Benavente - Muge

We return to Praça do Município to begin today's stage and head towards the river on Rua Dr. Ruy Azevedo, along the pleasant garden Jardim da Fateixa, on the Sorraia riverbanks. We cross the river over the white pedestrian bridge, on the right, and continue along the trail in the strip that separates the cultivated lands.

We pass under the viaduct of the N118 national road and continue the path through the fields. Still avoiding the busy and narrow N118 road, we get into the side fields, which may be submerged, thus forcing us to go up back to the road. In any case, 1 km ahead we’ll have to do it, in a dangerous intersection, following on the left through the secondary road to Salvaterra de Magos. If we would choose the right we would find Aldeia do Peixe, about 5 km beside the Sorraia river, a place with many records of the "avieiros" fishermen culture. At the end of the Estrada do Convento, we enter the village through Rua do Tejo where, right at the entrance, we find the Falcoaria Real (Royal Falconry). If you have time, watch a demonstration of this art, in the sessions that take place regularly. Continuing along Rua do Tejo, we observe a small "marina" and, on the right, we also find the Capela Real (Royal Chapel), from the 17th century, with renovation works during the Rococo period. We pass the bridge over the Vala Real (Royal Valley), which was used to the transport of goods and for the royal family's boat when they visited this locality. Soon we arrive at the junction that indicates the picturesque village of Escaroupim to the left. Here, we take a break to visit the museum, the stilts port and the old "avieira" houses, preserved in their original state for the tourists. We leave Escaroupim still on Rua do Tejo, which bifurcates a little further on. We follow the road on the left that takes us to the campsite and continues on a pleasant and fresh path for 4 km through the Escaroupim Forest until a level crossing. Shortly after, we arrive at a crossroad where, turning left, we could go to Ponte Rainha D. Amélia bridge over the Tejo and, from there, intersect with the Path to Santiago coming from Lisbon, by the Tejo river northern bank. Since this is not our option, we move on to the entrance of Muge, looking for the Parish Council street, where we rush to ask for directions about the available accommodation, which is not abundant around here. As we explore the village, we can find the Roman bridge of Muge in the north, with 400 m of extension, which served part of the Roman road that used to connect the Alentejo to Santarém. Before the day ends, we rest at Casa Cadaval, an estate with 400 years of history.