Friday 27 March 2020

Green Rio Sizandro

The Eco-Caminho of Sizandro (Portugal) is a trail that can be done by bike or walking. One section starts in the city of Torres Vedras and it finishes in the firth of river Sizandro (Foz do Sizandro), totalising 18km distance. There is also a variation that leads to Santa Cruz (21km), a popular holiday spot in the Portuguese Atlantic coast. The trail breaks in between agricultural fields of fruits and vegetables and as it accompanies the margins of the river Sizandro, the difficulty level is low. It also passes by several forts of the Lines of Torres Vedras, built during the Peninsular war with the objective of defending Lisbon from the French troops. The lines of forts were named after the city of Torres Vedras and their construction was supervised by the commander of the British troops, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The eco-caminho passes through several interesting and authentic villages such as Ribeira de Pedrulhos, Ponte de Rol, Bordinheira, Aranha...I do this trail very often on my all terrain "Specialized" bike and I enjoy the views, the birds singing, the Atlantic. However, it deeply saddens me the way that farmers, walkers, fishermen and others treat the land and the river, with many litter left behind, mainly plastic litter. There seems to be no respect for nature and no awareness on how harmful this is for animals, ecosystems and human life.

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