Old traditions, new pastures

The practices among them - how to guide and take care of livestock, their knowledge of flora and grasp of weather forecasts, amongst many other things - make the wisdom of these shepherds of incalculable cultural value.

Miguel Pula, 38, owner of a flock of 440 head of animals, a mix of Bordaleira sheep (native to the Serra da Estrela) and goats, leads the whole expedition. He decides where to stop and start up again, where to sleep, what to eat. He has spent the past 20 years working with flocks and his depth of experience is easy to appreciate.

Miguel only had to whistle two or three times and all the animals get underway. The path is narrow and tiring for everyone. Older animals sometimes hold things up and on occasion the young lambs have to be carried in the arms of shepherds until the next stop.

Five Serra da Estrela dogs, long-haired mastiffs with great poise that are native to these mountains, keep the herd safe.

The day starts early for a shepherd as the flock begins moving at six in the morning. The sound of cowbells and the bark of dogs starts from first light as the animals – often decorated with traditional woollen balls on their horns - are herded up steep, narrow paths.

This sound continues until ten in the morning when the herd stops to take a break.

The men and their flock usually rest in the shade and near water until the heat of the day passes. In the three days I spent with the shepherds, the climb didn’t start again until six in the evening.

The time off is used to solve logistical problems, chat, check the animals, eat, drink, sleep - and play pranks. There are many free hours and time enough for everything. Some use this time for their personal hygiene in a nearby stream. Others prepare food while a wineglass is passed around from one person to another to share.

During this break time, Miguel enjoyed encouraging me to see the marvels around me. He would say, "Look Rafael, a wonder", pointing at a sheep, a pasture, or some other landscape.

Miguel is well aware that shepherd life is hard so he values the virtues of his profession. And according to him, transhumance is like taking a holiday.

The pace of work now is different than in wintertime, when it takes four hours at sunrise to milk animals, then the same again in the evening, as well as the time and effort to find suitable pastures near their village. During transhumance the animals are not milked so much and pastures abound in these latitudes.

The march upwards restarts once the temperature drops and carries on until sunset.

At night-time the shepherds wrap up in their traditional jackets made from Bordaleira wool and if it rains they wear waterproof capes traditionally made of burel, a tightly woven fabric also made from sheep’s wool. These garments are hard-wearing: some jackets and coats are more than thirty years old.

Once we reached our camp for the night, we shared a meal, talked about the day’s events and planned the next day’s route. The day’s heat and legs tired from climbing made bedtime long awaited by all.

When you lie down and watch the awesome spectacle of stars in the sky, you understand perfectly why these mountains are called Serra da Estrela.

As Miguel would say: "A wonder".