Castro de Pragança

[Pedro]

I think we should have a section for bimble reports, found this interesting but it's really not worthy of a ride report, to me ride reports should be about more than just a few pictures of a location, but here you go anyway.

Anyway, out for lunch at my favourite cafe for a burger, and I spotted an historic location on google maps right next a road I like going past. I had noticed the Portuguese flag marking the spot but never occurred to me to go see how to get there.

Turns out it's Castro de Pragança, Pragança being the tiny place where it is. A Castro is something I can't really translate adequately but it's usually ruins of really old settlements or fortifications. After a little research this one was found in 1893, and dates back to end of the Neolithic. It was occupied or used through the Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages, and then used by Romans. It amazes me how I never noticed this, although to be fair you do have to look for it and once there you're free to roam around but there's nothing more than a few ruins of really old rocks marking where building used to be. Still found it interesting, and it's always cool to stand on something so old.

 

From the top looking at the hill, you can see my usual road to return home after a coffee.

 

And the Castro itself:

 

The place, being empty, I felt tempted to ride up the gravel path right to the top. Fortunately I didn't because I would have felt like a proper twat now at home finding out I had trampled over a place with 3 to 4000 years.

 

This was right after lunch, after riding up there and taking a little dirt road shortcut to make things interesting, then down and went on a little longer detour via some very typical farmlands. The culture this area is mostly known for is Pears, home of the Pera Rocha which is Portugal's most known kind of Pear.

Pear trees don't really grow to his form naturally but they are repeatedly trimmed for easier fruit picking and more productivity, ending up with an odd sort of look to them, now in bloom:

 

Weather was perfect, 14º up in the hill, 17 to 19º at the bottom, just perfect. Coming back home I noticed there's a lot more animals in the fields, taking advantage of green grass that's about to start turn dry in a few weeks. Plenty of horses grazing and running around, a few herds of sheep and goats with some very happy to be out guard dogs taking in the afternoon sun almost like they know it's going to be too hot in 2 months time. 

I took no more pictures because all the yellow and blue flowers waving in the breeze meant I was maybe about to have a little bit of an allergy attack. Stopped by the supermarket for fruit and vegetables, and indeed started getting watery eyes but just in time to arrive home.

 

 

[Saul]

Stunning Pedro.  

[XTreme]

Very nice region!

[Catteeclan]

Looking much greener than when me and Mandi were over there.

[Pedro]

4 minutes ago, Catteeclan said:

Looking much greener than when me and Mandi were over there.

I'll post a picture for reference later on in the summer if I pass the same spot. This is close to the ocean though, so it's normal for forests and farmed fields to remain green.