This proposed walk starts in the car park of the Castelo de Sesimbra picnic area and takes in the hillsides of Sesimbra, with fantastic views of the sea, not forgetting some of the most beautiful spots on the entire Arrábida coast, on an unforgettable route and challenges fit for great walkers. Another event not to be missed!

Sesimbra Castle

Classified as a National Monument on 16 June 1910, Sesimbra Castle is the last of the well-preserved castles on the sea that have survived to the present day. Its origins date back to the 9th century, the period of Muslim occupation of the territory. In 1165 it was conquered by King Afonso Henriques, and in 1191 it was lost to the Almohads. It was finally reconquered by King Sancho I in 1199, the monarch who granted the first charter to the town of Sesimbra, which was then located inside the monument. Throughout the Middle Ages, and given its strategic importance in the defence of the kingdom's maritime and land borders, the castle underwent numerous extensions.

From the 15th century onwards, with the development of maritime activities such as fishing and shipbuilding in Póvoa Ribeirinha, the population gradually moved to the bay. In 1516, the year of the Visitation of D. Jorge de Lencastre, Master of the Order of Santiago, it was already showing obvious signs of abandonment, which became more pronounced over the following centuries. The monument's advanced state of ruin was finally halted between 1933 and 1945 with conservation work organised by the Directorate General for National Buildings and Monuments.

Fort Santiago

The current structure dates back to the time of the Restoration of Independence, when it was ordered to be built during the reign of King John IV (1640-1656). It was designed by João Cosmander, a Dutch Jesuit in the service of that sovereign, and completed in 1648.

Used as a resort or holiday camp for the bastard children of King João V (1706-50) (the Meninos de Palhavã), from 1712 onwards it was used as the headquarters of the region's Government of Arms, to which the other coastal defences were subordinated: the Fort of Santiago do Outão, the Fort of Santa Maria da Arrábida, the Fort of São Teodósio da Ponta do Cavalo, the Fort of São Domingos da Baralha and the Fort of Nossa Senhora do Cabo, in Espichel. The Fort of São Pedro das Areias Brancas (or Foz) was already badly damaged at this time.

In the 19th century, having lost its defensive function in the face of military developments, it was dismantled and dismantled in 1832. Its facilities were later transferred to the Customs House (1886) until, in 1879, it became home to the Guarda Fiscal barracks.

Lapa da Santinha

This is the place where shepherds used to go to pray, as there was a little saint inside. In the neighbourhood there are more lapas/currais where shepherds kept their cattle and spent the night many years ago.

- Sesimbra Castle - Sesimbra hillsides - Lapa da Santinha - Alto da Califórnia - Fort Santiago - Pillory - Panoramic views of the Arrábida hillsides - Natural landscapes -