inherit - hiking heritage trails conference

During the weekend of October 9-11, I had the pleasure of participating in the Inherit - Hiking Heritage Trails conference in Arouca.

INHERIT – Culture is Green is an initiative co-financed by the European Union (Creative Europe) that focuses on protecting cultural and natural heritage in remote mountainous areas through sustainable hiking tourism.

This wonderful initiative has a clear mission focused on the "local". Local nature, culture, and heritage were not forgotten, but neither was the local spirit, thanks to the local delicacies and two fantastic lunches provided by the local gastronomy of Talho Arouques and Casa do Areinho!

Inner Spirit Hikers took part in several activities of the program that weekend. But the hikes were undoubtedly the most interesting part for us.

On Friday, October 9th, we hiked through the Serra da Freita with a guide from Why Not (on nature). Pedro told us a lot about the area and its biodiversity, so we returned home that night with our heads full of new information, eager for the next day.

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On Saturday morning, October 10th, we participated in a walk along the boardwalks from Areinho to Vau. Pedro, from Why Not, once again provided us with a wealth of information, this time about the Paiva Valley, the river, and its banks. The history of the region's settlement also dates back to ancient times. After lunch at Casa do Areinho, we unfortunately had to leave due to other commitments. But we were eager to see what Sunday morning holds for us, as a short walk was planned in Arouca.

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On Sunday morning, we set off for Arouca, where we first took a guided tour of the "Municipal Museum." We received a brief explanation about the history of Arouca, its monastery, and its inhabitants. Afterwards, we visited the monastery briefly. Pedro told its history with passion once again, and it was possible to clearly feel his involvement with it all.

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Then came the farewells from everyone. The conference came to an end. We at Inner Spirit Hikers are immensely grateful to have been able to participate. We consider the information, the new people we met, and the enthusiasm with which everyone engaged in this project to be very valuable.

A special thank you to Daniela Rocha, from the Arouca Geopark, for bringing this conference to our attention, in which we had the opportunity to participate as guests.

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Other participants from Arouca:

Clube Do Paiva

ECDC Portugal

Just come tours

escola de montanha

why not on nature

Arouca geopark