Environmental issues are now on the agenda, feature prominently in politicians' concerns, and are internalized by each of us as an emergency.
It is Respect and Love for Nature that increasingly concerns us, given the devastation of forests and the much-publicized global warming associated with the increased frequency of environmental disasters we are witnessing.
This feeling touches each one of us, true lovers of Nature and the legacy we want to leave to our descendants. Our planet is beautiful. It has sublime places. Everything is a gift from Mother Nature. Portugal is no exception. It has the sun, the water of the sea and rivers, the mountains, and the marshlands.
Each of us has a desire and a feeling of connection with Nature, to know it, admire it, respect it, or defend it... in short, to be part of it.
Pilgrims and hikers absorb the pleasure of contemplation, the record of chance events, in this umbilical relationship with Nature. Paths, routes, and trails are a privileged means of consummating this communion.
The upper Minho region is rich in the quantity and quality of trails that promote this intimacy with nature, with climbs to the highest landscapes or a refreshing dip in a waterfall on a hot sunny day.
There are numerous platforms—Alltrails, Wikiloc, etc.—on this topic, with information and routes that offer hiking enthusiasts a wide range of equally surprising alternatives. In our area, Valdevez, the Sistelo eco-trail is the most iconic and has a low level of difficulty; there are others for more varied challenges.
This is an activity we cherish for the good it does for the body and mind. At the end, the comfort of recharging your batteries at Carvalha House – www.carvalhahouse.pt .
