Sistelo Bridges Trail
Location: Sistelo, Arcos de Valdevez, Viana do Castelo
Coordinates: 41.974750, -8.373668
Type of Route: In a circle
Distance: Approximately 1km
Time: 30m
Difficulty: 4/10
Located in Sistelo, the Portuguese Tibet, the Bridges Trail is a small trail, of about 1km, that passes through some of the bridges of the village. The official brochure, although not very informative, can be consulted here..
Like all Sistelo trails, this one also has signs that indicate the course. Contrary to the Walkways Trail, this trail, although in circuit, starts and ends through paths.
We chose to start with what we consider to be the most beautiful part of the route, the Escadaria do Vez, a beautiful staircase, marked by the presence of the green color.
Once the staircase is finished, we find the first bridge, under the River Vez, which leads to an agricultural field where it is possible to rest on the benches installed there, offering views of the Sistelo Village.
The route continues through agricultural fields and paths. Despite being short, a considerable part of the path goes uphill, making the route more difficult.
Truly, and despite presenting very beautiful landscapes at the beginning, this route is not the best that Sistelo has to offer, and the bridges end up going unnoticed in the middle of the route.
For those who visit Sistelo, which has so many routes, we recommend trying this trail, also because it is so short that it ends up being a quick tour, but don't make this the only visited route, as you will end up losing some beautiful and different landscapes. Having said that, and even if you don't want to take the route, we recommend a visit to the Escadaria do Vez, so involved by nature that it almost feels like its work.
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