Trail name and description
- Municipality of Mirandela in Portugal,
- 29T 653434,92 E; 4586060,81 N (starting point) 29T 651680,12 E; 4593876,09 N (arrival point)
Level & Scale of difficulty used for hiking
E (For more info have a look here)
Duration
3 hours and 30 minutes
Distance
13,3 km
Refreshing points
Marmelos Village
Shelters
None
Best period for hiking
Spring and Autumn
Climate
scorching summers and cold winters
how to reach the starting point
Frechas 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.
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
After leaving Frechas, go ahead in to the bathing area, cross the bridge and continue through the right bank of the TUA in to North.
Along the way, it is possible to contemplate a diverse and unforgettable landscape. Next to the farmland, on the way out of Frechas village there are vineyards and quince trees that in the autumn give a pleasant and characteristic scent to this region.
On the banks of the river Tua, you can see riparian vegetation, which mostly consists of poplars, alders and willow trees. As you move away from the watercourse, you can contemplate extensive landscapes of olive trees, cork oaks and pine trees dotted with gum rockrose (“Cistus Ladanifer”), gorse flowers (“Carqueja”) and rosemary. There is a large cork oak that is worthy of observation and preservation. As you approach the village of Marmelos, you can see the mountains: Serra de Sta. Comba, Bornes, Cubo and Faro, as well as the city of Mirandela. You can easily notice some railway sections of the Tua Line on the left bank of the river.
- Frechas Pillory
- Tua River
- Vineyards and quinces
- Poplars, alders and willows
- Olives, Cork oaks and pines
- Gum Rockrose
- Gorse Flowers
- Large cork oaks
- Moutains
- Unforgettable panoramic view of the city of Mirandela
- Railway
- Tavoras Palace
- Alheiras (a typical meat sausage),
- traditional smoked products (fumeiro),
- olive oil (azeite),
- wines (vinhos).
Following the trail and already in the city of Mirandela, there are numerous interesting spots that are worth a visit, like the olive oil museum, the Nossa Sra. do Amparo sanctuary, the niches (hollows with statues), the medieval bridge, the illuminated fountain and the park amphitheater. However, there are many other monuments that hikers will be able to discover at the end of the trail.
Useful links