From Santiago da Compostela in the northwest of Spain, the last leg of our holiday is a drive down the inland route ending in Lisbon, from where we set out for the trip back home. On this leg we have two relatively long days of driving taking us first to Manteigas in the Serra da Estrela national park, then on to Evora which is inland from Lisbon.
Today we had a long day driving south from Santiago in Spain, back into Portugal on a more inland route than the coastal route we came north on a few days ago. This time we chose an Airbnb house up on a mountain, in the national park of Serra da Estrela ("starry mountains"). The national park is a 100 km long block of mountains which rises out of the surrounding land, and which includes the highest peak in mainland Portugal (just under 2000 m), and this house is at about 1200 metres, on the hill above the town of Manteigas inside the national park.
The view from the house over the valley is wonderful, looking down to the town in the valley below. There is a balcony we can sit on as the sun goes down, watching the lights come on in the town. There don't seem to be any biting insects, so we can leave all the windows open all night which made sleeping easier as the day was very hot. We understand this area is probably more popular as a winter destination, when people come up here for the snow. There is no snow in sight at this time of year.
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| Looking down on Manteigas from our balcony at night. |
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| The daytime view. The town nestles within a valley between the mountains. |
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| Ours was a traditional house with thick stone walls, and polished creaky wooden floors. |
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| We visited the woollen mill, recently re-established. |
The woollen mill in Manteigas once provided many jobs for the the inhabitants, but went into decline until it was "rediscovered" in 2010 by enthusiasts who set out to re-establish it. It is the source of "Burel" woollen textiles sourced entirely from local sheep, and marketed around the world. It is still a much smaller operation than at its peak, but has all the original looms some of which are 60 years old. The manager provided a personal guided tour explaining the story of Burel wool and products - very interesting, especially all the old punch-card driven looms.
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| Even this small town has an elaborately decorated church. |
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| We got lost and overheated in the steep winding and almost deserted streets of Manteigas. |
We had a bit of excitement when in the afternoon we heard the fire sirens go off in the town, and saw smoke rising in the distance. As we drove here we had passed through a large area of burnt trees, the remnants of a major fire in 2016, so we were a bit nervous. On Kevin's advice we hurriedly packed our bags and put them in the car, ready for a quick escape! This house is up on the hillside surrounded by forest, so we felt a bit vulnerable, as Kevin reminded us that forest fire can spread very quickly.
After some time we made contact with our landlord, who reassured us that the fire was some distance away, and not a threat. He also explained that this house is actually the official gathering point for this area in the event of a forest fire, so should be safe!
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| Breakfast alfresco at Manteigas. Looking out at the valley and mountains. |
After 2 nights in Manteigas we set off south again. We are now in the last days of this epic trip, doing fairly long days on the road to get all the way back down to Lisbon again. However we are taking an inland route, so are covering fresh ground. Our next overnight is in Evora.
