"Angling his lean frame into the wind, he digs his plastic snow-shoes into a steep drift and pauses, scanning the white ridgeline. He's looking for mariolas small cairns of rocks, fused by ice, that will indicate our onward trail. The landscape changes every day so you have to learn how to read it afresh, he says, setting off again. At this time of year, nature is a true artist."
"Ahead, on the horizon, Joao Pedro points out mainland Portugal's highest peak, the 1,993-metre Torre, home to a small ski resort suited to beginners. This region is full of surprises, he grins. As head of activities for Casa das Penhas Douradas, a design-led hotel created in 2006 and inspired by Alpine lodges, Joao Pedro leads treks through the massif in all seasons."
Serra da Estrela's midwinter slopes demand careful negotiation with wind, snow and shifting landscapes, requiring snow-shoeing and trail-reading using mariolas—ice-fused cairns. Guide Joao Pedro Sousa navigates ridgelines, points out the 1,993-metre Torre peak and highlights local surprises. The Zezere valley cradles the terracotta-roofed town of Manteigas, founded in the 12th century and serving as a modest tourism hub. Casa das Penhas Douradas, a renovated 100-year-old sanatorium, offers design-led accommodation and access to more than 100 miles of trails along old shepherd paths through pine forests, lagoons and granite boulder-strewn passes. The massif is a UNESCO-recognised geopark for its biodiversity and geology.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]