This proposed walk starts in Sobral da Abelheira and takes in various rural paths and trails of great beauty, with some slopes to the hikers' liking. Around Sobral da Abelheira you'll find farmland, citrus groves and pear trees, among others, with a special mention for strawberry production, which is also the subject of an annual festival. In terms of vegetation, the green patches of pine trees, oaks, cork oaks and eucalyptus trees should be emphasised. We'll pass some windmills, the village of Chanca and pass through various places of great natural beauty, between ascents and descents, with very pleasant scenery. Come along and be dazzled by these marvellous landscapes in the West, very close to Lisbon.

Sobral da Abelheira

The rugged geography to the north of Mafra favoured the creation of an urban centre with unique characteristics such as Sobral da Abelheira. Halfway up the hillside, dominating the course of the main local watercourse and organised as a small terraced property, for centuries Sobral da Abelheira was the reference town in an extensive rural area, where people and products from the area's farms converged and where the main processing and trading work was centralised. Sobral still partially fulfils this role today, despite the ongoing road revolution and the more diversified land use, which is no longer exclusively agricultural or forestry.

Equidistant from larger towns, the history of Sobral da Abelheira is largely unknown, although it has been documented since the 16th century, the period to which the oldest remains of the parish church correspond. The Manueline portal of Sobral da Abelheira's parish church, consecrated to Our Lady of the Olive Tree, is noteworthy.

It belonged to the municipality of Azueira until 1855, with which it had stronger agricultural relations and greater proximity for transporting products, taking advantage of the Lisbon - Torres Vedras road. It became part of the municipality of Mafra after Azueira was abolished and is now the municipality's main strawberry producer and an environmental area to be discovered, including an important part of the Tapada de Mafra.

Sobral da Abelheira is well known for its Strawberry Festival, which takes place around the third week of May

Codeçal Village

The village of Codeçal, located next to Celebredo, one of the entrances to the Tapada de Mafra, has a hermitage dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade and became a religious centre of relative importance in the second half of the 18th century, when the attached Casa dos Peregrinos was built with the support of King José. The Parish Church of Sobral da Abelheira is one of the most important temples in the municipality, having been built in the transition from the Manueline to the Renaissance style.

- Sobral da Abelheira valleys - Mills - Parish church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira with Manueline portal - Chanca village - Orchards - Strawberry plantations - Natural landscapes -