The Alqueva Lake – Mourão Hike
This is an easy circular Hike of 7 km (4.5 miles). In Mourão we have a Medieval Castle surrounded by a 17th-century Bulwark fortification. In the picturesque Village we can find narrow streets and whitewashed houses with huge chimneys. Mourão has preserved its authenticity because it's away from main tourist circuits. Around Mourão we have kilometers of medieval paths made from the local blue slate. Walking on these paths we can feel the daily lives of locals in the fields and with the animals.
Our tour starts in the romantic ruins of the Castle. There we’ll talk about the History of the region and of the cultures that built the fortification. If we have courage we can climb to the top of the Tower. From there the views are spectacular over the great lake and Spain. We begin our walk through the Bulwark fortifications. We’ll walk in medieval paths connecting vegetable gardens, orchards, olive groves and pastures. We’ll pass near the Hermitage of “S. Sebastião” on a hill between the town and the big lake. We’ll continue along the paths called “Azinhagas” surrounded by centuries-old olive trees all the way to the “Barca”. In medieval times the "Barca" was a small boat crossing the Guadiana River and the only way to cross the river. We continue along ancient pilgrimage routes to the Convent of “Nossa Senhora do Alcance”. The Convent was unfortunately destroyed by the Alqueva Dam. We are now walking along the shore of the largest artificial lake in Western Europe, the Alqueva Lake. We can talk about this huge project and the ways it affected the region. On our way to the Village we'll pass near the old “Manivela” Fountain and the old quarry that supplied blue slate to Mourão. We'll arrive at the Hermitage of “S Bento” near Mourão. This Hermitage was built right next to a Qubba from the Islamic period.
In Mourão we’ll find churches and palaces, doors and balconies of blue slate and white marble coats of arms. With the construction of the Bulwark fortification part of the medieval village was destroyed. What we see today in the center of Mourão is an architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries. To end our tour we can visit an old “Taberna” filled with huge “Talhas”. If we still have energy we can go to the new Luz Village. This Village was moved because of Alqueva Dam and as a Museum about the destroyed old Village.
