HI - Leiria Hostel

You'll be heading for Leiria, the town by the River Liz, which funnily enough is the homeland of a few new bands. For some reason, this town has seen quite a lot of development musically speaking, and going out at night here is always an interesting experience. However, you'll want to give your bones a rest, and for that your destination will obviously be the local Youth Hostel. You'll be able to get a good night's sleep there, although the best place to recover from the urban hustle and bustle may well be the Leiria Woods.

It stretches like a green blanket from São Pedro de Moel to Vieira Beach and even further north. It is simply huge. On a map, you can see at a glance that it's the biggest continuous pine-wood in Portugal, as it covers thousands of hectares.

So, this is a thick area of pine, although not always with the same characteristics. As you leave Marinha Grande, the wood is comprised of tall wild pines standing close together, so that their treetops touch, though they're not particularly lush. The sun's rays barely reach the ground, so there's lots of fern around and the atmosphere is nice and cool, which is ideal for a nap on a hot day or a picnic in the spring, when lovers get flirty.
From Praia da Viera to São Pedro de Moel
By the quay at Praia da Vieira, there are always a few fishermen holding their rods, ready for some fish. At this time of year, it is a little too soon to go for a swim, but you can play some football on the sand with your mates, while you breathe in the fresh sea air.

You can play, run and jump at will... but why not try something challenging? You can make the most of the tarmac path that runs along the road, by cycling along the ten kilometres which separate Viera Beach from São Pedro de Moel. That's right, you'll be tiring yourself out, sweating a bit, but it's certainly good for you. Now if this is not exactly the most appealing solution to you, you can opt for roller-blading, which should also be great fun.

If you follow the coastline, you won't always be able to see the ocean, which sometimes gets hidden by tall bushes and the inevitable pine-trees, which abound here. Contrary to the scenery at Marinha Grande, near São Pedro de Moel there are stone pines with lush green treetops.

As you struggle on, you'll be getting to the village of São Pedro de Moel, where you'll have the best views of the coast from a huge belvedere on the cliff. It opens up over the sea, and you can gaze at the enormous beach and the ocean, as well as the modest but pretty lighthouse, which tells fishing boats that a safe port is nearby.
Dom Dinis or Dom Afonso III
Dom Dinis, one of the most educated and visionary of Portuguese kings, nicknamed "The Farmer", is said to have made the decision to have the Leiria Wood planted. In the 14th century, planting such a huge wood brought several advantages. First of all, it meant preserving agriculture, as the fertile soil in the Liz valley would be protected from the wind. Secondly, the wood could be used in the developing naval industry. Most Portuguese people have heard this, but what many of them don't know is that the wood was actually planted under Dom Afonso III and not under Dom Dinis! So, now you know better!