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Worth a visit

A TOUCH OF NATURE

Natural running water is a rare thing to find all year round here in the Algarve, but after a short walk along the serene Fonte da Benemola Trail, that is exactly what you will find

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he Fonte da Benémola Trail is situated just 20 minutes away from Loule, this well known circular walk is a little over 4000m long, though this trail is not sought after for it’s spectacular Sea or Hillside views, instead, the rural scenery at Fonte da Benémola is peaceful, pretty and very bucolic. This trail crosses a Protected Landscape composed of woodland, meadows, and traditional farmland on the banks of the little river Menalva, deep in the Algarve’s Barrocal. What sets the Barrocal apart from the rest of the Algarve is its fertile limestone soils, rainfed orchards, and the rocky

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terrain. The porous rock substrate of this region prevents the formation of most surface watercourses – in fact, water usually only flows underground throughout the Barrocal. Fonte da Benémola is one of the few exceptions to this geologic rule since it flows over bedrock. Here, a few freshwater springs, watermills, dams, channels and ancient wells punctuate the leafy countryside. Located on the furthest stretch of the trail, the largest of these springs is called ‘O Olho’ (The Eye). There is speculation that the Arabs were possibly the first settlers to build complex hydraulic structures across this valley and many of these structures are still there to

March 2020


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