Arrabida Natural Park - a special walk
4:26 PM David Monteiro 1 Comments Category : active vacation , adventure , Arrabida , culture , Europe , food , gastronomy , hiking , Portugal , Sesimbra , Setúbal , vacations , walking , wine
I'm
at the top of the Arrábida Hills, around me a breathtaking view makes me wonder
why I don't come here more often … I love this spot.
The
look on my teammates faces is of who can't find words to express himself.
The ideas my teammates can express are fragmented and disconnected.
We
are at the summit of the Arrábida Hills called Formosinho with 501m, also the
highest point in the District of Setúbal.
For
many mountaineers reaching the Summits of the mountains they hike is always a
goal in itself. I do not feel the call of that goal. I can say that usually I see
the Summit has as interesting but I give more value to the entire journey the
reach and return from the top.
This
Summit is not difficult to achieve and does not represent any true challenge to
overcome. So, why is it so interesting?
The
type of view we can have here is so diverse and so full of details that there
are few other ridges that give us such a variety of elements.
Here
we see the sea, the mountains, other small ridges, the cropland with vineyards,
the fruit tree fields, the urban sites … is so diverse that for each side we
turn we have a unique setting.
The
vision of the sea is the one that attracts me the most, there seems to be an
endless beach. I felled in love-me with this 360-degree vision.
The
surrounding area is very interesting and we have many point of interest around
here.
For
ease of explanation, I marked the Formosinho summit with a red dot and I divided the post in 4 quadrants and in counterclockwise
I will speak of each quadrant at a time.
South/East Quadrant
The
Tróia peninsula dominates the landscape, a long tongue of sand headed by some
buildings I know to be with summer apartments. Around this peninsula we have a
large sand outer ring and on the ocean
side it extends to an immense beach.
On
the river Sado side, I imagine the dolphins we see there. I know they names,
which gives us a pleasant sensation of familiarity with these dolphins.
The
green dots that we see moving on the River are the new ferries that make the
crossing between Setúbal and Troy. Always liked this crossing, is an excellent
boat trip.
Tróia
has a quite interesting roman heritage I will explore one day in a dedicated
post.
Here
I can not see all of the Sado River estuary but to by seeing this river mouth I
remember some hidden places in the estuary which are authentic treasures, such
as the archaeological station of Abul with their Phoenician heritage.
In
this quadrant by the sea is where you will find the most impressive beach are
of the surroundings. Portinho da Arrábida, Figueirinha and Galapos are really
the best beaches around … crystal clear waters, fabulous.
North/East Quadrant
When
I turn on eastbound I'm in the direction of Setúbal, despite not being able to
see the city but see the end of its industrial belt which creates me mixed
feelings. In my mind is contradictory the need for development with the
awareness of a natural environment conservation of a diversified place as the
Sado estuary.
Setúbal,
where our famous 18th and 19th century writer Bocage was born and to whom is
attributed a lot of anecdotes and funny sayings.
Looking
in the direction of Alcochete, almost facing the north side, I try to see the
Ribatejo plain areas but I can’t no longer distinguish the settlements.
North/West Quadrant
Here
you can see Lisbon and from the city I can only distinguish little more than a
jumble of houses that seem to be glued to the Sintra Hills, is the effect of a
view from a far because in reality Strintra is a 30-minute drive from Lisbon.
In
this direction I can see many vineyards and, although I have difficulty to
distinguish them, but continuing to talk about wine, down there I know that two
wine producers that are considered to be in the Gallery of the best wine
producers in Portugal: Quinta da Bacalhôa and José Maria da Fonseca.
Somewhere
there you can find Muscatel grapes used for the production of the famous wine
Moscatel de Setúbal. The Moscatel de Setúbal wine is considered the best in Moscatel
in the world. Moscatel de Setúbal wine is a fortified wine of amber color,
which I love.
Watch
this 2 minutes and 30 seconds funny and interesting video that pretty much
explains the Muscat wine of Setúbel. The Moscatel de Setúbal wine
In
the small village of Azeitão also find two other extraordinary products:
Azeitão cheese and pies Azeitão.
The
cheese of Azeitão is a small cheese made with sheep's milk, yellow colored and
very soft, buttery, excellent for spreading on toast.
Tortas
de Azeitão is a small cake rolled up, made from flour, eggs, and is delicious.
South/West Quadrant
When
I turn to the quadrant W/S and face down, where we will to go to get out of
here, I see some crosses on the silhouette of the hills to the sea. They belong
to the Arrábida Convent complex.
By
their modesty and quiet life, isolation and description, this convent always has
an aura of mystery around it. Looking at the road we see a complex of old
buildings and, further up, across the hills, a set of shrines and crosses that
give us the feeling of being meditation cells of the monks of the convent.
The
construction of the Arrábida Convent dates back to the 16th century and today
covers four structures: the Old Convent, the New Convent, the garden and the Bom
Jesus sanctuary.
A
local curiosity refers to the existence of a chapel prior to the construction
of the convent and it was a place of pilgrimages. Long time ago, four of the
friars who came to join the convent, lived for two years in excavated cells. I
am thinking of the lives lived here … is hard.
Toward
the West we can't see the village of Sesimbra because is in between two hills. Sesimbra
is a small fishing village with a very busy port and also has a beach that is
filled with swimmers during the summer. Summer nights in Sesimbra are animated by
the numerous restaurants that serve fish dishes grilled on the middle of the
streets.
Continuing
West we have the Cape Espichel, whose sea view is also fabulous and is an excellent
spot for night photography on full Moon days.
Maybe
it's time to walk down ... This is a great walk that I will repeat whenever I can,
perhaps in the gallery of the most emblematic walks in Portugal.
One
day I will walk up here to stay overnight and see the sunrise.
David
