This proposed walk starts next to the Abrigo do Lagar Velho Interpretive Centre. It will be 11 kilometres in a circular route, starting at the car park of the Lapedo River Beach picnic area. This is a route that follows the trails of the past of the karst canyon of the Lapedo Valley in search of the cave of the Lapedo Child, a child buried here around 29,000 years ago, and discovered in the Abrigo do Lagar Velho and the paradisiacal Praia Fluvial do Lapedo, as well as the ascent to the panoramic Barroca do Crasto, with all its magnificent views over the Caranguejeira Valley. It includes passing through trails of rare beauty on impressive limestone slopes, watercourses and Mediterranean woodland, on a very dynamic route that mixes trail with country lanes and some tarmac linking in a constant variation of inclines. Another event not to be missed from Caminhando!

Walking in the Lapedo Valley

Vale do Lapedo is located in the parish of Santa Eufémia, around 13 kilometres from Leiria. It is a place of great natural and cultural interest, located in a predominantly rural region. The natural features have facilitated the preservation of the landscape, which has been little humanised to this day. Inside the narrow valley, about 1.5 kilometres long, there are only three houses associated with old milling structures - grain mills and wine presses.

The landscape is characterised by its magnificent natural features, including the canyon-shaped valley that rips through the limestone massif, one of the largest and most interesting in Portugal, eroded over hundreds of thousands of years by the Sirol stream.

The unique characteristics of this type of geomorphological formation are conducive to the preservation of native flora and fauna. In the case of Lapedo, we can see some examples of the peninsula's oldest biological community - Mediterranean forest, with some typical species such as the Cerquinho Oak (Quercus-faginea) and the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo).

In 1993 the Municipality of Leiria, in collaboration with environmental associations in the region, proposed the classification of the Lapedo Valley for its environmental qualities.

Lagar Velho Shelter Interpretation Centre

This space, located in the Lapedo Valley, shows visitors the results of the research carried out at the Abrigo do Lagar Velho archaeological site and its context in the history of human evolution.

In 1998, the “Boy from Lapedo” was discovered. The find, dated to around 24,500 years ago, corresponds to a child, which makes it possible to document a type of mosaic resulting from a miscegenation between Modern Man and Neanderthal Man.

- Lapedo Valley - Ribeira do Sirol waterfall - Mediterranean woodland - Picnic area - River beach - Menino do Lapedo - Abrigo do Lagar Velho Interpretation Centre - Natural landscapes -