Here is the granite “cherry” on top of the Barrocal dome! At 425 meters high and over 40 meters above the Meseta, the landscapes are wide and varied, culminating with the mountains in the west, north and east and in the infinite blue towards south. The geodesic landmark, known as talefe is placed at its highest point and marks the exact cartographic location belonging to a triangulation network that started being defined in Portugal since 1790.

This lizard-shaped tunnel snakes through the granite rocks making the transition between the park area closer to the city, and the park’s inner areas, where the viewpoints are spread in contemplation of Barrocal’s landscape and its rural surroundings. As it is a shaded path, it allows visitors to stop and rest, inviting to the light and shadow games contemplation, that vary throughout the day, and throughout the seasons.

You have arrived at the Dome Circle, the meeting point in the center of the Barrocal Park! This circle invites to rest and to small meetings, cultural events and lectures, where one can learn about the Barrocal landscapes while contemplating the privileged view along the slope, as far as the Sierra de San Pedro, in Spain.

In the Castelo Branco plain, already in the outskirts of the city, hidden between ancient olive trees and holm oaks one can find the Sr.ª de Mércoles sanctuary. Between this and the Santa Ana chapel a Roman villa was located, from which a dam and a bridge can still be found. The sanctuary has its origin dating back from the end of the 13th century, and the chapel was built in the 15th century. The pilgrimage started in 1601 due to a promise made to save the Castelo Branco people from an epidemic.

Breaking out of the Castelo Branco plain, a quartzite residual landform, the S. Martinho hill rises up to 435 meters. With human occupation since the Neolithic, it was fortified since the final stage of the Bronze Age until the Roman period. At its top one can observe the S. Martinho chapel, with medieval origins.

In the Barrocal Park, the Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica) is the dominant tree. It keeps a plant association divided by several layers. In the shrub layer, one can find various plant species as the common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), the Iberian pear (Pyrus bourgaeana) and the blackberry (Rubus ulmifolius), among others, some being Iberian endemic plant species. The lower plant layer is composed by groundcovers and climbers to which other small species add bright colours.

‍Granite is a rock composed essentially by feldspar, quartz and mica. Successive climate change processes determine temperature, rain volume and intensity, together with different vegetation types and density have been shaping underground and exposing the granite landforms onto the surface. Barrocal is the landscape resulting from past climate changes.

Spring is the richest and most active season, as it coincides with the bird’s reproductive period and with the return of many bird species from its winter journey in Africa. In Spring it is easy to find many bird species as they spend their time singing, defining their territories, in mating rituals, building nests and looking for food. Summer is a more subtle activity period, when the reproductive period is ending, and the offspring are about to leave their nests. Here its best to observe birds during sun rise and early morning. August, September and October correspond to the pre-autumn period when many birds start their migration movements towards Africa. With some dedication, one can observe the passage of unusual birds, or in large numbers. During Autumn and Winter, the Barrocal hosts a series of wintering species, that find here their refuge and food, escaping from the northern Europe harsh winter.