A BLOG ABOUT MY WALKS IN MARVÃO & SINTRA PORTUGAL

Monday 26 February 2007

A rambler’s ramble!


Walking in the hills of Sintra, Portugal

Welcome to my walking blog.
My name is Dewi Jones and this is a blog about my walks in Sintra, one of the most beautiful, historic and natural places in Portugal.
I live in Azóia near Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of mainland Europe - “where the land ends and the sea begins”. I can see the farol lighthouse through my window and soon this spring the cliff tops will be covered with a carpet of colour - the hottentot fig (Carpobrotus chilensis), also known as the highway ice plant. It is a sight worth seeing.
I have already completed several walks, some alone and some with my family, my wife Clare and my children Joshua and India.
My intention is to share these walks with you and hope that this could be of some interest to any of you out there? I will supply some of these walks for you with a detailed map and instructions free. Just send me your Email and I will Email the map back.
The first two walks I will supply will be walk 4. Adraga beach to Praia Grande beach and back, and walk 5. Colares to Azemhas do Mar and back to Colares.
The walk to from Praia da Adraga to Praia Grande and back (walk 4) is about 3.5 km in distance, about a 50 minute walk. I have done this walk several times with my family (a good short walk for kids but be careful on the cliff tops) and there are great views from of the Atlantic Ocean. When you reach the steps that go down to Praia Grande beach look on the side of the cliff and you will notice dinosaur footprints imprinted into the cliff face, made about 120 million years ago by Sauropods dinosaurs.
The walk from colares to Azenha do Mar and back (walk5) is 11.7 km and will take about 2 hours and 50 minutes. You will walk through the pine forest, see some of the oldest grape vines in Europe, visit Azenha do Mar (watermills by the sea) cross over Praia da Maças
(apple beach), up the cliffs towards Praia Grande (big beach) and through the pine trees and apple orchards and back to Colares.

My next blog will be about my walk from the Barragem do Rio da Mula to Pedra Amarela and the legend of the Eggy Boulder!

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