We start our hike at the PNPG Gateway installed in the castle at Lindoso, a mark of our national identity, founded at the beginning of the 13th century and classified as a National Monument since 1932. This is a magnificent example of medieval military architecture which never held any juridic-administrative status, always having been included within Terra da Nóbrega, the territorial area under the administration of Aboim da Nóbrega castle. It was occupied by the Spanish between 1662 and 1664 following the wars of Restoration, and at which time a new Vauban style wall was constructed in the form of a pentagonal star, this being the work of the Italian architect, D. Gasparo Squarciáfico, Marquis of Buscayolo. Following the signing of the 1668 Peace Treaty with Spain the castle was the subject of various alterations with the purpose of perfecting the defensive systems and housed, until 1895, military garrisons.
In the area adjacent to the castle we can appreciate another type of monument, the Espigueiros (maize granaries) of Lindoso. These espigueiros are mainly fashioned in granite, elaborately decorated sometimes with religious adornments. They are grouped around a single threshing floor. These structures are a superb manifestation of the art and skill of rural life. The importance of these espigueiros (and the area in which they are situated) is reflected in their status as buildings of Public Interest.