Points of interest

Gândara de Montedor

The Montedor granite rock cliffs located in the village of Carreço shelter an important habitat type, now a protected area under the Natura 2000 network. The area is unique due to the species that are found along the cracks formed on the coastal granite cliffs which have adapted to the existing conditions. These include the endemic Armeria genus and a variety of shrubs that grow on the ridges exposed to sea winds. An impressive coastal blanket of heather and gorse stretches from the base of the Montedor cliff to the sea. The different hues of violet and mauve from the heather, some of which is more dominant depending on the flowering period, are provided by the Erica Cinerea (bell heather or heather-bell), Erica umbellate (dwarf Spanish heath) and Erica ciliaris (Dorset heath). The hues of yellows are from the Genista triacanthos (broom), Ulex europaeus (Gorse) and Ulex minor (dwarft gore or dwarf furze).