Percurso Pedestre PR5 - Pela Arriba Fóssil

Developing along the coast, through the fossil cliff, we visited the parishes of Belinho, Mar, Marinhas, Vila Chã and Palmeira de Faro.

The starting points will be, to the north: the car park of the sanctuary or next to the access staircase to Monte da Sr.ª da Guia; to the south of the cliff we can walk from Monte Faro (Palmeira).
An excellent way to discover part of the municipality of Esposende, this route will allow you to discover the natural, historical-cultural and landscape heritage. It allows a direct contact of the hiker with the forest, offering him the observation of the local flora and fauna.
Another great asset of this route is the scenic beauty, which will make it possible to view a wide area of ​​the coastline, from Póvoa de Varzim to Viana do Castelo, or even places as far away as the Bom Jesus de Braga temple and the Serra d'Arga in Viana. Walking around a large part of the crest of the fossil cliff - formed about 80 thousand years ago - you can find countless traces of ancient fossils from the appearance of the first terrestrial plants. From more recent times, you will be able to appreciate traces that mark the presence of man in these places - dolmens (dolmens of Portelagem and Cruzinha) and mammoas (about 5,000 years old).
There are also the castros or activities (Castro de S. Lourenço), which housed the Galactic peoples before the arrival of the Romans. With the advent of Romanization, already under the aegis of Christian Emperors, people turned to the plains, being the genesis of many parishes in Minho. In the medieval world, the hill of S. Lourenço served as the basis for the construction of a small castle, which will have survived the attacks of Normans (Vikings) and Almoravids. Time ended up burying these vestiges of the past that are slowly being brought to the surface through archaeological excavations.

Location: Palmeira de Faro, Vila Chã, Marinhas, Mar e Belinho

Starting Point: Monte Faro (Palmeira de Faro) or Monte da Sr.ª da Guia (Belinho)

Course Type: Short route, linear and open

Scope: Historical, Landscape and Natural

Distance to be covered: 12.4 Km

Difficulty Level: Easy / Medium

Recommended Season: All year (depending on weather conditions)

Interesting reasons: Miradouro and Sanctuary of Senhora da Guia; Miradouro and Chapel of Senhora da Paz; Abelheira mills and watermills, Portelagem and Cruzinha / Arribadas dolmens, Castro, Miradouro, Capela and S. Lourenço Interpretive Center; Monte Faro viewpoint; Picotinho viewpoint and geological complex of Arriba Fóssil and mines of Monte Faro (wolfram).

Google Maps: http://bit.ly/2x1uXOp
Wikiloc: https://goo.gl/0VEodg
Alltrails: http://bit.ly/38ppdva
Brochure: https://goo.gl/GncjJV

Source: https://www.visitesposende.com/