Soure's Rota do Arroz trail highlights river Arunca wetlands
The Rota do Arroz is an easy 4.5-kilometre walking route in Soure, part of the Coimbra region's 'Rios e Zonas Húmidas' project. It runs mainly along the right bank of the river Arunca, from the rice fields of Vila Nova de Anços to the Paul da Madriz, a protected wetland of around 40 hectares classified under the RAMSAR convention and Natura 2000. Walkers pass rice and maize fields, an 18th-century chapel with panoramic views, and habitats supporting some 142 recorded bird species, including herons, storks and the reintroduced caimão, plus otters and rich riparian vegetation.
New 13km circular trail opens up Serra da Boa Viagem
A roughly 13-kilometre circular trail, taking about four hours, has been proposed through the Serra da Boa Viagem in Figueira da Foz, part of the Região Metropolitana de Coimbra's 'Mar e Zonas Dunares' network. Starting at the Bandeira viewpoint, it passes a seasonal waterfall, panoramic views over the Cabo Mondego Natural Monument with its Jurassic fossil record, the Cabo Mondego lighthouse, and ends near the Capela de Santo Amaro in the Mata Nacional do Prazo de Santa Marinha. The route showcases rich Mediterranean-Atlantic flora and the area's geological heritage, and can be walked year-round.
Madeira camping club plans 15km hike through Rabaçal and 25 Fontes
The Clube de Campismo da Madeira will hold a public hike on Saturday, 22 August, covering around 15km through Paul da Serra, Fanal, 25 Fontes and Rabaçal, lasting about six hours at moderate difficulty. The walk is open to the public, and participants must register in advance with José Gonçalves by phone, SMS, WhatsApp or email, providing full name, date of birth and tax number for accident insurance purposes. The registration fee covers transport from Funchal and personal accident insurance. Cancellations must be made before 4pm the day before, otherwise the transport and insurance costs are still charged.
Closing blinds before 10am can cut air conditioning use
A home efficiency specialist, Álvaro Pérez, CEO of Auro AI, says closing blinds before 10am, particularly in rooms exposed to morning sun, can cut air conditioning consumption by up to 25%, according to Spanish newspaper AS. The savings depend on a home's orientation, insulation and windows, so timing should match when each room gets most sun. Additional tips include airing the house early while it's still cool outside, then sealing windows and blinds, setting air conditioning near 26 degrees, keeping filters clean, and closing doors to unused rooms. The approach requires no financial investment.
Magpie photographed in Bragança confirmed as Iberian subspecies
A reader in Bragança sent Wilder a photo of a magpie seen on 6 August, asking whether it belonged to the North African subspecies Pica pica mauritanica after noticing bluish bare skin near the eye. Expert Gonçalo Elias explains that this feature can occasionally appear in the native Iberian subspecies, Pica pica melanotos, too, and that there are no known records of the Maghreb magpie in the Iberian Peninsula, whose population is largely sedentary. He concludes the bird most likely belongs to the local Iberian population, widespread across Portugal but scarcer in the south.
