Skate Park do Monte do Francisquinho

The skate park at Monte do Francisquinho in Pinhal Novo opened in 2021. The Jornal do Pinhal Novo reported that its concept was worked out with local young people through “Março a Partir”, a youth participation programme run by Palmela council. The illustrator Tiago Hesp, from the magazine FOmE, helped paint the park’s concrete “volcano”, so it is a little more colourful than most.

The park is part of a wider project to restore the Monte do Francisquinho, a monte (a rural farmstead) whose buildings had fallen almost into ruin. The architects describe the plan as a network of spaces for local associations and community activities, and the local paper called it an “associative village” with a focus on social inclusion. The skate park was built in the first phase, along with the restoration of the old buildings.

It is small, about 420 square metres. Trucks and Fins, an international skate park directory, says it was designed and built by Wasteland Skateparks and lists:

• a pyramid
• a volcano (a cone-shaped bump to ride up and over)
• a quarter pipe
• a bank (a flat slope)
• a manual pad (a low flat block for balancing on two wheels)
• a ledge and a flat rail for grinding
• a wallride (a vertical wall to ride up)

Site Nacional de Skate, a Portuguese skate site, also mentions a concrete bench, a corner and an incline, and describes the park as extremely small. Trucks and Fins says the back-and-forth layout still lets riders link several obstacles, and that it suits short sessions rather than a long day out.

For a child just starting, a compact park with low obstacles can be less intimidating than a big city skate park full of stairs and deep bowls. There is less space to cover and fewer fast riders. The flat rail and manual pad are low, and the bank and volcano are good for learning to ride up and roll back. Children on scooters can use it too, as long as everyone takes turns.

No helmet or pad rules were published when we checked. A helmet and wrist guards are sensible for every beginner.

Palmela council uses the park for youth events. On International Youth Day, 12 August 2025, it held a free day there from 10:00 to 16:00 with skateboarding and fencing activities and music. The first Youth Day at the park, in August 2021, had a DJ and young people trying out the new obstacles. It is worth checking the council’s news in early August.

This is a small neighbourhood park, not somewhere to drive a long way for. Confident teenagers will get through its obstacles quickly. The council doesn’t publish opening hours, toilets or parking for the skate park.

The Piscina Municipal de Pinhal Novo is in the same town for a swim. Palmela Castle is a short drive away on its hilltop. Skaters ready for something bigger can try Setúbal’s skate park in Algodeia, which has a bowl.

Is there a skate park in Pinhal Novo?

Yes, at Monte do Francisquinho. It opened in 2021 and is free to use.

Is the Pinhal Novo skate park good for beginners?

It is small, with low obstacles like a manual pad, flat rail, bank and volcano, so it can suit beginners. It is too small to keep advanced skaters busy for long.

How big is it?

About 420 square metres.