GREAT CROSSING GRAVEL
Off the Road - Into the Wildscapes [Stage 2]
Discover the history of Aljustrel and dare to go on a walk up to the top of the village. On your way to Ourique, stop at the Castle of Messejana, visit the Museum of Rurality and as you reach your destination, enjoy the sunset from the castle of Ourique.
Distance
64.6 km
Duration
4:41 h
Ascendent
501 m
Descendent
479 m
Highest point
240 m
Lowest point
92 m
To start this second stage you might want to make the climb to the chapel of Nossa Senhora do Castelo to enjoy the surrounding views.
From there you will travel to the white village of Messejana where we recommend you take time and enjoy the heritage and experience the local cuisine.
Taking a mix of dirt and asphalt roads you will arrive at Estação de Ourique, a village that keeps alive the tradition of Cante Alentejano.
The path continues smoothly and you will soon reach the dam of Monte da Rocha.
At this point, you will have reached the municipality of Ourique, the capital of the Alentejano Black Pig. It’s a great place to have a break for lunch or a snack in Garvão, a village famous for its meat and sausages.
From here you will get to the urban centre of Ourique ending the journey.
Places to visit
Viewpoint of Ourique old castle
The castle of Ourique disappeared in the past centuries but some of the ruins are still intact, including the arch at the entrance of the viewpoint. In the XII century, on the surrounding fields, some critical battles took place between the first Portuguese king, D. Afonso Henriques, and the Moorish domain. Having a castle in this location was of strategic importance. Today Ourique is a quiet urban village with restaurants and places to stay.
Museum of Rurality – Entradas
The Museum of Rurality opened in 2012 in Entradas. Divided into three exhibition zones, the temporary exhibition zone presents agricultural tools and representative objects of the “campaniça” rural life, like wool blankets, a weaving loom and rattles. The semi-permanent exhibition zone shows examples of agricultural tools. The third zone serves as a “Nucleus of Oral Communication”, and presents the oral memory, construction and celebration for the cultural heritage of the territory.
Igreja Nossa Senhora do Castelo
The small chapel, dating from 1482, was built on the site of the old Aljustrel Castle.
Messejana
Do you know the origin of this unique name? Messanaja comes from Arab word masjana, meaning prison, carcel or even dungeon, representing the legacy from the Moorish period. If you walk through the village on the main road to the ruins of the medieval castle you should stop for a while in the main square and look at the clock tower. The hands of the clock are still moving but the time has stopped. Really. Feel the tranquillity and the breeze before entering into the local churches and smelling the candles burning.
