The Walk

A circular walk on a high plateau in the Candeeiros

NOTE: The location of this walk is a long drive for most of us. I recommend coordinating a car share as much as possible. See below for further recommendations for car pooling, and allow extra time to get to the starting location.

The walk follows a circular route on rural roads and paths through ancient stacked stone walls around the village of São Bento. The walk is mostly level with soaring views over the surrounding valleys.

São Bento is located on the Santo António Plateau, which separates Serra D’Aire from Serra dos Candeeiros. Here, karst, rugged landscapes with unmistakable panoramic beauty predominate, with the added value of having a very rich landscape and environmental heritage. This village dates back to at least 1580. It’s first inhabitants were probably sent here in the 12th century as a form of punishment – the road connecting São Bento to the nearest town, Alvedos, is called ‘Camino do Patelos’ – The Thieves’ Road.

The limestone nature of the rock, associated with the absence of watercourses on the surface, creates a landscape that gives the mountain a strong personality, both due to the particularities of the natural aspects and the uniqueness of the uses and customs of the population. Water, the source of life, is scarce on the surface – when it rains, it is swallowed by the earth, with only a small part of it being retained in lagoons, sinks and cisterns. Faults, tears and cracks in the rock allow water to infiltrate the soil, entering a vast and complex network of underground watercourses, which run through the mountain internally.

The tracery of the loose stone walls mark the landscape and reflect the human need to protect crops and obtain arable land. The stone-on-stone houses and corrals portray the way in which rural workers and their livestock sheltered, according to ancestral Neolithic styles.

Timing

The walk is about 7,75 km and is expected to take about 2,0 hr

Meeting point for car pooling – (see below for walk start point)

The Parque Verde parking lot in Alcobaça is a good place for people to meet in order to share cars. It is on the way for most of us and has plenty of room to leave cars to consolidate into a smaller number of vehicles. Please coordinate with friends in order to minimize the number of cars that need to make the long drive to São Bento. It takes about 30 minutes to drive from Parque Verde to São Bento.

Place	Coordinates
Parque Verde Car Park, Rua Costa Veiga, Alcobaca 2460-028 The meeting point is at the car park on the opposite site of the road to Pingo Doce, BP Burger King and Aldi.	39.5465, -8.9710

Walk starting point 10:00

Place	Coordinates
Igreja de São Bento	39.527449, -8.790047

Map

Coffee Stop

After the walk in Porto do Mos or Alcobaça

Notes

• Walk leader: Flynn Wendling
• WhatsApp: +351 913 611 658