Daily Mail, a British newspaper, made this week (November 2015) an article on the Casa do Penedo, House of the Rock, near Fafe, and carried the imagination of the British to the setting of the home of the Flintstones. Already in 2014 the house had appeared in the international press when it was considered one of the strangest houses in the world by Strange Buildings. We decided to go to our memory chest and remember the day we visited this house, during a small trek through the Fafe mountain range, in the north of Portugal.
In the parish of Várzea Cova, only 12 km (8 mile) from Fafe, the place is very accessible either by car (you can stop right next to the home of the Flintstones) or on foot, as there is a Small Route trail that passes right next to it.
The house was built in the 70’s, as a refuge from city life, and is made of stone, using three major pre-existing granite boulders. Surrounded by wind turbines for wind power production, the house has no electricity, which gives it an even more rustic character.
The house is uninhabited, and was used as a second home of a Portuguese family. Although the visitor is not able to enter, as of now, you can still see through the windows and have a small idea of how the house is inside. You can see, for example, how logs of wood serve as a handrail inside.
How to reach it by car the home of the Flintstones
Fafe mountain range is located between Fafe and Celorico de Basto. Getting here is not difficult. You can reach Fafe easily from Guimaraes, which is connected to O’Porto by A3 highway. From the small city of Fafe follow the National Road 310 towards Cabeceiras de Basto. At the top of Lameira, shortly after passing under a bridge there is a cut just after a small café, and that’s where you should follow. Then simply explore the dirt roads leading to the villages of the area. Take the opportunity to get lost here because local people are friendly and will welcome you, and explain how to get to Casa do Penedo.
If you do not like feeling lost, you can visit it following GPS coordinates: 41 ° 29’17.15 “N and 8 ° 4’3.67” W.
How to reach on foot the home of the Flintstones
You can reach the Casa do Penedo following the PR10, a Small Route hiking trail, 14 km (9.5 mile) long, which can be done easily in four or five hours. With a degree of low-medium difficulty, the track is accessible to everyone. It is a circular trail and begins at the substation of the Wind Farm of Highland Fafe. The route is very interesting because it is a theme route created with the aim of improving the knowledge of wind energy and granitic rocks.
The trail is very beautiful also, because it has nice panoramic views of Fafe mountain range and it allows contact with the rural way of life of these people. In addition, you can see St. Anthony’s chapel at Vilela, the Stone House in Alto da Facha, the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Guia, and Marco Fidalgo Rodrigo mark, an emblazoned granite block used to delimit the lands.
Hiking trail details
Departure and arrival points: substation of Wind Farm of Highland Fafe
Route designation: PR10 (Small Route)
Distance: 14 Km (9.5 mile)
Hiking time: 4 to 5 hours
Difficulty level: low / medium
Take advantage of our tips, and come and visit Portugal and the home of the Flintstones!
Carla Mota
I am a tirelessly curious portuguese world wanderer and also a travel photographer. My main passion lies in capturing disappearing ancient cultures, human condition and amazing nature wonders, challenging situations. My passion for travel photography has taken me to more than 80 countries which has helped me to create a vast collection of images of people and places from around the world.
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