Length: 4-5 hours, 12-15km, ascent of at least 350 meters. Difficulty: Moderate.
Start point Palace Cafe near Sintra Train station. RSVPs will open at 8PM (20:00) the Thursday before the hike.
We will take the 435 bus to Montserrat Farm and head into the hills above the palace. Visit the farm horse, if the gate is open will stop at the Quinta das Sequoias, the casa ruin along n247-3, some views points, Convent of the Capuchos area, Lagoa Dos Mosqueiros, and Monserrate ponds area. Expect 4 euros for round trip bus fair for 435 bus.
Weather forecast: https://www.ipma.pt/pt/otempo/prev.localidade.hora/index.jsp#Lisboa&Sintra
Weather Note - The Sintra mountains are a micro climate, it can be sunny in Sintra, but have different weather near the top of the mountains. Plan for higher winds, cooler temps, possible fog, and maybe little rain near the top.
We will meet at the Palace Cafe near the Sintra train station. There is train leaving Lisbon Rossio station at 9:31 arriving at 10:24 and a train leaving Oriente station at 9:38 arriving at Sintra at 10:24. Cost for one way is 2,25 euros. Check here for schedule.
https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en
The Scotturb bus 417 to to Sintra departs Cascais bus station at 9:50 and arriving in Sintra by 10:30. I do not know how much the bus ticket costs. https://scotturb.com/carreira-417-pc
There are buses and trains back to Lisbon and Cascais that depart at least once per hour at different times.
If you want to come separately by car, I believe there is a free parking lot at Av Dr. Álvaro de Vasconcelos 13,[masked] Sintra.
This event is free. Limited to 10 participants to keep the group more convivial and easier to manage.
Pack a picnic lunch and at least one and a litre of water.
In order to participate you must have a name on your profile with contains at least your first name in clear. Whether you already have a place or are still in the waiting list, if you later change your mind about coming, then it is very important that you change your RSVP, so another member can participate instead and you don't receive a "no show" mark for this event.
Special "state of calamity" rules applying to this event:
1) Group size strictly limited to 10 people (over 10 would be against the law).
2) Minimum distance between participants of 2 metres if side by side or 4 metres if in a line/row (so you should expect conversations to be limited during the day!).
3) Masks compulsory during transport (public transport OR car sharing).
4) Maximum 4 people per car if car-sharing.
5) Nobody infected with or presenting symptoms of Covid-19 is allowed to participate.
It will not be compulsory to wear a mask during the hike and in fact I don't really recommend it because it can hinder breathing and so I don't consider it appropriate for any sports activity, however this is completely up to you.
Dan
