The Old Sarramalha

Once upon a time...

An old lady known as Velha Sarramalha or Tí Sarramalha, who was part of one of the mountain villages of Serra do Soajo , in the Peneda Gerês National Park . In times past, it was a custom and a necessity for people from the most remote villages to cross the mountain range to carry out commercial transactions, such as potatoes and livestock, since they lived off agriculture and pastoralism. An example is the village of Soajo , where to go toVila dos Arcos , they had to cross the Portela do Mezio, in the Serra do Soajo.

On one of these trips, in the dead of winter, Old Sarramalha, carrying a sack of potatoes on her head, accompanied a group of people on a trek through the mountains along what is now the Rota dos Bicos (Route of the Peaks). The Serra de Soajo is unforgiving when it comes to weather, and as the cold, sudden fog set in, the old woman fell behind, becoming imperceptible to the rest of the group.

Frail, cold, and tired, Old Sarramalha put down her sack of potatoes and sat on a rock to rest. The cold mountain night proved relentless, and the old woman, overcome by fatigue and the harsh conditions, eventually died on the spot.

In a symbolic act and a way of paying homage to the people of bygone eras, a Sarramalha Cross tombstone was placed at the spot where she was found lifeless (1916). The story highlights human vulnerability in the face of nature, the difficulties faced by those who lived in the mountains in search of means of subsistence. It also reveals the importance of caring for the elderly.

Route of the Spouts