Streams, birds, trees and shrubs almost always conceal idyllic little spots, unseen by those who pass by at a distance. If it were not for the murmuring streams, you would never know that there, hidden between Tôr and Querença, lies Fonte da Benémola. Classified as a protected site, this spring is surrounded by some 400 hectares of land for those who enjoy walking through untouched nature, through a landscape that is still wild.

This is an idyllic spot that is sought out by walkers, lovers, and bird watchers, the latter in search of the Bonelli’s eagles, a protected species, which hover over the peaks of the hills in the Caldeirão or swoop down into the valleys in search of food.

To get there, it is only 7 kilometres outside Loulé, and you just need to follow the signs to Tôr, a small village named after the river which is spanned by a Roman bridge.

Before you get to the car park next to the spring, you go past an old water wheel, along a gentle gravel track flanked by ash trees, willows and tamarisks, not to mention the brambles, the reed beds and the oleanders which follow the winding Ribeira da Benémola. This river is fed by a number of streams, and it is the natural habitat of amphibians, triton salamanders and tortoises.

In between the leafy vegetation, nightingales, bee-eaters and sometimes even sleepy owls can be glimpsed.

Fonte Benémola can be found in the Algarve Barrocal, the area between the coast and the hills of the “serra” where there are strong traditions of enchanted Moorish maidens and their loves for Christian knights. This is just one of many reasons to start chatting to the locals, who are always happy to delve into their traditional culture.

 

source: algarve observer