Penada Geres National Park

[donaldsc]

We are going to be off a Douro River cruise in early November. We were thinking of visiting the Penada Geres National Park right after the cruise before turning around and heading for southern Portugal. It would give us the opportunity to see some natural areas before we return the the world of churches and monasteries.. I have a few quuestions however.

 

How cold and/or rainy is it likely to be in the park at this time of the year? We will not be bringing warm weather clothing on our trip and I do not want to have to bring a warm weather jacket for just one day.

 

We only have time to spend one day in the park. We would drive up from Porto, spend a day in the park and sleep near the park. We would then turn around and head south. Does such a short visit make any sense.

 

Most important, do the scenic attractions and the villages around the park make this visit worth it.

 

Looking for the help of anyone who has visited Peneda Geres.

 

DON

[MADflyer]

I only went through that area on one occasion, driving down to Lisbon from Vigo, Spain.

 

I know that area is known for extreme rainfall year-round and I would assume based on other surrounding areas that January to March would be the worst rainy season.

 

Temps are not known to be extreme and lows of around 8 or 9 C at that time of the year would be likely. I guess that would be upper 40s. There are some 'micro-climates' that might get more extreme, but with it being about a 2 hour drive up from Porto you probably would not be exposed to the elements too greatly.

 

I do not want to be a judge of the trips value as my experience is so limited.

 

Just a tip on driving in Portugal. They have started enforcing speeding and other regulations more vigorously in recent years and the police actually carry credit card machines now and as a foreign driver especially, payment of fines is immediate and collected right at the traffic stop.