Trail Da Raia 2026

Do you know Portugal 🇵🇹, its gentle way of life, and its landscapes? While the two major cities of the Atlantic Coast, Porto and Lisbon, draw attention, the entire country remains to be discovered! The province Beira Interior South, for instance, located at the border between Spain and Portugal, is a beautiful mountainous area which houses the city of Aldeia do Bispo 🚩. To the north of the city 🌆, the Serra da Malcata Nature Reserve 🌲 and the trails between the two neighboring countries provide the setting each year for the Trail Da Raia, a cross-border event. You're not just in for one country on your race trip, but two! ✌ Indeed, the race pays homage to the smuggling trails that long existed between Portugal and Spain. This part of history has now become part of the common culture and has created bonds of friendship that still last today.

The Trail Da Raia offers you 4 trail courses: 45 km, 31 km, 16 km, and 11 km 🏃. A discovery trail, two short and one long, for a competition as accessible as possible! The good news is that walkers can also complete the distance of 11 km in a hike if they wish. The elevation gains - respectively 1,270 mD+, 840 mD+, 360 mD+ and 230 mD+ - are quite reasonable to allow all to participate. Moreover, the tracks offer relatively rolling and quick trails 🛼. Little bonus: the two longest distances are part of the National League ITRA Circuit and are certified by the Portuguese Trail Federation (so they bring in precious ITRA points 🏆), a chance for the medal collector that you are! 😉 Still not enough for you? A triathlon has been added to the list of proposed events: 750 m swimming, 20 km cycling, and 5 km running. This way, no one is left out! 🙃

In Spain 🇪🇸, you will head towards the municipality of Navasfrias, before returning to Aldeia do Bispo, on the Portuguese side 🔁. To you all the beautiful natural landscapes of the region and the warm and sunny weather of August in the Iberian Peninsula! 🌞 However, be cautious of sunburn, it's best not to forget your sunscreen and a large bottle of water. Fortunately, many trees are there to offer shade in a dense and refreshing forest area, with the scent of eucalyptus... 🥰 And to make this moment even more unforgettable, the organizers have done everything to make the event fun and enjoyable: you'll see once you're there 😉.

The territory of Aldeia do Bispo is mountainous, the town being situated at an average altitude of 600 m above sea level (or the Atlantic Ocean in this case 😅). After or before your race, you can enjoy the Portuguese coast. Indeed, since we don't travel every day, you might as well enjoy it fully! The country of Vasco da Gama and Magellan naturally has a strong maritime culture, which you can discover in the beautiful cities of Porto and Lisbon 😍. These two major European cities both have their fans. Difficult to choose between them, especially in football! ⚽️ The best way to please everyone is to taste some of the country's specialties with a glass of Port 🍷 (of course, we were going to get there 😂).

If you really have reserved time for the Trail da Raia, you can even extend the exploration to the various islands far offshore, like the island of Azores and the one of Pico, which harbors the highest peak ⛰ of Portugal, the Punta do Pico (2,351 m). Admittedly, that's another trip: these two islands are 1,000 km from the coast 🏊.