Vendas Novas - Branca

The Alentejo song says: "I just came back from the fields, I've already eaten/Today I'm going for a walk/I'm going to the "sale", I have a drink/I come back early in the morning". And we also came to Vendas Novas, and now return to the Path early in the morning! But not without first supplying ourselves with an appetizing bifana for noon, as we won't find any restaurant in today's stage until the village of Branca. If we come in November, with some luck we’ll be able to see the Mostra das Sopas (Soups Show), and add to our backpack a typical Alentejo "sopa de entulho"(meat and vegetable waste soup) or a homemade broth.

From where we are, we follow Avenida da República (coincident with the national road N4), to the west and, at the second roundabout, we turn right under the railway line, and at the next roundabout to the left, to Estrada de Canha. A long stretch of road awaits us along the N251-1, almost 9 km, through an authentic avenue of wild pine trees that accompany us along the entire length of the route. We pass Palácio do Vidigal on the left, ordered by the king D. Carlos I, which is now a private property closed to visitors. A few kilometers further on, next to the white gate with a yellow stripe, we turn right onto the sand path and cross the Ribeira de Canha stream. We continue 5 kms up a slight hill, through a cork oak forest, until we pass the train line very carefully, next to the Monte da Sesmaria Nova. We follow the Path towards Monte de Frades, a farm in the valley of Ribeira de Lavre. We cross the estate through the middle of the rice fields to the bridge leading us to the other bank of the stream, where we detour to the left. We go around an airstrip, hidden within the forest, for 6 km on a sandy path between pine and cork oak forest, crossing once again the railway line at the Lavre’s train halt, closed to passengers since 2012. We continue along the Herdade do Aszeiro road, passing through the middle of Monte da Torre, following the Lavre stream to Monte de Pelados. Here we move away from the Ribeira towards the north, in the direction of Branca civil parish, along the Caminho dos Pelados.

We cross the road (EN251) and enter an area of plotted land, with many villas preceding the arrival to the main cluster of the small village of Branca, on the Estrada dos Alemães road, in front of the Parish Council, where today's journey ends.