Trilho de Vale de Lobo

This "Pequena Rota" trail is a linear route 8.6 km long, beginning at the village square in Vale de Lobo and ending in the city of Mirandela, next to the Shrine of São Sebastião. It is part of the network of hiking trails in the municipality of Mirandela and is certified by the Portuguese Camping and Mountaineering Federation.

In the village square of Vale de Lobo, you can see an old communal olive oil press and the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary. Following the trail, you’ll pass 50 meters from the Vale de Lobo Parish Church, where you can take a detour to visit it, and then head to the far end of the village, where you’ll take a dirt road leading up the hill. There, you’ll see the large olive groves and properties that are still cultivated today, where you can find cattle and goats grazing.

About 60 years ago, this path was traveled on foot by the people of this village, who made their way to what was then the town of Mirandela. During the festivities of Nossa Senhora do Amparo, some people would walk the path barefoot, carrying a pair of shoes in their hands and a cloth. They did this so as not to ruin their shoes, since, at the time, most of them had only one pair of shoes (sandals or slippers), and some had none at all. Upon arriving in the town of Mirandela—more specifically, in São Sebastião—they would wipe their feet with the cloth, put on their shoes, and head to the festival. Every week they made this journey with donkeys loaded with firewood, which they sold to the owners of the town’s bakeries.