Route: Hotel Beira Dão - Corujeiro - Furadouro - Penedo - floodplains of the Dão river - Sangemil
Distance: 8 km
Duration: 3-4 hrs depending on group
Hiking level: moderate
Lunch: optional at Hotel Beira Dão
Costs: adults € 12,50 and half price for children ages 5 to 15. Optional lunch at Hotel Beiradão around € 12,50.
Starting point & time: 10h at parking area in front of Hotel Beira Dão
Additional activities in the area: river beach in Sangemil, vineyard visit and winetasting at Perdigão vineyard.
On this hike we’ll be exploring the Dão valley to the west of Sangemil. A area with the typical pastoral and agricultural lands along the river and near the villages and some interesting historic elements such as the ‘Moinho da Ana’ (see a video of the mill here) and the Solar dos Fidalgos. We’ll be walking through the hamlets of Furadouro and Penedo, beautifully located on the valley slopes, and use an old foot path that connects the two villages.
From the high point of Penedo the path leads down into the valley and the further west we walk the more quiet it gets. Upon reaching the river the path turns 180 degrees east towards Sangemil and we’ll walk back on the edge of the floodplains.
Even though we can enjoy the qualities of nature and culture in this part the Dão valley we can also still see the damage of the fires of 2017 that burned 40% of the valley and a total of half a million hectares in the center region of Portugal. It is undeniable that nature and the communities here still struggle to find a new balance and resilience. That is why on the Caminhos do Dão we visit and show interest in the life of people and nature in this region.
