This proposed walk starts at the Belas Parish Council (Praça 5 de Outubro). Between various points of interest, such as Quinta do Bonjardim (where football was played for the first time in Portugal, unofficially), we'll pass along some paths of great scenic beauty, such as the Serra da Carregueira and its highest point at 334 metres, offering sweeping views of the entire region. We'll be travelling through various places of great natural beauty, between ascents and descents, with very pleasant scenery. Come along and marvel at these wonders just outside Lisbon.

Quinta do Bonjardim

Quinta do Bonjardim is a noble house that dates back to the 16th century and is recognised by the cultural elite that concentrated here in the 18th and 19th centuries, under the auspices of the counts of Redondo and Vimioso. It stands out for its magnificent robustness, beauty, location (Belas, Sintra) and the French-style garden that is laid out from the main house, in levels of boxwood labyrinths, geometrically organised according to the ponds and fountains.

A tributary of the River Jamor runs through the property and there is also a Roman road. There is also a vast area of lush woodland, made up of plane trees, pine trees, chestnut trees, eucalyptus trees, cypress trees, magnolias and palm trees.

The property was acquired in 1587, when the mother house was built in the Renaissance style. The large entrance courtyard, with its magnificent oval-shaped lawn, is preceded by a very high stonework arch with the Sousa do Prado coat of arms, placed later, and by a large iron gate. This grand entrance gives the Quinta a well-deserved stately appearance, which in fact it possesses in every respect. On the main façade, the two-storey side bodies with an angled finish are further forward than the central body, which houses the main door and a window on each side. Inside, the walls are particularly notable for their blue and white tiles from the 16th and late 17th centuries. Other rooms retain their wooden ceilings, such as the large Panelled Room, while others are decorated in stucco, such as the large dining room, where twenty people can easily sit at a table.

Serra da Carregueira

The Carregueira mountain range is a massif located to the north-west of Lisbon, made up of a series of hills which, due to their more rugged terrain, stand out from the surrounding undulating terrain. The northern section of the mountain range has several headlands over 300 metres high, the highest point being the geodesic landmark of Aruil, at 334 metres. Mount Suímo, at 291 metres, is the highest point in the southern sector of the mountain range.

It lies between Dona Maria to the east, Meleças to the west, Belas to the south and Almargem do Bispo to the north.

It includes the important Vale de Lobos aquifer, formerly used by the Águas Livres Aqueduct and its subsidiaries, of which the Mata aqueduct stands out. The Carregueira mountain range is the source of the main watercourses that flow into the Atlantic Ocean between Lisbon and Oeiras after passing through the towns of Amadora, Queluz and Agualva-Cacém.

- Quintas de Belas - Fonte do Coxo - Serra da Carregueira - Marco Geodésico de Suímo - Minas de Granadas - Carrascal - Quinta do Bom Jardim - Roman road - Rio do Porto - Natural landscapes -