Kartódromo Bragança

In Baçal, near Bragança in north-eastern Portugal, the Bragança kartódromo runs an outdoor layout of eight hundred and ten metres, eight and a half metres wide. It is one of the main circuits of Trás-os-Montes, where you string together timed laps in a mountain setting, close to the Spanish border. The site also has a maintenance workshop and a shop devoted to karting.

Karting stays open to everyone, no licence or experience needed: a briefing, a helmet, and off you go chasing your best lap. The length and width of the track leave real room to overtake and polish your lines, and the format suits beginners as well as more seasoned drivers. People come to challenge their friends and happily return to beat their time. For hours, it is best to check before coming.

Bragança is a town in north-eastern Portugal, the capital of Trás-os-Montes, crowned by its perfectly preserved medieval citadel, which gave its name to the last Portuguese royal dynasty. All around stretches the Montesinho natural park, one of the country's wildest, a refuge for the Iberian wolf, in a region known for its smoked charcuterie. The town is reached by motorway from Porto or the Spanish border, at the heart of unspoilt nature.