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Mountain/Rock |
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40.32133°N / 7.61301°W |
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Hiking, Skiing |
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
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6539 ft / 1993 m |
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Torre Mountain is the highest peak on the mainland of Portugal and the second highest peak of the ‘complete’ country. Only Picos Mountain (2351m), which is located on the Azores islands, is higher. With its 1993 meters in altitude, it just fails the 2000 meter barrier (that is considered magical from a Portuguese point of view). Dom João VI was therefore unsatisfied with its height, and built a tower here in the early 19th century in order to extend the mountain to a more acceptable 2000 meters! Torre literally means Tower and is named after the Dom João Tower on the summit. Views from Torre are quite spectacular. On bright days it is possible to see the Atlantic Ocean, over 100 miles in the distance.
Torre is located in the National Park of Serra da Estrela, and is the highest point of the Serra da Estrela range, which consists of all the highest mountains on Portugal’s mainland. Torre is surrounded by some other noticeable mountains like Poios Brancos (1706m), Cantaro Raso and the steep Cantaro Magro (1926m). The summit of Torre is actually a plateau, with an area of tens of square meters.
Furthermore, there are two sad parts to be noted: First, Torre is home to the countries only ski facility, which is located on the edge of the mountain. Secondly, a paved road leads up to the summit of Torre, all the way from the village of Manteigas. Therefore, the highest point on the mainland of Portugal, can be reached by car. Although accessible by car, there are some nice hiking routes up and around the mountain, which makes visiting Torre after all a worthwhile effort.
First of all you have to access one of the main roads towards the summit of Torre. This road is called the N339 and is accessible from both sides of the Estrela National Park, namely from the north (Seia) and south (Manteigas and Covilha). To get to these places go the ‘How to get there’ section.
When you are following this N339 road you will eventually spot the Covão do Meio Lake (point ‘2’ on the Map below). Park your car somewhere close to the lake and walk towards it. From here there are two routes up to Torre, as also can be seen on the map below.
The path can be easily followed because ‘stone-men’ (piles of stones) are along the trail, marked with red paint. A suggestion is to take the western route up, and eastern route down (or the other way around). Climbing gear is not needed for this trip. It is easy hiking in the T2 grade. Still, some good mountain shoes are recommended.