What’s on in Penela, Central Portugal: Crazy Carting

Neeeeooooooow!

In my youth, between 6 and 10 years old, all my friends had a home made cart, trolley, bogey or go-kart. They were all called different names depending where you came from. We used to run up and down the pavements of our local area trying to go as fast and as far as we could. The pusher would try and leap onto the back of the cart, trying not to knock the driver off, when it was at maximum speed to try and take part in the ride.

Timing was critical as mistakes resulted in grazed knees or even chins as you fell off the cart and came to a sprawling stop on the pavement.

All carts were home made using old pram wheels. The steering axel was a strong piece of wood to which the front axel was attached. This was then attached to the front of the cart using a single bolt to act as a pivot. The nut securing the axel regularly came off the bolt resulting in more crashes and grazed knees. The axel had a piece of thin rope tied to both ends, which the driver held on to while trying to steer.

History Lives on in Penela

These memories came flooding back when I watched the Carretas in the medieval town of Penela. This downhill cart race has been going on for at least 30 years. The event is publicised by the Penela Council with poster (photo attached), The Bombeiros (fire brigade and ambulance) provide the safety coverage with all potentially dangerous corners and ramps covered with old tyres and hay bales. As this is Portugal the safety precautions may look a little Spartan to those from northern Europe.

During the race here in Penela, riders and carts were in all shapes and sizes; men, children and some mature women competed. The timed race started on a steep hill next to the post office. After turning a tight left hand corner many people seemed to opt for crashing into the side of a house. The road surface was left scared by many metal skid marks. The riders carried on downhill along the main road toward the large sleeping policeman (traffic calming ramp) where they became airborne before crashing to the ground with their solid metal wheels skidding on the road surface making it very difficult to steer around the roundabout and downhill on the final straight to the finish.

The carts are made locally and all have solid metal wheels and range from drag car replicas to converted baths and even a canoe! Some have sophisticated suspension and others are as simple as the old carts of my youth. There was no telling which would perform best. From my vantage point the bath seemed to fly or perhaps it was just that I had never seen a bath move so quickly.

A thoroughly enjoyable event!

Do you have any memories of carts or do you know of another down hill cart race?

There are very often organised events similar to this happening around Portugal. To see what is happening where, check Coimbra Property Shop – What’s On in Central Portugal.

Tags: Family Fun, go-kart, kart, karting, Penela