Vale de Lobo Trail

By /

Trail name and description

  • Municipality of Mirandela in Portugal,
  • 29T 658023,75 E; 4596862,26 N (starting point) 29T 652115,70 E; 4594754,41 N (arrival point)

Level & Scale of difficulty used for hiking

T (For more info have a look here) 

Duration

2 hours and 30 minutes

Distance

8,6 km

Refreshing points

Vale Madeiro Village

Shelters

None

Best period for hiking

Spring and Autumn

Climate

scorching summers and cold winters

how to reach the starting point

Vale de Lobo village is the starting point

Equipment and outfit required

Good walking shoes, backpack, socks suitable for footwear, waterproof rain jacket, personal medication requirements, UV sunblock, insect repellent, lunch and snacks (include some for emergency), plastic bag for rubbish, water in secure container, sunglasses, binoculars, camera. In the summer the region it’s very hot this means that you should bring water and wear fresh clothes.
Download file: Valle do Lobo.gpx

Recommendations:

  • Be aware and use the waymarked trail,
  • Watch the fauna especially through binoculars
  • Respect nature
  • Do not litter
  • Respect private property
  • Do not light fires
  • Do not collect samples of plants or rocks
  • Be nice to locals
vale-de-lobo1
vale-de-lobo2
vale-de-lobo-3

In the public square of Vale de Lobo, it is possible to observe a old cummunity olive oil mill and the Nossa Senhora do Rosário Chapel. Following the trail up, you will pass 50 meters away from
Vale de Lobo main church, which we suggest to go for a visit. Continue to the end of the village, take the dirt road towards the hill. There, you can appreciate olive fields and properties that are still cultivated today and in which you can see dairy cattle and goats grazing. Around 60 years ago, this path was walked by the people of this village, who then traveled to the city of Mirandela.

By the festivities in honor of N. Sra. do Amparo, some people walked the path barefoot carrying a pair of shoes and a cloth in their hand. They did it, so as not to spoil their shoes because, at that time, most of them had only one pair of shoes (wooden clogs or slippers), and there were even those who didn’t have any at all. When they arrived at the village of Mirandela, more precisely in São Sebastião, they wiped their feet with the cloth, put on their shoes and went to the festivity. They took this route weekly with donkeys loaded with firewood which they sold   to the village bakeries ́owners.

  • Old community olive oil mill
  • Nossa Senhora do Rosário Chapel
  • Vale de Lobo Main Church
  • Romeu Village and Quadraçal
  • Alheiras (a typical meat sausage)
  • Traditional smoked products (fumeiro),
  • Olive oil (azeite),
  • Wines (vinhos)

The Castle of Mirandela (Portuguese: Castelo de Montalvão) is a medieval castle. The urban castle is surrounded by residence, especially in the lower quarter, situated near the Tua River and bridge and the Rua da Republica. Most of the buildings that surround the remains of the old castle are three floors high.

Useful links