Skate park da Mata da Torre

Big concrete skateparks can be scary for a child who’s just learning. The skate park at Mata da Torre is small and deliberately gentle. It’s in the Parque Infantil Mata da Torre, a council playground near the E.Leclerc supermarket in São Domingos de Rana, in the municipality of Cascais.

Cascais Jovem, the council’s youth service, reopened it on Saturday 11 January 2025 with the Academia dos Patins, a youth skating association. The council says the rebuilt park complements the bigger skate parks elsewhere in Cascais by giving beginners ramps at reduced heights.

The park has a short circuit of technical obstacles, all built lower than you’d find in an ordinary skatepark:

• A manual pad, a low flat-topped block for balancing on two wheels.
• A flat bar, a low rail to slide along.
• A grind box, a box with edges for grinding.
• A quarter pipe, a curved ramp for turning around.
• A bank (an incline), a flat sloping ramp and the easiest place to start.

It’s open to skateboarding, inline skating, BMX and freestyle scooters. That last one matters for younger children, because many start on scooters long before they try a board.

Youth groups from the area helped finish the job. Young people from the Associação Juvenil Realiza and the Guias de São Domingos de Rana (the local Guides) worked on the final stage alongside technicians from the Academia dos Patins. At the opening, national riders gave demonstrations: Rúben Rodrigues on a skateboard, Raymond Rudolfo on BMX and Juan Camilo on a freestyle scooter, and visitors could try the new obstacles.

Cascais Jovem also said two mini half-pipes had gone in during December at Aldeia de Juso and Bairro da Torre, as part of the same push to give young skaters more places close to home.

• A helmet is a must. Knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards save a lot of tears on concrete.
• Start on flat ground, then the bank, then the quarter pipe. Leave the flat bar and grind box until your child can ride and stop confidently.
• Low ramps are still ramps. Stay close to younger children, especially when older riders are there.
• We couldn’t find published hours, lighting or toilet details, so plan a daytime visit and bring water.

Once your child has outgrown the low ramps, the big seaside skatepark at Parque das Gerações in São João do Estoril has a beginner area as well as bowls. For lessons, Manolas Skate School teaches children from age 4 around Lisbon and Oeiras. For a different kind of outing nearby, Parque Marechal Carmona in Cascais has peacocks and a playground split by age.

Is there a skate park for beginners in Cascais?

Yes. The skate park at the Mata da Torre playground in São Domingos de Rana was rebuilt in January 2025 with low-height ramps, specifically for beginners.

Can my child use a scooter at Mata da Torre?

Yes. The council lists freestyle scooters along with skateboards, inline skates and BMX.

Is it free?

Yes. It’s a public skate park in a council playground.

Where exactly is it?

In the Parque Infantil Mata da Torre in São Domingos de Rana, near the E.Leclerc supermarket.