Serra do Açor

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150 KM OF TRAILS

4 LEVELS OF DIFFICULTY

4 ROUTES

Located in Coja, Arganil, the Mountain Bike Center of Serra do Açor is part of the territory that gives it its name. The Serra do Açor is a predominantly schistose mountain that integrates the central mountain range, together with the Serra da Lousã and the Serra da Estrela, covering most of the municipalities of Arganil and Pampilhosa da Serra and part of the municipalities of Góis, Oliveira do Hospital, Seia and Covilhã, reaching its highest points in S. Pedro do Açor (1342m) and Cebola (1418m), extending over an area of over 25 thousand hectares.

Many centuries ago, the green pastures of the Serra do Açor attracted groups of shepherds who carried their flocks there. It is even said that these shepherds were the Lusitanos, skillful horse breeders who populated the Montes Hermínios (Serra da Estrela). Along the times the populations had been creating conditions for its subsistence, conquering to the Mountain range each small field cultivated in terraces.

Agriculture, pastoralism and beekeeping were thus the main activities of the populations. In the top of the Mountain range of the Açor passed the old royal road that connected Coimbra to the Covilhã for where they circulated caravans of ox-carts that brought of the coast the fish and the salt to take in the return the meat, the cheese, the woollen and even ice, of the lands of the interior. Besides being historical, the Serra do Açor is a concentrate of natural beauty, it is a mountain cracked by dozens of limpid water streams and small and beautiful villages that deserve to be discovered, as the Schist Villages of Benfeita and Vila Cova de Alva are examples. In this area it is also possible to find one of the relics of the native Portuguese forest, the Margaraça Forest, which integrates the Protected Landscape of the Serra do Açor and the Natura 2000 Network.

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information

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http://www.cm-arganil.pt/viver/outros-espacos-desportivos/centro-btt-da-serra-do-acor/

40°16'01.7"N 7°59'18.7"W
To get to Coja, where the mountain biking shelter is located, from the A1, you should use the Coimbra Norte exit, following the IP3 towards Viseu for approximately 28 kilometres, leaving on the IC6 towards Arganil. From the IC6 you can go to Coja via Arganil on the EN342-2 and EN342 or take the exit directly from the IC6 to the old EN344 to Coja. From Coja you should go to Prado Park.
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Location map

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MAP OF ROUTES

routes

p31 green

The route runs in the initial phase through some narrow streets of Côja, towards the Roman Bridge where it begins the journey through dirt floors, towards the Parque do Vale. In this phase the route follows the limit of the urban perimeter of Côja towards the Airfield and the area of the old ceramic industries, always on dirt roads. The route continues eastwards towards Quinta dos Vales and then through the Gândara area. In this place the approach to Côja begins, through a paved descending path, to the interior of this agglomerate. The crossing of this locality is made through the old streets, passing by the parish centre and the Library, towards the agricultural area by the Senhora da Ribeira path following an agricultural trail that follows a weir, until the end, in the Prado Park.

Distance: 6,4 km

Time: 1h to 1h30

Climbing: 180 m

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p32 blue

The route runs in the initial phase, together with the green route, in some narrow streets of Côja, towards the roman Bridge where it begins the tour through dirt floors, into the Parque do Vale. In this phase the trail follows the limit of the urban perimeter of Côja towards the Airfield and the area of the old ceramic industries where it leaves the green trail, going north and always on dirt roads. From this point the trail goes around the Aerodrome to the north and follows along the valley of the Alva river, at the interface of the agricultural and forestry zone, to the stone bridge over the Alva River, in Barril de Alva. Here the route reverses the direction again towards Côja, parallel to the direction to go, but at a higher elevation, allowing good visibility over the Alva Valley, passing through the "Valleys" area, until the proximity of the old industrial ceramics. In this area, the route inflects south towards Casal de S. João, through the Gândara area. In the locality of Casal de S. João the trail makes a tarmac crossing of about 0.65 km, on a little busy municipal road, leaving from a path on the right, towards the agglomeration of Pisão. The crossing of this locality is made through the old streets, passing by the church, towards the agricultural area by the way to Casal Mourão and Vale de Carro. From this zone the trail always follows the direction of Ribeira da Mata da Margaraça through agricultural tracks and a section of 0,25 km of tar to Senhora da Ribeira, where the crossing of Ribeira is made by ford or through a bridge, being found afterwards with the green trail, following an agricultural trail until the end, in Parque do Prado.

Distance: 16,75 km

Time: 2h00 to 3h00

Climbing: 350 m

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p33 red

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Distance: 39,8 km

Time: 3h30 to 4h30

Climbing: 1210 m

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p34 black

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