Hiking in Portugal
A variety of hiking trails allow hiking in Portugal through the most diverse regions of Portugal and its island regions of the Azores and Madeira . The Levada hiking trails on Madeira are particularly internationally known , while the mountainous hinterland or the long Atlantic coast have recently been increasingly developed as a hiking area in continental Portugal.
Two European long-distance hiking trails lead through Portugal, the E9 and the E7 .
history
The first Portuguese who walked routes not only to actually get around, and thus the first forerunners of hikers, are likely to be the pilgrims who have hiked north to Santiago de Compostela on various Jacobean routes since the Reconquista and the Caminho Português since the 12th century let arise.
In Portugal, too, there is no historical evidence of when modern hiking developed out of pure enthusiasm for nature. The first secured document is a letter from the writer Eça de Queiroz from 1875, in which he confirmed to his poet friend Ramalho Ortigão from Newcastle , UK , that he had brought the extensive hiking and camping equipment that he had ordered. Since then, hiking in Portugal has developed in the slipstream of the camping movement.
In 1932 the Grupo Excursionista Ar Livre (GEAL, German: group of outdoor excursionists) was founded in Porto . This was followed by the founding of other associations in the country dedicated to camping trips, mountain hikes and other hiking events. In 1940, the 1st Congresso Português de Campismo Desportivo was the first congress on camping in the country. In 1941 the Clube Nacional de Campismo was founded, the first national association for camping sports. From it in 1945 the current umbrella organization Federação de Campismo e Montanhismo de Portugal (German about: Portuguese Camping and Mountain Sports Association; FCMP) emerged. The FCMP is the national sports association responsible for hiking.
In the last few decades in particular, hiking has also developed as an important factor for tourism, with a multitude of initiatives and the establishment of hiking trails throughout the country for domestic and international tourism. International hiking tourism has established itself particularly on the Madeira and Azores archipelagos , especially on Madeira along the historical levadas , a network of artificial watercourses and small canals.
Hiking trails in Portugal
→ See also: List of hiking trails in Portugal
In Portugal today there are a large number of hiking trails in all regions of the country and its island regions Madeira and the Azores . The municipalities, associations or other institutions that contact the umbrella organization Federação de Campismo e Montanhismo de Portugal (FCMP) receive support from it in setting up hiking trails according to international standards. After being recognized by the FCMP, the trails are recorded in the association's own hiking trail register ( Registo Nacional de Percursos Pedestres ) and marked with a number.
The official hiking trails in Portugal are divided into three categories:
- GR ( Grande Rota , large tour): long-distance hiking trails; Distances of 30 km or more or longer than a day's march; they are the best known and most important hiking trails
- PR ( Pequena Rota , small tour): less than 30 km or a day's walk
- PL ( Pedestres Locais , local footpaths): a category created in 2006 for circular routes in and around localities
In addition to the official FCMP hiking trails, trails that have grown historically or were created by municipalities, civic associations or other trails are known. The best known include:
- the Caminho Português , the Portuguese Way of St. James
- the Via Algarviana , a hiking route across the Algarve
- the Fisherman's Path ( Trilho dos Pescadores ), a path along a series of fishing villages on the coast of the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina Natural Park
At the same time, various thematic routes were created, mostly based on the existing GR and PR hiking trails. The most famous of the numerous routes can be considered:
- the Aldeias Históricas de Portugal , a group of twelve historic mountain villages
- the Aldeias do Xisto , a series of traditional slate villages of the Centro Região
- the Aldeias de Portugal , an amalgamation of original and nature-loving villages in the Minho , a region in the far north-east of the country that is considered to be the nucleus of Portugal
- the Rede de Judiarias , a network of places with an important Jewish past and traces of Jewish life that have survived to this day
- the Rota Vicentina , the hiking trail system in the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina
Two European long-distance hiking trails also lead through Portugal, the E9 and E7 , and connections to the E3 and E4 are also planned.
In addition to the official hiking trails, cycle paths (ciclovías) are occasionally counted among the hiking trails in Portugal.
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literature
There are a large number of hiking guides for Portugal including Madeira and the Azores, also on the German-speaking market, which are not mentioned here. Instead, some more extensive publications are listed here specifically for hiking in Portugal:
- Manuel AM Azevedo: Caminhar e Acampar - Guia do Pedestrianista. Edições Vieira da Silva, Lisbon 2014 ISBN 978-989-736-382-5
- Carlos Alberto Cupeto: Fugas a pé. Público / Fundão City Council , Lisbon / Fundão 2009 ISBN 978-989-619-185-6
- Ronaldo Eugénio Calçada Dias Gabriel: Biomecânica dos Percursos Pedestres. UTAD publishing house, Vila Real 2001 ISBN 978-972-66947-3-1
- Armando Carvalho (Coord.): Aldeias do Xisto. Foge Comigo, Couto do Mosteiro 2013 ISBN 978-989-98230-0-6
- Susana Falhas, Henrique Almeida: Aldeias Históricas de Portugal. Olho de Turista, Mêda 2010 ISBN 978-989-967430-1
Web links
- List of the officially registered hiking trails of the FCMP, the Portuguese umbrella organization for hiking (pdf download)
- Collection of hiking trails by circles
- www.solagasta.co , comprehensive non-commercial website on walking routes in Portugal
- Hiking routes in Portugal on www.turismo.pt
- Website about hiking routes and hiking friends in Portugal (port.)
- www.portuguesetrails.com , overview of hiking and cycling routes with further information (also in German)
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Website of the hiking umbrella organization FCMP , accessed on January 18, 2014