Skate Park de Castelo Branco

Castelo Branco’s skate park is officially the Parque de Desportos Radicais, the city’s “radical sports park”. The council opened it on 5 October 2012 and calls it one of the largest and most complete in the country. The next day, its first day of official use, it hosted a round of the 2012 Circuito Nacional de Skate, Portugal’s national skateboarding circuit.

It’s in the Parque Urbano, the city park, next to the municipal pool complex and the football pitches. It’s a public facility, and the council doesn’t mention any charge or booking.

A|Park, a Portuguese firm that designs and builds skate parks, describes it as one of the biggest in the country and almost the only one of its kind in Castelo Branco district. For families in the Beira Baixa, that makes it the park to head for when a child has outgrown a small local ramp.

The council says the skate park sits within a total area of 9,350 square metres and has 18 elements: different ramps and rails, of varying character and difficulty, pitched at a medium to advanced level. It’s designed for skateboards, inline skates and BMX bikes.

A|Park describes a wide range of technical obstacles:

• curbs (low ledges for grinding and sliding)
• handrails
• manual boxes (low flat-topped blocks for balancing on two wheels)
• a spine (two ramps back to back, which you ride up one side and down the other)
• a jump box (a box with a ramp on each end, to launch off and land on)
• inclines (sloping banks)

It adds that it’s one of the few parks where you can find every kind of obstacle in one place. Because it was built to host competitions, demonstrations and coaching sessions, it also has toilets and a stand for spectators, which is handy for a parent watching from the side.

The council describes the obstacles as medium to advanced, so it isn’t a gentle learner park. A child on their first skateboard or scooter will get most out of the flat ground between obstacles and the lowest slopes, practising pushing, turning and stopping.

Children of about eight and up who can already ride and turn confidently will find plenty to try, and teenagers who skate regularly will get the most from it. Watching older riders is part of the fun for younger ones: sitting in the stand for ten minutes and seeing how people approach a ramp teaches a lot.

The council lists skateboards, inline skates and BMX. It doesn’t mention scooters, so follow any signs at the park.

• Helmets are a must, and knee, elbow and wrist protection is sensible for beginners. The council page doesn’t publish helmet rules.
• Castelo Branco summers are very hot, and concrete holds the heat. Go early in the morning or in the evening from June to September, and bring water.
• Look before rolling in, take turns on each obstacle, and don’t sit or stand in the landing zones.
• The council hasn’t published opening hours or lighting details for the skate park, so check before planning an evening session.

The skate park is free. It’s in the Parque Urbano next to the pool complex, and the council lists 750 parking spaces at the Piscina Praia next door. Toilets are on site, according to the council.

In summer, the Piscina Praia de Castelo Branco, an outdoor “beach pool” with big lawns, is right next door, so a morning at the skate park and an afternoon in the water is an easy day. The Parque da Cidade in the centre has a playground for younger siblings. For a bigger trip, the hilltop village of Monsanto is a drive east, and the Panasqueira mining museum is an indoor option in the hills to the north. Covilhã, further north, has its own smaller skate park in the Jardim das Artes.

Is the Castelo Branco skate park free?

Yes. It’s a public council facility, and the council doesn’t list any charge.

Can children ride BMX there?

Yes. The council says the park is for skateboards, inline skates and BMX.

Is it suitable for beginners?

Partly. The obstacles are rated medium to advanced, so beginners should stick to the flat areas and gentle slopes, and more confident children can try the smaller ramps.

Are there toilets at the skate park?

Yes. The council lists toilets and a spectator stand.

Where do you park?

The skate park is beside the municipal pools in the Parque Urbano, where the council lists 750 parking spaces for the Piscina Praia.