Walking the footpaths of Portugal in Reguengo in the Parque Natural da Serra de São Mamede
| Distance |
10.25 Km |
Grade |
Easy to Moderate |
| Time |
3.5 hours |
Type |
Circular walk |
This walk is set under the shadow of São Mamede (1025m) and
begins and ends at the 18th century church in the village of
Reguengo. The walk passes through mainly wooded countryside of
chestnut groves, oak, cork oak and pine. Savour the sweet scent of
the flowering gum cistus shrub as you ramble. Look out for
Drosophyllum lusitanicum, an insectivorous sundew plant, one of the
most successful in terms of quantity of captured prey.
Walking the path you enter a pine forest and the views from this
stretch are impressive overlooking the gently undulating plain
below with its scattering of white houses stretching towards the
horizon. For most of this walk the diversity of the geology is
striking. The route crosses a granite landscape around 500 million
years old and the land further on presents quartzite peaks and
shale.
A 1/25000 scale walking map is provided showing the walking route. Guidance notes tell you how to get from the Quinta to the start of the walk, directions and observations.
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A fountain in Reguengo near the beginning of the walk is good for ensuring you have enough water.
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The lane to Monte de Rei with the peak of Serra de São Mamede up ahead.
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A view of Feiteirinha with its rocky ridge.
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A farm lane with deep meadow flowers in spring.
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Countryside landscape around the abandoned settlement of Carrapato.
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Feiteirinha is a ridge of Portalegre tectonic granite protruding through the quartzite hill.
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Parts of the protruding ridge have collapsed. This is a convenient spot to look at the view beyond.
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In places you can see how extreme forces of tectonic plate activity have given the granite a strata like sedimentary rock.
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There alway seem to be plenty of butterflies at the rocky peaks of hills.
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There is a fine vista from Feiteirinha giving views of the smaller hills and the Alentejo plain
towards the south east of the São Mamede Natural Park. In this picture we are looking west towards Reguengo, Pedra
Basta and the area south of Portalegre.
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Ahead of this farm lane in the distance we see the rocky hill Cruz do Cume. A short diversion on an earlier part of this walk provided a scenic spot for a break with excellent views of the Alentejo plain to the west. Fine old chestnut trees to the right of the lane.
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This part of the Reguengo walk takes us through chestnut groves grazed by goats.
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Some parts of the walk in the clearings between the pine are studded with wild gladioli in spring.
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Some of these chestnut trees are very old and have suffered through the seasons.
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Look out for the orchids along the lane between the chestnut trees.
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