We are now in the area of the cattle “brandas” (temporary summer villages). These are more common than the “brandas” with associated agricultural activity. The shepherds herded the animals, all from from one common place or from several places in the parish and only these were allowed to stay at the “branda”.

In the “branda” of “Chã da Matança” you can see a group of granite stones lying on the ground. At one time there used to be over 500 head of cattle, together with their shepherds, from Soajo (the “Soajeiros”) there. The shepherds took shelter in the old house, while the animals waited inside the “bezerreira” (small enclosure around the shepherds’ shelter) before being taken onto the mountain. Men and animals would stay at the “branda” for about three months, then return to the valley, to Soajo, after the “Senhora da Peneda” festival in September.