Our second hike in the Serra da Estrela started near Manteigas. We were climbing the mountains with the camper to reach Pass Cruz da Jogadas with beautiful views over the Serra. (40.423894, -7.516474)
From here the route from my Rother online guide took us first to the chapel of São Lourenço with great views into the valley of Manteigas.
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Chapel of São Lourenço |
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Fire watch tower |
The second part led through a forest of beech trees, which is rare in this area. The trees had no leaves jet, but of course high up in the mountains spring comes later.
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Beech forest still without leaves |
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Processionary caterpillars |
As beautiful as these caterpillars are, especially when walking in line, they are very dangerous as they cause strong allergic reactions. Dogs are often curious and put their nose onto the caterpillars which quickly leads to a swollen tongue. They have to be treated by a vet as fast as possible. But also humans should avoid any contact with the caterpillars or the nest, which are easy to spot in the pine trees.
The last part of our tour took us uphill along a lovely creek until we reached the starting point again. We finish the circular route after 2 hours as indicated in the description of the tour.
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In need of a rest |
From Manteigas you can easily reach a beautiful waterfall, just that the road is very narrow and when driving a camper, you should choose a time when you expect the least traffic 😉 There is a little parking at Poço do Inferno 40.373473, -7.517468.
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The demands of the photographer are high 😉 |
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Getting the best perspective |
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In summer this would be a nice pond for a dip |
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Poço do Inferno |
The starting point of our hike would have been a lovely spot to spend the night, but the next valley looked very enticing so we drove in direction to Folgosinho where I had planned the next hike. At first the valley was beautiful but soon we were driving through vast areas of burned forest. When reaching Folgoshinho the weather had turned to a grey sky. Around this little village we only saw burned trees so we decided to skip this hike and go to a different area.
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A valley full of flowers |
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Burned forests dominate the Serra da Estrela |
After stopping at a supermarket, it was already getting dark, so we tried to find a spot for the night. This time it was just a little parking next to the road into the mountains. In the morning we walked up the hill behind us, but the clouds were hanging low so we decided to drive to a different area in the hope of better weather.
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Parking for the night |
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Flowers of the day |