S1: "The landscape and the granitic forms of Serra da Freita

Synopsis: In Serra da Freita we can observe a set of granitic landscapes such as “chaos of blocks”, residual reliefs, or flattened surfaces. Associated with these, there are also curious granitic forms such as rocky domes, “castle koppie”,  linear cracks, polygonal cracks or others, which can be observed when we walk along the mountain, where the granitic sand appears at our feet. The murmur of the waters identifies our proximity to the valley of the Caima river, characteristically tight in the granitic region. In the river you can see giant potholes and the proof of human strength, in ancient times, which take advantage of the waters. It is exactly in the village of Castanheira, at «Casa das Pedras Parideiras» that we begin our visit to discover the stories of Planet Earth and Man, where we contact to the specifics of the Nodular Granite of Castanheira - the «Birthing Stones», a geosite of international relevance of the Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark.

Extension / Difficulty / Duration: 1000 m / easy / 3h00 * 

Points of interest: Panoramic Geosites of Detrelo da Malhada (G1), Frecha da Mizarela (G6), Lithological contact of Mizarela (G5), and Pedras Parideiras (G7) / Casa das Pedras Parideiras, Castanheira village and Leisure area of Albergaria da Serra. 

Price (per student): 5.00 Euros (free for accompanying teachers) 

Promoter / Reservations: AGA - Arouca Geopark Association; Reservations by completing and submitting the form below, 15 working days in advance. For more information, please contact geral@aroucageopark.pt (preferred) or +351 256 940 254 or +351 915 435 846.

Notes:

- The journey between the villages of Castanheira, Mizarela and Detrelo da Malhada is done in the group's bus;

- Each bus will be accompanied by a guide and permanence at the geosites;

- Due to COVID-19, will comply with the rules governing the limit of gatherings in force (national and/or of the municipality of Arouca) on the public road and in the auditorium of «Casa das Pedras Parideiras». In these conditions, the average visit time may be longer than indicated;

- In case of rain, snow, thunderstorm or very cold weather forecasts, we suggest changing the visit date.

*average time