Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Torre
In winter, Torre's road signs are so blasted by freezing winds that horizontal icicles barb
their edges. Portugal's highest peak at 1993m, Torre (Tower) produces a winter freeze so
reliable that it's got a small
ski resort
( 275 314 727;
www.skiserradaestrela.com
;
Torre; half-/full day Sat
& Sun Nov-Apr €15/25, other times €10/15; 9am-5pm ski season)
, with mainly beginners' slopes
(there's one 'black' run). Ski-gear (€25 per day) and snowboard (€15 per day) rental is
available, and there's a supervised kids' play park.
Outside the snow season (mid-December to mid-April), Portugal's pinnacle is rather
depressing - tired and tacky, occupied by several ageing golf-ball radar domes, and a
sweaty, smelly shopping arcade. The 7m-high, neoclassical obelisk was erected by João
VI in the early 19th century so that Portugal could cheekily claim its highest point was ex-
actly 2000m.
Redeeming the summit is the
Centro de Interpretação do Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela
(admis-
sion €2.50)
, a park visitor centre filled with maps, photos and displays about the region's
natural and cultural history.
Even if you give Torre itself a miss, it's worth making the trip in this direction just to
survey the astoundingly dramatic surroundings. The drive from Manteigas or Covilhã is
especially breathtaking, passing through the Nave de Santo António - a traditional high-
country sheep-grazing meadow - before climbing through a surreal moonscape of crags
and gorges. Visible near the turn-off for Torre is Cántaro Magro, a notable rock formation.
Rising 500m straight from the valley below, it's a spectacular spot, popular with rock-
climbers.
In August,
Autotransportes do Fundão
( 275 336 448)
runs a 2pm bus service from Covilhã's
bus station to Torre (€2.85, 1½ hours), arriving around 3.30pm and returning down the
mountain an hour later.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Penhas da Saúde
Penhas, the closest spot in which to hunker down near Torre (about 10km from Covilhã),
isn't a town but a weather-beaten collection of chalets sited striplike along the N339 at an
