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Ribeira de Seda Trail
June 25, 2021
PONTE DE SOR: PEDESTRIAN TRAIL ALENTEJO FEEL NATURE Ribeira de Sor is a place of watermills and millers since the 13th century. The Royal Charter of our king Afonso III, dated 13th July 1256, refers to watermills belonging to chancellor Estêvão Anes: “molendinos quos habetis in Ripa de Soor” (mills he has in Ribeira de Sor). Parochial registers from 1758 mention more than ten watermills in this region.  The Ribeira de Sor trail, part of the pedestrian trails Alentejo Feel Nature – PR1 PSR, takes you to three of those, situated between Ponte de Sor e Tramaga, all dated from the beginning of the 9th century: Moinho da Sobreira (Sobreira Watermills); Moinho da Pontinha (Pontinha Watermill), and the more imponent of the three, Moinho Novo (New Watermill). This last one allows you to cross to the other bank, an area ideal for rod fishing. Enjoy this trail, but don’t forget your picnic, to recharge your batteries, as the whole trail, though an easy one, will take more than 4 hours. Leaving the Ponte de Sor Riverbank Area, you should head for the pedestrian bridge that allows you to cross the stream to the left bank.  From there, climb to ribeira de Vale do Bispo (Vale do Bispo creek), walk through the montado, with its beautiful cork oaks, and arrive at aldeia de Ervideira (Ervideira hamlet). Walk across the village and head again to the banks of Ribeira de Sor. You will then be able to spot the famous Tramaga Watermills, that once did the beautiful job of turning grains into flour for bread. Walk the trail calmly, to enjoy all the nature’s sounds, coming from the water or from the birds that accompany you along: the white stork, the black-winged kite, the black kite, the booted eagle and the European bee-eater. Pick your favourite nook to spread the towel and eat your picnic. Properly recharged, follow the trail, returning to the bridge over Ribeira de Sor and crossing to the other bank to walk down to the beautiful Parque da Marginal (Riverbank Park). Continue by the riverside and appreciate all the leisure equipment you find in your way. The trail ends in the same place it started. Such a walk without a Ponte de Sor Genial Picnic will get you very hungry, so don’t forget to book yours. BOOK PICNIC
trail discover montargil
June 22, 2021
MONTARGIL: TRANSALENTEJO TRAIL. This trail PSR PR2 reunites heritage and nature, delighting your eyes with the Montargil dam landscape.  The trail starts in the viewpoint near the village Centro Cultural. And carries on between the forests of eucalyptus, cork oaks and holm oaks till the geodesic marker, from where you get a wide and breathtaking view, with the village of Montargil and the water mirror of the dam as the background. Don’t forget to take with you a Ponte de Sor Genial Picnic and enjoy it wherever the lanscape inspires you. BOOK PICNIC
Roman Bridge of Vila Formosa
June 15, 2021
ALTER DO CHÃO (RIBEIRA DE SEDA): NATIONAL MONUMENT 1st CENTURY AD. One of the local key points for an excellent Alter do Chão Genial Picnic is the Roman Bridge of Vila Formosa. According to the legend, a shepherd sold his soul to the devil in exchange for a bridge he could cross with his cattle, saving it from serious hunger. When the last stone was laid, a black cock was born and immediately began to sing. The devil himself got scared and ran away without receiving the shepherd’s soul.  People say that this stone is still there, but that it falls every time they put it in its proper place. National monument, the Roman Bridge was built in the late 1st century  AD/ early 2nd century AD, across the road that connected Olisipo (Lisbon) to Emerita (Merida), by Abelterium (today’s Alter do Chão ). A true tribute to endurance, the bridge has resisted for millennia. Upon arriving to the creek, spread your cloth, open your picnic backpack and enjoy all the food with the nature sounds as background. Try to identify the players that make that symphony as you walk down the “Ribeira de Seda”. The flora sets: the grey willow, the  narrow-leafed ash, the poplar and the alder. The fauna sets: the white stork, the little egret, the grey heron, great crested grebe, the mallard, the gadwall and the Eurasian otter. BOOK PICNIC
Ribeira de Seda Trail
June 13, 2021
ALTER DO CHÃO: PEDESTRIAN TRAIL ALENTEJO FEEL NATURE. If you like walking, follow the trail PR1 ALT-A Glance over Ribeira de Seda. After picking up your Alter do Chão Genial Picnic in Páteo Real Restaurant , head to the Churchyard, facing west, and admire the landscape: to the east, Alter do Chão and Alter Pedroso; to the south, Évoramonte, and to the west, Ribeira de Seda, whose source is northeast, in  Serra de São Mamede. Your trail will be parallel to this creek. Meanwhile, take a stroll in the village, and find its old walls. Follow these walls to the north and find another viewpoint near the São João Chapel. Walk down a paved street until you find the left bank of Ribeira de Seda, surrounded by magnificent woods. Further down, you will arrive at a disactivated road that takes you to the beautiful roman bridge of Vila Formosa. Go back to the creek’s bank and find the Mendes bridge, made of shale, over the Ribeira de Alfeijós. Though uncertain, the origin of this bridge seems medieval. Cross the bridge and arrive at the hamlet of Chança, where the trail ends. If you follow another variant of this trail – PR1.1 ALT – 4,9 km long and 1h 45m duration, you may start in Seda, crossing its creek to the right bank and going downstream. In the initial phase of this route, you will find vineyards and olive trees of the Herdade de Vale de Barqueiros. The walk ends at the border between the municipalities of Alter do Chão and Avis. BOOK PICNIC
rota-do-castelo-de-seda
June 7, 2021
ALTER DO CHÃO (ALDEIA DE SEDA): TRANSALENTEJO TRAIL. A trail with moments of rare beauty, such as the ones by the bank of Ribeira de Seda and the vineyards. After a short initial section, the trail follows easy rural paths allowing for stunning views. Leave 1º de Maio street and turn right. Climb Poço street all the way up, passing in the middle of the white houses of Seda, take Cândido dos Reis and 5 de Outubro streets and finally Castelo street. After admiring the landscape from the viewpoint, turn back for a while and then turn left down the stairs “Escadinhas do Ribeirinho”. Take the rural path going down and turn left when you have the chance. You will start to follow the left bank of Ribeira de Seda (the creek), until you hit the asphalt of the old road. Pass along the Parque de Merendas (picnic park) ideal to enjoy an Alter do Chão Genial Picnic. After, cross the Roman Bridge of Vila Formosa and follow the abandoned asphalt road, taking the left side. Admire all the fabulous montes alentejanos (the typical farm houses), the water mirrors of the rural dams, the vineyards and olive trees. In the horizon, the image of “Aldeia de Seda” inspires special emotions to the traveller. Cross once more the creek Ribeira de Seda, through a modest road bridge and, upon hitting on the hamlet, turn left in the first street and then right, arriving at the church Igreja Matriz. Go down the street on the left and arrive at Cândido dos Reis street. Proceed to Poço Novo, where you started this journey. BOOK PICNIC
April 8, 2021
PARQUE NATURAL DE SINTRA CASCAIS. There are four Pedestrian Trails you can do in Cascais, namely in the Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais (Sintra -Cascais Nature Park). As these trails have a low to medium difficulty, they are adequate to almost everybody. Rota PR1 CSA )– Rota das Quintas (Farms Trail) allows you to discover  small and very rural hamlets  (Alcorvim, Janes e Zambujeiro), to enjoy the freshness of the tree cover of Ribeira das Vinhas and to walk through Quinta do Pisão and its silvopastoral activities. The trail PR2 CSC – Rota do Cabo Raso (Cabo Raso trail) takes you through the rural landscape around the village of Areia, the ruins of Casais Velhos, the Cresmina dune, the beautiful costal of the Guincho road, the lighthouse of Cabo Raso and the fort of S. Brás de Sanxete. PR3 CSC – Rota das Aldeias (Trail of the Villages) is ideal to enjoy the Southern slopes of serra de Sintra, dazzling you with breath-taking views from the Capela de Nossa Sr.ª da Peninha (a chapel). In this trail, you will also get to know Malveira da Serra, Biscaia and Figueira do Guincho, all three villages nested in the serra de Sintra surroundings. Through the Rota do Litoral do Guincho – PR4 CSC (Guincho Coastal Trail) you will enjoy the view from the coastal cliffs between the beaches of Abano and Grota, and the Fort of Guincho, as well as get to know the villages of Charneca and Malveira da Serra and the valley of Ribeira da Foz do Guincho (a creek). When you decide to follow these trails, don’t Forget to reserve your Cascais Genial Picnic to take with you in our special backpack. BOOK PICNIC
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