Mata da Margaraça

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The route starts near the Protected Area Interpretation Centre. Along the route enjoy the forest tranquility, its characteristic smells and sounds and observe: the old dam water; former agricultural land; a small core museum at Casa da Eira; scrap furnaces (schist construction where was prepared the chestnut wood used to make baskets); horizontal rotation watermill next to the river. The forest plants characteristics species can be observed throughout the route. The route crosses one of the oldest areas of agricultural land, if you look carefully, you can see that it is still terrains worked in such a way as to have more gentle slopes. These terraces or “quelhadas”, separated by old schist walls, are a trace of the former agricultural use of these lands. Early in the trail, on the right side, you can see an old water dam used to irrigate farmlands. One water channel (levada), with some visible traces, was used to watering the land. Half a century ago the land was being abandoned because of depopulation and of aging. The forest have been gradually conquering the territory that once belonged to it, so today you can see the species characteristic of this type of forest, including oaks, chestnut, Prunus lusitanica ssp. lusitanica, holly, elm, walnut, cherry, etc.. Some chestnut trees were grafted with more interesting varieties in terms of fruit production (longal, vermelhinha, riscadinha and martaínha) technique also used in old chestnuts area of the farm. This forest is a relic of the primeval one that covered these schistose highlands before human intervention. Successive fires, forest cuts to have arable land and grazing eventually reduce an old leafy forest to extensive areas of scrub that now cover this mountain. Only a few traces of this ancient forest are left and Margaraça is the most extensive and well maintained one.