Praia da Ursa

I decided that the best way to explore the local area was to run towards the coast, the map suggesting I should be able to use paths for most of the way. Unfortunately, a lot of those forest tracks had signs saying private and telling me to keep out. Back home I always ignore such things, happy to trespass and indulge my right to roam. Without any language to talk myself out of trouble, I decided to heed the signs. It wasn't so bad. I found quiet roads for the most part and some charming villages. I took a stop early on to explore the extraordinary Palace of Monserrate, before going through Penedo and Ulgueira and then on to Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe. From there I tried to leave the crowds behind by taking the coast path to the north and the precipitous descent to Praia da Ursa, a sun-kissed beach which I only had to share with a handful of people. I carried along the very rugged trail along the coast until I thought it was time to turn inland and find a village from which to get a bus back to Sintra. The villages are very well served and although one passed by as soon as I arrived in Almocageme, I didn't have to wait too long for another. The run saw me cover 16 miles and 3,000ft of climbing. There was quite a lot of walking factored into the day too, so my watch ticked over 40,000 steps by the time I got back to my hotel. The sun shone for pretty much the whole day, a pleasant 18 deg or so. Quite a contrast to the weather back home, although I do have to admit to a pang of regret around missing the snow on the moor. I'm sure the last time we had snow in November, that was it for the whole winter.