The Beech Route, in Manteigas (the “Heart of the Serra da Estrela”), is a circular route with 5.5Km length. Although not so easy at times, it is possible to do this trail with a mountain bike.
This trail is considered to be of medium difficulty, with the main challenge being the altitude variations (maximum altitude of 1174m and minimum of 880m) and the route is more complicated at times. You can always print out the route map and take it with you (flyer here), but it's not at all mandatory, as the path has plenty of signs indicating the main route and possible detours.
The best time to visit the Beech Route is during the Fall (especially in November). Not just for temperature reasons, but so that you can see the beech forest in all its splendor. In our case, we went at the beginning of winter and, although we enjoyed the magical and mystical scenery, we didn't see the famous leafy beech trees and we still got some rain.
the Beech Route is 5.4km long, but it can be longer if you choose to take the detours that are indicated.
The Beech Route trail starts in Jogadas Cross (whose location you can find on Google Maps), where you can park your car. At the start of the trail you'll find a trail information panel. From here, since it's a circular trail, you can choose to go right or left. We thought it best to go left (taking the trail in a clockwise direction), towards an uphill dirt track.
Following this path, you should come to a fork in the road. Although it's possible to take the trail on the right (and it turns out to be shorter), the real trail is on the left, as indicated on site.
After a few minutes' walk, you will find on your left the São Lourenço Ronda House, which serves as a support for nature activities. Soon after, you'll come to a new fork in the road: in this case, both paths lead to the same place, but by taking the one on the left, you can see the magnificent Chapel of Saint Lawrence of Manteigaswhich, being at a higher altitude, offers an incredible view of the surroundings.
If you take either of these paths, you'll come to the São Lourenço Lookout Point, another high point. It's between the Chapel and the Lookout Post that you'll reach the maximum altitude of the route - but you'll still encounter steep climbs!
From the lookout point you first go straight ahead, with the building on your left, and then there's a sharp bend to the right. From here the trail becomes denser, contrasting with the dirt tracks and open areas that existed up to this point.
Then you enter the central element that gives this trail its name: the Beech Forestwhich stretches for part of the way, completely surrounded by trees. The beauty continues even after the beeches end, with the coniferous forest, with Oregon Pine. On the way, you will pass a small wooden building with a sign indicating that it is the Milk House, which currently serves as a small shelter for those who need it.
This is followed by a steep descent where the trail has more uneven terrain and where you need to be more careful - but don't worry, it's easy going and it even makes the trail funnier. At the bottom of the descent there will be a sign indicating that you should return to Jogadas Cross (PR13) or take the Granja - 1km / Manteigas - 2.5km detour (PR13.1). We headed back to our car and began one of the most difficult parts of the route, the ascent.
Next to a water line, the path continues towards the start. During this part, don't let the climb distract you from the incredible landscape behind you.
In total, dedicate around 3h to take the Beech Route trail calmly and enjoy its beauty. You should also bear in mind that there is still a certain amount of physical difficulty due to the great variation in altitude. Another factor to bear in mind is that you may come across both shepherds with their flocks (or even just shepherd dogs on their own) and hunters (or just their hunting dogs). In our case, we found hunters mainly in the Chapel area, but if you go during the hunting season, you should make yourself seen and take the necessary precautions.
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