A hiking festival takes place on the 28th, 29th and 30th of May at the Arrábida Natural Park in order to unveil the natural heritage and archaeological remains of this territory that covers the municipalities of Setúbal, Palmela and Sesimbra.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he event, entitled Arrábida Walking Festival, a joint organization between the municipalities of Setúbal, Palmela and Sesimbra and Biotrails, offers several walking routes throughout the Arrábida Natural Park, as a trail between the Fort of S. Filipe, in Setúbal, and the Castle of Palmela and a walk through Cabo Espichel, in Sesimbra.
In addition to encouraging healthy lifestyles, the event provides a different opportunity for participants to visit places in Arrábida that often go unnoticed, in experiences that enable a very close interaction with the various ecosystems that make up this protected area.
The festival starts, on May 28, with the “Percurso-O Entre Castelos (Great Archaeological Route)”, departing from the Castle of Palmela and stops at the Fort of São Filipe, on the Roman road of Grelhal and in the convents of São Paulo and Capuchos.
Following are the tours “Percurso de São Luís a Palmela” and “Serra do Louro by night”.
The second and third days of the event reserve several tours simultaneously through the mountains of São Francisco, Pinheirinhos and Louro, and the Serra da Azoia, with passages, for example, through Praia da Baleeira, once the stage for whale fishing and shelter of Roman vessels, and the Sanctuary of Cabo Espichel.
Participants also have the opportunity to visit the Ácala Island, the name given by the Romans to the Troia Peninsula.
Alongside the central program of walking tours, focused on the theme “The Great Archaeological Route”, the event features a complimentary program of activities, namely for children and young people, as well as tours outside the scope of the mountain itself, cases of guided visits to the historic centers of the organizing cities, gastronomic tastings and wine tasting.
There are also guided visits to the Palace and Quinta da Bacalhôa and to the convents of S. Paulo and Capuchos de Alferrara, in Setúbal, and to the Windmills of Palmela.
More information about the event is available on the www.biotrails.pt/awf page, in addition to the purchase of tickets.
The festival pass gives you access to various walks, while the single ticket mode allows for a pedestrian walk. The pass has a value of 24 euros until May 15 and 28 euros during the event. Single tickets cost 13 euros until May 15. The value goes up to 15 euros from that until the end of the Arrábida Walking Festival.
The event is sponsored by Setubal Bay – Setúbal Bay Association and support from Quinta do Piloto, Setúbal Peninsula Wine Route, Caetano Drive Volkswagen, Setúbal Region Municipalities Association, Passear.com Magazine and New in Setúbal.
