a place that was once a centre and now lies on the edge. Perhaps that is exactly the right mood for the middle of a long stage: nothing left to prove, just keep walking.