Made a stop on our journey onwards to visit the highest peak in mainland Portugal, Torre is in the Serra de Estrela range and peaks at 1993 metres. Just past this point you can park up and take a walk to Covão dos Conchos.
You walk 5km along a track to a lake with a small dam, and if you cross the dam wall, then clamber over another wall, you get to the extraordinary sight of what looks like a sink hole in the lake.
It’s actually a man made tunnel that takes the water down to the next lake, but looks really eerie as you stand watching the water pouring into the ground.
Now we would have said this was a lovely & interesting walk, BUT… it just so happens that we were there on a Sunday, along with about 25 – 30 members of a Portuguese 4×4 club, who thought nothing of driving along the track and churning it up with their large tyres, one man relieved himself standing on the track in front of his car door, they parked up on verges and rock formations wherever they could. The maximum they seemed capable of walking was the 200 metres from their 4×4 to the lake edge. Their cars wider than the track in some places, meant us walkers had to scramble into the bushes on the verge to avoid them as they pushed their way through. Our recommendation for your visit – avoid the weekends!