Upland corrals are a feature of the landscape of the Gerês mountain range and are inseparable from the history and culture of local communities going back over generations. They are spread far and wide across the common lands and were constructed by communities to provide a support base for shepherds near to grazing areas, where the shared grazing livestock remain during the hottest months of the year (May to September). They belong to a community (parish or hamlet), and are usually part of a network of several corrals, which, following a rotation system, are occupied for a time by the shepherds (or communal herdsmen) of the community who, according to a timescale and in their turn, have the responsibility to tend the animals entrusted to their care.

The Curral de Pinhô includes a single shelter which has recently been restored, and has a space for eating snacks and for the socialising between the herdsmen. Between May and September it is usually occupied by the communal herdsmen from Ribeira.