Undiscovered Portugal

TRIP DOSSIER
Undiscovered Portugal
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• Visit UNESCO World Heritage Site of Marvao
• Walk in unspoilt tranquil countryside
• See fascinating birdlife
Self-Guided Departures
Walking Grade: B – Moderate
Trip Code: TPOR
For dates and prices visit
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Introduction
The hills of the Alentejo, in which the Sao Mamede
Natural Park is found are just two hours inland from
Lisbon on Portugal’s border with central Spain, and are
widely recognised as on of Europe’s most beautiful and
unspoilt areas. The hills run along the border and spill
over into Spanish Extremadura as the Sierra de San
Pedro, with the highest point at 1,025 metres, Pico de
Sao Mamede. It is a mystical region of wooded hills,
rocky crests and fertile valleys, criss-crossed with
mediaeval tracks and archaeological remains – a region
where time has simply stood still. Life has changed little
in the picturesque white-washed villages where bread,
cheeses and regional wines are still produced in
traditional ways, and local produce feeds the
communities. The Sierra de Sao Mamede, a Natural
Park since 1989, is at the junction of the Mediterranean
and Atlantic climatic zones giving a diverse fauna and
flora typical of both. Cork oak woodlands and olive
groves mingle with sweet chestnut and Pyrenean oak,
and botanists will be interested in the numerous types
of wild flowers here. It is also a fascinating are for
wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers being home to
rare wildlife such as wolf, lynx, boar and over 120
resident and migratory bird species such as vultures,
and eagles including the Bonellis Eagle, the Park’s
emblem.
Starting from the old castle town of Castelo de Vide,
ancient stock tracks lead you towards the Pico Sao
Mamede, past tranquil lakes (good for swimming),
through vineyards and orchards, and on along the
‘Smugglers Route’, over the border into Spain. Enjoy
leisurely picnic lunches of acorn fattened black ‘jamon
iberico’, and local goats cheese, whilst vultures and
eagles soar above on the thermals. From a converted
convent hotel, you pass back into Portugal through
rocky countryside carpeted in wild flowers to the
mediaeval walled town of Marvao, a UNSECO World
Heritage Site. Enjoy a day here exploring the castle and
nearby Roman ruins at Ammaia. Finally, with views
over wild landscapes towards the Estrela Mountains,
you descend through olive groves back to Castel de
Vide and one last evening to reflect on your journey
back in time. Few tourists have discovered this
secluded and very beautiful part of Portugal, and it is
rare to meet many other walkers on the trails. Even in
the height of the season the towns are not overrun with
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tourists, except of course, for the annual chestnut fair in
Marvao in November and the Carnival in Castelo de
Vide.
Important Note
Due to the specialist nature of our holidays, day to day
itineraries should be taken as a guide only, and as
statements of intent and not contractual obligations. We
regularly update our trip dossiers to take into account
changes to trekking routes, accommodation, local
transport etc. Such changes are a factor of this type of
holiday and when made are out of necessity. Other
factors such as adverse weather, unforeseen
circumstances and other matters entirely out of our
control etc can also lead to enforced changes during
the course of the holiday. It is not possible to guarantee
that any of our holidays will operate exactly as per the
anticipated itinerary. The most current trip dossier will
be made available on our website. We will also send
you the most up to date trip dossier with your “Final
Joining Instructions” approx. 2 weeks before departure
and you should carefully check this for any changes
that may affect your plans. Before booking you should
read our “Types of Trip” and “Essential and Useful
information” sections on www.walksworldwide.com
including our ‘Important Warning’.
Your holiday
The area you visit
Neolithic man left the many dolmens and menhirs in the
region, which you will have an opportunity to visit on
day 4, but it was during the Roman occupation that the
original forests started opening up to roads, bridges,
weirs, watermills and farming wheat, sweet chestnut
and olives. The main Roman town in the area, Ammaia,
was built near Sao Salvador de Aramenha, and an
impressive museum of objects found in the excavations
and the city’s ruins can be visited on your free day in
Marvao.
The geology of the area is complex, with areas of
schist, ancient granite and limestone valleys with rich
red soils where one of the caves holds possibly the
largest bat colony’s in Europe. You walk past jagged
quartzite rock ridges with cliff nesting raptors, rising
above the pine and chestnut forests. The most
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spectacular of these ridges are above Castelo de Vide,
and the cliffs at the Galegos border where vultures
nest.
Flora and Fauna
On your walks look out overhead for griffon vulture and
the rare black vulture soaring on thermals, Bonelli’s
eagle, short toed eagle, ‘meowing’ buzzards, the
smaller goshawk and ravens. Amongst the rocks and
trees the melodious nightingales, blue rock thrush, rock
bunting, red-rumped swallows, crag martins, the
beautiful crested hoopoe, little owls, golden orioles with
their ‘fluting’ song, bee-eaters – one of the most
colourful birds, although the brilliant blue rollers are
pretty good too!
This area is rich in flora. The wild flowers in the Sierra is
at its most prolific and colourful in the Spring and early
Summer. The nostalgic smell of french lavender,
heathers and yellow broom, the brilliant poppies and
gladioli, the rare blue hedgehog broom, the exquisite
angel’s tears and hoop-petticoat narcissi, Spanish
bluebells, wild tulips, crocuses, and red peonies.
Flitting between the flowers are many species of
butterflies including the scarce swallowtail and the red
dotted Spanish festoon which lay their eggs on
birthwort.
Life on trek
As this is a self-guided holiday you can choose the time
of day you wish to start your walk. We recommend that
you start early on hot days to avoid the mid-day heat.
Your main baggage is transferred between each
overnight halt leaving you free to walk carrying only
your usual daypack.
Walking conditions
For as much as possible the walking is on dirt tracks
which are generally fairly easy going, through the hills
Ascent and descent is a natural feature of this holiday
although these sections are rarely steep or sustained.
Distances vary between 15 and 25 km, with daily
walking times varying between 4-6 hours, with one day
at leisure (optional walks available) to enjoy Marvao.
Overall this is a moderate walking holiday best enjoyed
at a steady, but leisurely pace. You will have plenty of
time to observe birds and flowers etc en route. On the
walks, you are unlikely to meet many other walkers. It is
important that you have a reasonable level of fitness
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and are capable of walking 4-6 hours per day for
several days consecutively.
A full explanation of the trip grading can be found in our
brochure or online at www.walksworldwide.com. You
should ensure you are comfortable walking at this level
of grading and are physically prepared for the trip.
Self-Guided Holiday
As the name suggests, self-guided holidays are for
those that prefer to be independent. Within reason you
are able to dictate your own schedule, as well as walk
at your own pace with the aid of route notes and maps.
All your accommodation has been reserved in advance
and unless otherwise stated within this trip dossier, your
main baggage is transferred between each
accommodation along the way, so there’s no need to
worry about carrying heavy loads and having to back
pack. This means you only need to walk each day and
carry your usual lightweight daypack. However, it is
important that you are entirely comfortable with being
independent whilst on a walking holiday.
For detailed information as to what a self-guided
holiday entails please read the self-guided walking
holidays section at Types of Trip section on
www.walksworldwide.com before booking your selfguided walking holiday.
Route Notes- Help keep them up to date
Things can and do change along the routes that selfguided walking holidays follow. A sign may have been
changed, or even removed, a path may have been
obstructed, even re-routed, a landmark the route notes
refer to may simply no longer exist. It is clearly
impossible to keep track of all the changes that may
occur outside the local tour operators control and
knowledge. It may be the route notes translation can be
improved (they are translated into several languages by
the local operator after all) too. Clearly a case of “last
person to walk the route” has the most up to date
information. In the spirit of camaraderie amongst
walkers and in an effort to constantly keep route notes
updated and improved upon, the local operator (contact
details in your final joining instructions) will always
welcome notification of any changes along the
way/recommendations for improvement if you would
care to forward any useful and specific information to
them. Alternatively, send to Walks Worldwide and we
will forward accordingly.
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Day 4 Take the ‘smugglers route' to Spain
Detailed itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Castelo de Vide
Arrive at Castelo de Vide (See ‘How to join and depart
this trip’ section later in this Trip Dossier).
Hotel
Day 2 Follow 'medieval footsteps' to
Revalados
You start walking from Castelo de Vide by ascending
up to the rock perched Penha church with vast views
towards the Estrela mountains. Continue along the
patterned mediaeval track to the traditional farming
village of Carreiras. These ancient tracks link farms and
fields and various white hill villages. You can have
either a picnic or bar lunch at Marcelino’s. There will be
ample opportunity for birdwatching and studying the
prolific wild flowers. From Carreiras you follow tracks to
Revelados passing huge cork and chestnut trees You
can take your evening meal in your charming and
friendly family-run converted farmhouse.
Walking Duration: 5 hours / 18km
Hotel (breakfast & lunch)
Day 3 'The valley walk'.
vineyards and orchards
Swimming,
Setting out from Revelados you follow the edge of a
pretty lake and various country lanes to Porto da
Espada, an attractive village surrounded by chestnut
trees in the heart of the São Mamede hills. Take lunch
in the Casa de Pasta Dona Estrela (Porto da Espada),
a tavern caught in a time warp! Following up the valley
past vineyards, orchards and grazing animals, you
come to the Quinta Soutinha, a quiet spot to spend the
night right under the highest hill in the range. (16 kms).
You can purchase a simple, but tasty supper a short
distance up the road at the Tasca Monte Sete.
Walking Duration: 4 hours / 16km
Hotel (breakfast & lunch)
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Today you follow the Smugglers Route into Spain!
Starting from Monte Sete you meander through cherry
orchards (blossom time late March and early April and
fruit in June) and down a track passing a small slate
quarry (still hand extracted) and a waterfall, to the
hamlet of Montinho. You then walk over the Sierra Fria
into Spain. This was once a busy smugglers track
before the EU did away with frontiers. Near El Pino you
can stop off to sample the acorn-fattened black pig
‘jamon iberico’, local sheep and goat cheese and wine.
Then on to Los Mellizos to see the 7000 year old
dolmens. In this area you often see vultures and eagles
soaring above on the thermals as they nest in the
surrounding rocky cliffs. A short walk brings you to San
Pedro, and the unique converted convent Hotel.
Walking Duration: 6 hours / 22km
Coverted Convent (breakfast & lunch)
Day 5 Walk 'the Marvao experience',
crossing back into Portugal
Marvão is a mediaeval walled town and castle set on a
high rock. (UNESCO World Heritage site, population
186) and is always visible to the west, the white town
on a craggy outcrop. The walk takes you along tracks
through Fontañera and back into Portugal with
attractive rocky countryside with scattered cork trees
and farmhouses, wild flowers, Blue rock thrush and
Crag martins. After a picnic lunch, the last part of this
walk is up a steep mediaeval track entering Marvão
through one of its two gateways. You will stay in the
Casa Dom Dinis in the higher part of the village, and
there is a selection of convivial restaurants for dinner.
Walking Duration: 6 hours / 22km
Hotel (breakfast & lunch)
Day 6 Leisure day in Marvao. Options of
local walks
A day at leisure. You can enjoy the local surroundings
and walk the castle walls...about two kilometres, all with
amazing views. Or try one of the local walks. Or you
can visit to the fascinating Roman city remains and
museum at Ammaia. Hotel (breakfast)
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Day 7 Chestnut, cork, sheep and olive day!
Walk back to start point of the holiday
Leaving Marvão you descend to Vale de Rodão through
chestnut and oak woods, small farms and olive groves,
with sheep and goats grazing nearby. Enjoy a picnic
lunch under a large cork tree. Continue on ancient
tracks back to Castelo de Vide and the Hotel Castelo
de Vide. The rest of the afternoon is free to explore
Castelo de Vide, its castle and lively Jewish Quarter.
Walking Duration: 3-4 hours / 14km
If you want to use up more energy, try the ‘challenge’
walk between Marvão and Castelo de Vide. This walk
takes you from the heights of Marvão down to the tiny
hamlet of Cabeçudos through a wild and rocky
landscape, then over pine and oak clad hills and
through the delightful village of Escusa. From here you
climb up to a rocky crest and finally down to Castelo de
Vide. This is an alternative walk for your last day, or can
be adapted into a circular walk for your quiet day in
Marvão!
Hotel (breakfast & lunch)
Depart Castelo de Vide.
(breakfast)
Practical Information
How to join and depart this trip
The joining point for this trip is Castelo de Vide on day 1
of the above itinerary. The nearest international airport
is Lisbon.
In order to avoid unnecessary costs inflating the price of
your trip, arrival airport transfers are not included,
so you should make your way on arrival to the joining
point (full details of the joining hotel will be sent 2-3
weeks before your trip departs). However, if you prefer,
our consultants can arrange an arrival transfer for you if
you request this - please contact us for prices.
Alternatively, a licensed, metered taxi or local, public
transport may be available from the airport.
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Flight Inclusive
We recommend that you book this trip as a 'Flight
Inclusive' package. Booking your international flights
through Walks Worldwide guarantees you peace of
mind and provides 100% financial protection under our
CAA ATOL licence. What's more, if you book your flights
with us as well as your ground arrangements, we will
manage these flight arrangements both before and
during your trip. As an ATOL Licence holder, we are
able to secure and arrange competitively-priced airfares
with most major airlines from the UK, as well as the
option of regional departures too.
Land Only
Day 8 Depart Castelo de Vide
The departure point for this trip is our tour hotel in
Castelo de Vide, and you can plan your departure
anytime on day 8 of the trip itinerary. Again, in order to
avoid unnecessary costs inflating the trip price,
departure airport transfers are also not included. If
you prefer, our consultants can arrange a departure
transfer for you on request - please contact us for
prices. Alternatively, a licensed, metered taxi or local,
public transport may be arranged from the hotel to take
you to the airport.
If you would prefer to arrange your own international
travel you can book this trip as a 'Land Only' package,
where the price does not include international flights.
Please note that if you are booking your own flights
there are certain risks you should be aware of. Many
airline tickets purchased directly are non-refundable and
often do not provide you with any financial protection
(unlike booking your flights with ourselves where you
would be 100% protected under our CAA ATOL
licence). For this reason we strongly advise that you
check the rules of any flight booking you make, and
check the limitations under any insurance policy you
may have in relation to cancellation or date changes.
We cannot be held liable for any losses incurred or
consequences of any flight bookings or related travel
arrangements you have made yourself, such as if your
international flights were delayed or cancelled and you
could not join or depart your holiday on time. If you do
decide to book Land Only, we strongly advise that you
do not book international flights or make other travel
arrangements (especially if there are financial penalties
for cancellation or change) until your chosen holiday is
guaranteed to run. Please also ensure when making
your own international travel arrangements that they
enable you to join and depart this trip in accordance with
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the criteria specified in the How to join and depart this
trip section of this Trip Dossier.
wines are excellent. The corks are also grown and
made locally.
Local transport
Climate
All transfers are by private vehicles.
It is of course impossible to predict the precise weather
conditions you will encounter during the course of your
holiday. The Alentejo has a typically Mediterranean
climate with long dry sunny warm summers, with most
of the rainfall during the cooler winters. The midsummer
temperatures can be very hot during July and August.
The most pleasant walking months are March to June,
and September to November.
Travel by Train
If you would prefer to travel to Lisbon by train
www.raileurope.co.uk provides an online booking
service for European rail services, including Eurostar.
Please do not book your International rail tickets or
make any other travel arrangements until we have
checked availability and confirmed your booking.
Accommodation
Accommodation will be reserved for you on a twin
share basis unless you have already requested a single
room at extra cost.
The first and last nights are spent in the Hotel Castelo
de Vide in Castelo de Vide, 3 star, with its own pool,
and conveniently situated for exploring the town.
Quinta do Barrieiro is set in the heart of the São
Mamede hills and is a very comfortable conversion of a
group of farmhouses. There is a gorgeous swimming
pool and Maria and José Manuel provide excellent
hospitality.
Quinta do Soutinho is beautifully situated under the
Pico de São Mamede, and also has a lovely pool. It is
run by Ermelinda and José Antonio who will look after
you, and direct you to the local taverna Monte Sete for
a simple but delicious evening meal.
The Convento de San Pedro, for your night in Spain, is
converted from an ancient convent maintaining many
original features, within the small village of San Pedro,
and has a restaurant and pool.
The Casa Dom Dinis in Marvão is a small family run
hotel in the higher part of the village. They also run the
nearby Bar do Castelo where they provide snacks and
meals. Marvão has several restaurants and excellent
handicraft shops.
Baggage
Please make sure that your baggage is clearly marked
with your name, inside as well as outside, in case the
labels get detached. Please limit your luggage to max
20kg and to one piece per person. As your main
baggage will be transported by vehicle a normal
suitcase can be used for your main baggage.
Vaccinations & health
We always recommend visiting your doctor and dentist
for a check up before travelling. Your doctor will also
have access to the most up to date information on
vaccinations and medical precautions for the country
you are about to visit. In general, no vaccinations are
necessary for Portugal and health problems here are
quite rare. A useful travel health online resource is
www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk
Please make sure that you obtain form EHIC either
online www.dh.gov.uk or from your local post office
– you will need to produce this if you have to see a
doctor.
First Aid
All accommodations are subject to availability and
change.
You should always carry your own small, personal first
aid kit. This should consist of the following: A general
anti-biotic, throat lozenges, painkillers, plasters (bandaids), blister treatment, insect repellent (DEET),
rehydration salts, antiseptic cream, diarrhoea treatment
(e.g. Imodium).
Food
Security
Breakfasts will be taken at your overnight
accommodation and picnic lunches will be provided. As
you will no doubt experience, the colours and flavours
from the small farms are wonderful and the local
restaurants are proud to serve the local produce, not
forgetting the olives and olive oil, chestnuts, goat and
sheep cheeses and local baked bread. Dried codfish
has been an essential part of the Portuguese cuisine for
centuries and there are dozens of ways of preparing it.
Local traditional dishes include rich vegetable soups, a
spicy hot tomato and bread soup, a cold tomato soup in
the summer months, and açorda alentejana made with
lots of garlic, olive oil and coriander. Then golden
codfish, lamb or kid stew, venison, wild boar, pork and
clams, and the superb flavour of the local black pig
grilled on charcoal. There are a tempting list of
puddings and fruits, and the local grown and bottled
Whilst the vast majority of travellers never experience
anything untoward it is worth taking precautions
particularly in urban areas. You should take sensible
precautions in crowded areas such as street markets
and airports, where pick-pocketing is common, and
keep clear of any street disturbances. Don’t wear
jewellery, or leave your bags unattended, keep large
amounts of money, cameras and mobile phones out of
sight when walking in town centres, and avoid walking
in city centres after dark. Keep copies of important
documents, including passports, in a separate place to
the documents themselves, together with details of
credit cards. Leave copies at home with a friend
too. Safeguard valuables, important documents and
cash and deposit them in hotel safes, where
practicable.
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Currency
The Portuguese currency is the ‘Euro’. Please refer to
www.xe.com for up to date rates.
ATM machines available in the bigger towns, Castelo
de Vide and Marvao. You will not have access to any
banks or ATM machines in the rest of the villages and
you would be best bringing cash with you, although
many hotels and restaurants do take cards, but only
some shops do.
Language
The language spoken in Portugal is Portuguese. We
recommend you take a phrase book if you do not speak
the local language. A few hotel and restaurant owners
will speak limited English. The locals will certainly
appreciate any attempt you make to speak their
language and is all part of the fun.
Maps
We recommend Stanfords at 12-14 Long Acre, London
WC2E 9LP (Tel: 0207 836 1321) www.stanfords.co.uk.
you with your packing based upon our many years of
travelling. Using your own judgment for packing is of
course important, especially with regard to casual
clothing etc but please do not hesitate to contact us if
you have any questions about packing for your trip.
Extensions & Excursions
Lisbon
Extra nights can be arranged if you would like to visit
Lisbon either before the start or end of your holiday.
Accommodation would be in a 4* hotel situated in the
old part of Lisbon, on one of the city’s seven hills, with
Lisbon at its feet. Located close to the Castle of São
Jorge and boasting spectacular views of the River
Tagus, the hotel boasts a privileged setting on the
belvedere of Senhora do Monte. Facilities include a
panoramic bar, air-conditioned rooms, TV and directdial telephone. Contact us for a quote.
.
Travel Insurance
It is a condition of booking any of our holidays that you
have comprehensive travel insurance. It is your
responsibility to ensure you are covered for medical
and personal accident risks for the part of the world you
intend to travel and the activities involved. This cover
should include repatriation costs, air ambulance and
helicopter rescue. It is also advisable to take out
cancellation insurance as all deposits paid are nonrefundable.
You may arrange either single-trip or annual multi-trip
travel insurance through Walks Worldwide. Please call
us on 01962 737 565 for a quotation.
Passports & Visas
British passport holders (and other EU passport
holders) do not require a visa for stays up to three
months (please ensure your passport has at least 6
months validity).
You can obtain the latest visa information, as well as
book your visa either by contacting your reservation
consultant, or by following the link below to our
designated visa service:
http://www.walksworldwide.com/information/visa.html
Budgeting for your trip
Please refer to the detailed itinerary for information on
what is included in this trip. You will need to budget for
meals and drinks not included in the holiday, any
optional sightseeing, souvenirs and items of a personal
nature such as laundry.
Clothing & Equipment
Please check our website for the most up to date
information regarding packing for your trip. The
information we provide is our suggested guide to help
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Date of issue: 26 Jan 2015