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Have you ever visited a place that you wish you could keep to yourself, like a secret? Like a truly, hidden gem? That’s how I felt when some friends and I completed the length of the Paiva Walkways in Northern Portugal earlier this summer.

I even went so far as to be cryptic about where I was on social media, and I requested my friends do the same.

The truth is, beautiful moments like this walk are meant to be shared. And, I think where I was really coming from was a hope that others that take the opportunity to walk this path and others like it appreciate it as much more than a cool Instagram photo (though, I won’t deny that its winding steps are striking against the natural landscape).

Its stewards seems to be aware of this too. According to its website, there is a limit to the number of people that can pass through per day. There is a fee of €1 per person, which is a nominal price to pay for a little more than five miles of unspoiled nature along the Paiva river.

Think, the trickling or rushing sounds of the river, shades of green and other earth tones and a tranquility that soothes even the most complicated thoughts we tend to carry with us from day to day.

Or, see for yourself.

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