Serra de Montemuro
Water and Stone Route
The Serra de Montemuro is located in the municipalities of Arouca, Cinfães, Resende and Castro Daire and Lamego (district of Viseu) and between the Douro Litoral and Beira Alta regions.
The average altitude is 838 meters. It is comprised between the Douro River, to the North and the Paiva River, to the South, bordering the city of Lamego.
The highest point of the mountain range is called Talegre or Talefe, at 1,381 meters above sea level. The whole range has a lot of relief and is steep practically on all sides.
The mountain range is populated up to an altitude of around 1,100 meters, the villages are scattered throughout the mountain range, but almost always close to water courses, such as the Bestança river that divides it in a south-north direction.
The Serra de Montemuro is part of the 1st phase of the national list of sites in the Natura 2000 Network. It is classified as a CORINE BIOTOP, with the designation of Serra do Montemuro/Bigorne.
In the description given by the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Biodiversity (ICNB) , the great biodiversity stands out, as a result of the good state of conservation of the various types of habitat that are represented there - some of them of considerable conservation value, such as the active peat bogs (priority habitat) and more specifically the vast community of vertebrates, which includes numerous endangered species, such as the wolf (Canis lupus).
