Top 6 Natural Monuments around Aldeia Gavinha

The area of the springs, on the Ota River, was once a leisure area for the local population, including the local bathing area in the summer. This site remained natural for a long time after the EPAL was installed, but at a certain point, the intensification of agriculture with the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, intensive livestock farming, and urban sewage made the flow from upstream a polluting threat to EPAL's water intakes, and EPAL paved several dozen meters of the river course near the site where it is installed with reinforced concrete.

The Ota River has its source in the Montejunto mountain range. It flows through the Ota area and empties into the Alenquer River, which in turn meets the Tagus River near Vila Nova da Rainha. At this point the river is close to the village of the same name, Ota.

The karst landscape of Montejunto constitutes the extreme southwest of the Estremenho Limestone Massif. Deep valleys, lakes, gravel pits and lapiás are some of the formations found here, testimonies of various geological eras. Water has been the protagonist in erosion phenomena over time. Several deposits of gravel pits result from the cracking of the outcrops caused by the expansion of the water which, when freezing, breaks the rock into small parts. Source: https://montejunto.pt/natureza/paisagens/

At the top of Mount Mecca, there was once, I believe it was still working in the 90s, a basalt quarry. it has been closed and has barbed wire to prevent people from entering. As I found out, there were people who went there to bathe, but there was someone who cut part of that fence, and you can get there by bike. The panorama is amazing...

This crater is located in the place usually known as Cabeço de Meca or Cabeço de Santa Quitéria, and is classified as having been a volcanic chimney. This chimney, which was operated as a quarry for the extraction of basaltic material for years, is currently unprotected, as a result of the impasse caused by the PARP, leaving visible the industrial structures that support this extraction, such as a lake in the center of its crater, also a consequence of the same exploitation.

Interesting trail, which passes right next to several windmills, some of them recovered. The trail has small sections with very steep slopes, so the easiest way to do it is downhill, that is, towards Serra de Montejunto, Vila Verde dos Francos. For those who are in Vila Verde dos Francos, it is preferable to go up the Estrada de Montejunto (N-115) to the sign that says Caminho dos Moinhos, and then turn right.

It rises in the Montejunto mountain range, passes through the clusters of Eiras, Abrigada, Atouguia, Ota and Aldeia, in the municipality of Alenquer and flows into the right bank of the Tagus river near Vila Nova da Rainha, side by side with the Alenquer river. Of its layout stands out, in particular, the “Cannon” of the Ota river valley, which presents geomorphological characteristics of the greatest relevance at a national level.

The Ota Karst Canyon is a steep valley, the result of the erosive action of the river on the Upper Jurassic limestones. It constitutes one of the most valuable treasures of the Natural, Historical and Cultural Heritage of the municipality of Alenquer, presenting characteristics of the greatest relevance at a national level. According to Crispim (2008), this valley is one of the most interesting canyon valleys in the Portuguese limestone regions, with steep cliffs and gravel cones. Since 2014, it integrates the Inventory of Geosites of National Relevance. This geomorphological set, characterized by large slopes marked by their exceptional nature and wide range of exposures, is home to plant communities and a set of biological elements of great importance for the conservation of biodiversity. The Ota Karst Canyon is a steep valley, the result of the erosive action of the river on the Upper Jurassic limestones. It constitutes one of the most valuable treasures of the Natural, Historical and Cultural Heritage of the municipality of Alenquer, presenting characteristics of the greatest relevance at a national level. According to Crispim (2008), this valley is one of the most interesting canyon valleys in the Portuguese limestone regions, with steep cliffs and gravel cones. Since 2014, it integrates the Inventory of Geosites of National Relevance. This geomorphological set, characterized by large slopes marked by their exceptional nature and wide range of exposures, is home to plant communities and a set of biological elements of great for the conservation of biodiversity.