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For the second full day of our break the weather was much better, no rain and less wind.

We planned to tackle the full PR13 walk and started out at about 9:50.

The start of the walk was a fairly easy downhill section along the main road towards Covilhã and a section through an ancient cobbled track to avoid some awkward bends in the road.

After around ½ hour we encountered the Pedra do Urso (Bear rock) which is a local attraction. This standing rock formation looks like a bear when viewed from the correct angle.

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Now the going gets tougher, we are on an uphill section. Fortunately, the trail markers are regular and quite clear so there is little excuse to miss the trail.

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We trekked on and on through the scrubland, over boulders, and ever upwards for another couple of hours. The trail wandered around large rock formations and past trickling streams eventually bringing us to this large rock with signs. Now we are sure that we are on the correct path.

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A 'there and back' trip to Lapa do Escalhado allowed us to see a typical shepherd's shelter.

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The structure is built directly under a huge rock using pieces of stone found in the vicinity.

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And the inside, though not salubrious, must provide welcome shelter from the weather.

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The next section of the trail is yet more climbing, up and up the side of the hill arriving at a level section with spectacular views.

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But there is still more climbing to do before reaching the top at Curral do Vento.

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From there it is less than 1km to the point that we reached on the previous day walking in the other direction.

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The same route took us back to the village by ten past two, where we visited a different restaurant 'Primor Serra' for another excellent Portuguese lunch.

We managed the walk with no significant errors in 4¼ hours over a distance of 9.37km reaching an altitude of 1652m (5,420 feet).

A great day out.

 

 

 

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