CYCLE TRACKS, RAIL TRAILS AND GREENWAYS NORTHERN PORTUGAL www.portoenorte.pt 4 Presentation Esposende Ponte da Barca Vila do Conde 6 Introduction 64 Esposende Riverine Greenway 118 Ponte da Barca Cycle Track 174 Atlantic Coastal Road Cycle Track 8 Map Fafe 120 Lima River Greenway - Açudes Section 176 Avenida da Liberdade Cycle Track 66 Fafe-Guimarães Rail Trail Ponte de Lima 178 Avenida do Castelo Cycle Track Alfândega da Fé Felgueiras 122 Lagoas Greenway 180 Avenida Nassica Cycle Track 10 Alfândega da Fé Cycle track 68 Ladário Cycle Track - Lixa 124 Laranjas Greenway 182 Ave Coastal Road Cycle Track Alijó Gondomar 126 Veigas Greenway 184 Espaço Natureza Cycle Track 12 Town Park Greenway 70 Avenida da Conduta Cycle Track 128 Açudes Greenway 186 South Coast Greenway Amarante 72 Avenida Oliveira Martins Cycle Track Porto Vila Flor 14 Tâmega Line Rail Trail 74 D. Miguel Road Cycle Track 130 Boavista Avenue Cycle Track 188 Vila Flor Cycle Track Arcos de Valdevez 76 Vila Verde Cycle Track 132 Granja Creek Mouth’s Cycle Track Vila Nova de Cerveira 16 Arcos de Valdevez Greenway 78 Gondomar Polis Cycle Track 134 Coastal Road Cycle Track 190 River Path Rail Trail 18 Ermelo Greenway Guimarães 136 Prelada Cycle track Vila Nova de Famalicão Armamar 80 Guimarães-Fafe Rail Trail 138 Asprela - Granja Route Cycle Track 192 Famalicão - Póvoa de Varzim Rail Trail 20 Douro River Greenway Folgosa Lousada Póvoa de Varzim Vila Nova de Gaia Barcelos 82 Lousada Greenway 140 Coastal Road Cycle Track 194 Areinho de Oliveira do Douro Cycle Track 22 Riverside Front Greenway Macedo de Cavaleiros Ribeira de Pena 196 Cabedelo-Aguda Cycle Track 24 City Park Greenway 84 Azibo Reservoir Greenway 142 Lamelas Natural Park Greenway 198 Historic Centre - Waterfront Cycle Track Braga Maia Santa Maria da Feira 200 Granja - São Félix da Marinha Cycle Track 26 Braga Greenway 86 Vilar de Luz Municipal Aerodrome Cycle 144 Silveirinha Industrial Area’s Cycle Track Vila Pouca de Aguiar Bragança Track 146 Ribeiras do Uíma Park Greenway 202 Corgo Rail Trail 28 Fervença Cycle Track 88 Souto - Brandinhães Rail Trail Santo Tirso Vila Real 30 Fervença Polis Cycle Track 90 Avioso Park Greenway 148 Ribeiro do Matadouro Urban Park Cycle 204 Corgo Rail Trail 32 Mãe D’ Água Rail Trail Matosinhos Track Vimioso Cabeceiras de Basto 92 Coastal Cycle Track (Cabo do Mundo) 150 Ave Riverbank Promenade Cycle track 206 Vimioso Park Greenway 34 Tâmega Line Rail Trail 94 Matosinhos Beach Cycle Track São João da Madeira Vizela Caminha 96 Entre Quintas Cycle Track 152 São João da Madeira Cycle Track 208 Riverside Road Greenway 36 Camboas’ Path Cycle Track 98 Pampelido Cycle Track Network 38 Âncora River Mouth Cycle Track 100 Matosinhos Boulevard/Promenade Sernancelhe 210 Tourist information 40 Minho River Greenway - Lanhelas Cycle Track 154 Lapa Cycle Track 42 Minho River Greenway - Seixas 102 Nó de Lavra Cycle Track Tarouca 44 Sargaceiro’s Path Greenway Miranda do Douro 156 City of Tarouca Cycle Track 46 Minho’s Mouth Beach Greenway 104 Sabor Rail Trail – Sendim Section - Duas Torre de Moncorvo 48 Santo Isidoro Greenway Igrejas 158 Sabor Rail Trail 50 Cristelo Greenway Mirandela Trofa Castelo de Paiva 106 Mirandela Cycle Track 160 Azenhas Park Greenway 52 Vila de Sobrado Cycle Track Monção Vale de Cambra Celorico de Basto 108 Minho River Rail Trail 162 Vale de Cambra City Park Cycle Track 54 Tâmega Line Rail Trail Oliveira de Azeméis Valença Chaves 110 Oliveira de Azeméis Cycle Track 164 Minho River Rail Trail 56 Tâmega Riverbanks Cycle Track Paços de Ferreira Viana do Castelo 58 Tâmega River Greenway – Chaves-Verin 112 Freamunde City Park Greenway 166 City of Viana do Castelo Cycle Track Espinho Paredes 168 Lima River Greenway - Meadows Route 60 City Park Greenway 114 City of Paredes Cycle Track 170 Carreço - Areosa North Coast Greenway 62 Coastal Greenway Peso da Régua 172 North Coast Greenway - South Section of 116 Riverside Greenway Cabedelo - Ribeira do Rodanho 2 | NORTHERN PORTUGAL 3 | CYCLE TRACKS, RAIL TRAILS AND GREENWAYS Porto and Northern Portugal has and International Parks to visit, to offer you and you can discover it viewpoints, picnic areas, thermal all with this guide. spas, birdwatching points, as well There are plenty of ways to enjoy as information on fauna and flora the several lanes reserved for and where to keep your bicycles cyclists, as well as the greenways or where to rent it. Enjoy the embedded in the natural outdoor spaces, ideal for children, environment or the rail trails that grown-ups in shape or people with «At times, I also hear were recovered from abandoned reduced mobility to exercise. Don’t the wind blow by / railways. The most difficult part miss the opportunity to dance at And find that merely will be to choose from the variety popular festivities and pilgrimages, of activities available. So, get your buy handicrafts at fairs, go to to hear the wind blow bike ready, choose comfortable concerts, street shows and the / makes it worth clothing and footwear and map different festivals that are held in having been born.» out your destination. In this guide, the Northern Region of the country. you can find several city tips, More than a thousand events to Fernando Pessoa suggestions that include strolls by choose from and to make your the sea and the riverfront, cycle weekend or holiday a memorable routes in green parks with fitness one. The soft breeze stroking your circuits, swimming-pools, terraces, Once you’ve worked up an appetite, face or the fresh smell of the sea tennis courts, children’s parks, take note of the gastronomic and invading your senses are just some but also long cycle tracks which wine suggestions in this guide. of the unique sensations that you connect two cities or several small There is nothing better than to can experience while riding a bike towns and villages. take a break and recharge your along the waterfront. While riding The challenge is set! Enjoy the batteries. Discover the many tasty a bike, enjoy the feeling of freedom healthy and upbeat atmosphere and irresistible dishes, starters and and pure tranquillity that such while visiting the castles, desserts presented in this guide. activity inspires - a sensation very churches, forts and museums... Choose the ones that will satisfy similar to what you can experience Embrace the sunny or cloudy you the most and boost your energy when breathing the fresh air of mornings and afternoons and level, so you can get back on your the woods or when rediscovering a go for a stroll, take a ride by the bike and start pedalling around. city along a cycle track. Search for beach or get on a forest trail Explore the cycle tracks of Porto the lost stories on the old railway and visit the typical villages and Northern Portugal, the tracks or simply go around the and wineries. This guide will greenways and rail trails and just riverside and listen to the sounds give you all the necessary like the poet, feel the wind blow of nature: these are just some of information to fully enjoy your by… and embrace the extraordinary the suggestions that Tourism of nature holidays. There are Nature feeling of being alive! 4 | NORTHERN PORTUGAL 5 | CYCLE TRACKS, RAIL TRAILS AND GREENWAYS Bikes are a non-polluting Cycle Track Rail trails are designed as The following signalling is used means of transport with A cycle track or bike path is a nature routes, since the at the beginning of these tracks great agility and versatility space built specifically for the old railway branches do in order to identify them: on the, thus allowing its traffic of bicycles, that is, it is a cover rural or natural areas users to discover and terrestrial communication lane with landscape value. The Path for Cycles explore touristic routes in with a level ground built for pavement is permeable, the city or in the countryside cyclists. usually made with dirt while exercising. Therefore, track or gravel in order to Path for Cycles and pedestrians Porto and Northern Portugal Rail Trails preserve that rural path [with separation] Tourism Board considered “Ecopista” or “Pista Verde” feature. In the urban areas it was important to produce (Rail trail) is the Portuguese that may have developed a guide where people could designation for the routes along these routes, the Path for Cycles and pedestrians easily find information which were once railway pavement is impermeable concerning Cycle tracks, branches. These can be found (typically made of asphalt or Greenways and Rail trails in in several regions of the concrete), thus maintaining the North of Portugal. country, creating a national the other features of the For the most experienced network of paths that people area. The following signs or just curious visitors, can use to go for a stroll mark the end of the paths: we sum up the official while surrounded by nature. Greenway INTRODuCTION definitions of the three This network of roads can Infrastructure for walking types of possible lanes sometimes be found in urban and/or cycling. Its main End of Path for Cycles to be found in the many areas. feature derives from being Northern municipalities. Vias Verdes, Voies Vertes, the link and interface End of Path for Cycles and These municipalities are Voies Douces or Greenways between areas with pedestrians [with separation] aware of the importance are some of the international environmental value, both that these infrastructures designations of infrastructures locally and regionally. have for tourism, especially designed for non-motorized End of Path for Cycles concerning the exploration traffic. Considering Portugal’s and pedestrians of territory and local Rail Trails, REFER (National services and product offer, Railway Network) intends to which ultimately lead to join the European Greenways the creation of jobs and a Network, which gathers more favourable setting nowadays many European for the national economic countries, so as to to development.