A walk taken from the Sintra Guide book - Azoia to Peninha

Last week I decided to retake a favourite walk of mine, which is featured inside the Sintra Guide Book - Lookgofind Discover Sintra.

It was a very bright sunny morning, perfect weather for my walk. Starting on the main 247 road to Sintra at the junction to Azoia I headed in the direction of Sintra and took a right turn signposted Convento da Peninha. The distance of this walk is about 7.3 kilometers and takes in some of the beauty of the Sintra hills with fantastic views of the coastline. As I continued my walk through a of canopy pine trees I saw one of the biggest spider webs ever, with droplets of water sparkling in the sunlight. Most of the begining of this walk is along forest tracks, as I reached some small stones and a small pool I went off the track to climb up through trees and reach the main surfaced road to Peninha. I crossed this road to continue though the forest. I passed the huge impossing boulders which are everywhere on these hills to reach the road and continued to Peninha. What marvelous views from this place, I could see all the way to Lisbon and the 25th of April bridge. As I looked up I saw two Peregrine falcons circling, no doubt looking for their breakfast, which reminded me to stop for a snack. The Convento Peninha is a castellated fort-like building on top of the mountain as you look up from Cabo da Roca. This historical site stands on the ruins of a medieval chapel - Ermida de São Saturnino and the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Pena. There is a great legend about this place:
It is told that, during the reign of king João III, in the land of Almoinhos Velhos, there was a mute sherperdess who used to take her flock to the top of the mountain. One day, one of her sheep ran away leaving the sherpdess desperate to find it. After much searching she saw a lady bringing her lost sheep. The sherperdess thanked her in her own way. The lady took the opportunity to ask the girl for some bread. The sherperdess gestured that it had been a bad year and she was always hungry. The lady gave her the following advice: when you arrive home, call your mother and look for bread. The girl tried to explain that this was impossible since she was sure that there was no bread in the house and was unable to call her mother as she was mute. however the lady was so insistant that the girl decided to do as she said.
Upon her arrival she called for her mother and her voice resounded througout the house. She recounted the story to her mother and hurried to find the bread. And to their surprise they found inside a trunk enough bread to feed the entire village.
The very next day the whole village went up the mountain, to the very spot where the sherperdess met the lady to give thanks. They found a cave with the image of Our lady.
The place became sacred and a chapel known as the Chapel of Our lady of Peninha was built there.

Now there is a pilgrimage every year up to Peninha made by the locals with a young woman traveling by donkey.

After my snack I head down the hill in the direction of the Atlantic, cross the main road along a gravel track to a place we call The Great Valley, to our kids. I admire the view along the fertile valley where you can see the small hotel Convento de São Saturnino, a beautiful restored and converted 12th century monastery.
At last I reached the end, and decide that I deserved a well earned drink in the Bar of Moinho Dom Quixote, a restored windmill. I order a bottle of red and called my wife to join me.
You can find this walk along with 8 others in my Sintra guide book - Lookgofind Discover Sintra.
www.lookgofind.com