SERRA DA FREITA (MIZARELA) 5.12.18

The day was great, sunny. It looked like spring. Starting CW in the village of Mizarela, this track was to become a big surprise, considering my last hiking tour also in Serra da Freita not far to the west, which was a deception. Here it was entirely different, as if you were in some other mountain range, some other region even.

The first good news was the lack of eucalyptus trees. No sight of them. Instead, though trees were sparse, you could see some pine trees, cypresses and birches. The second good news were the sighting of some animals like a kite, two crows, a few smaller birds, a rabbit, an iberian wall lizard and some domestic animals like the brown Arouquesa cow. I also had the most beautiful encounter with a woman herding her sheep and goats, protected by two loyal dogs who clearly made me understand how unwelcome I really was. Her Portuguese sounded like some kind of a strange dialect, and I had to listen very carefully to understand what she was saying. It was like a scene from a movie. It's so amazing the rural world that still abounds so near the big cities, like some very distant parallel reality.

The third good news were the diverse landscapes, always beautiful, relaxing and very liberating, accompanied by large granite stones and further up some schist. Here you find the so called Pedras Boroas, which consist of big granite blocks which look like a special bread crust from erosion.

The first 3 km bring you up to a very nice plateau 1.100 m high where you can enjoy some wide magnificent views. You keep on going until you reach the Freita Wind Farm. I prefer Nature in its natural state, of course, but I must say the gigantic wind towers did not interrupt my good mood or disturb my aesthetic sense for the landscape. When I was already on the descent I was caught by a sudden drop of light as if night had arrived, though it was only around 03:30pm. It became dark, chilly and foggy. And very mysterious too!

Water was no concern since you come in contact with a few streams and small rivers. In summer it could perhaps be different. A last note goes to the ground, which is very uneven for most part of the trail. So, good shoes are a must.