Mira de Aire is a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Porto de Mós, with an area of 16.77 km² and 3,775 inhabitants. Its population density is 225.1 inhabitants/km².
In this parish, whose territory is crossed by the Natural Park of Serras de Aire e Candeeiros, are located some of the most spectacular and best preserved natural caves in Portugal, the Mira de Aire Caves, also known as Gruta dos Moinhos Velhos.
Natural patrimony. The village of Mira de Aire is known by its inhabitants as extremely rich in terms of Natural Heritage. In addition to being part of the PNSAC (Natural Park of Serras de Aire e Candeeiros) and the place where the Mira de Aire Caves are located, the polje has several water springs that "burst" in winter, they are these:
Olho
Pena
Contenda
Regatinho
In years of heavy rains, due to the rise in the water table, floods occur in which the polje becomes a large lake. Although every year there is a strong presence of water in the polje during the winter and spring months, the last significant floods occurred in 1996 and 2001.
There are several footpaths present in the village, so it is possible to discover the urban area and, especially, the natural areas.
Patrimony Moinhos Velhos Cave or Mira de Aire Caves Bandstand (Mira de Aire)
CAVES OF MIRA DE AIRE
The Cave of Moinhos Velhos, part of the group of Caves of Mira de Aire, is located in Mira de Aire, in the municipality of Porto de Mós, in the district of Leiria, in Portugal.
Location
The cave is located in the Portuguese parish of Mira de Aire "in the middle of the Estremenho Limestone Massif, on the flanks of the Serra D'Aire, occupying the northern part of the Polje Mira/Minde, furrowed by national road n.º 243 that connects the junction of Torres Novas to that of S. Jorge". The access coordinates are N 39º32.423' ; W 8º42.260'.
Description
The Cave forms part of a large network of galleries, over 11 km long, and, together with the Pena Cave and the Contenda Cave, is one of the most important underground systems of the Estremenho Limestone Massif. It is characterized by the existence of two fossil paragenetic collectors, approximately decametric in diameter, with tributaries drawing a dendritic network and a set of semi-active galleries with a dendritic layout to the north and angled to the south. The fossil zone has a difference in level of 100 meters and the thickness of the intermediate zone varies between 80 meters upstream and 60 meters downstream, circulating the water through syngenetic galleries, from the north quadrant to the south quadrant, towards the outflow of Gruta da Pena .
Four stages in the evolution of the system can be defined. The first is represented by surface phreatic galleries of small diameter, the second by the paragenetic collector of the Twin Gallery, the third by the Grande Gallery and its tributaries and the last by the active and semi-active galleries of the lower floors.
An endemic cave beetle, called Trechus lunai, lives in the galleries of the Moinhos Velhos cave system and the aquatic galleries are inhabited by stigobian crustaceans, of which the most abundant is the Proasellus lusitanicus.
Pedrógão Grande is a Portuguese village in the district of Leiria, in the province of Beira Litoral, integrating the Intermunicipal Community of the Region of Leiria, in the region of Centro de Portugal, with less than 2 000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the municipality of Pedrógão Grande, which has an area of 128.75 km² and 3 915 inhabitants (2011), and is subdivided into 3 parishes (Graça; Pedrógão Grande; Vila Facaia). The municipality is limited to the northwest by the municipality of Castanheira de Pera, to the east by Góis and Pampilhosa da Serra, to the southeast by Sertã and to the west by Figueiró dos Vinhos. It is about 70 km from Leiria, its district capital, about 85 km from Castelo Branco and about 60 km from Coimbra. The municipality of Pedrógão Grande is one of the regions in the country where natural beauty, customs, and popular traditions combined with the purity of the air and water are maintained. The landscapes are dynamic, with different characteristics and strong tourist potential. It is a vast region of granites and schists embedded in the basins of the rivers Zêzere and Unhais and the streams of Pera and Mega, today enlarged by the reservoirs of two large dams, Cabril and Bouçã. The climate, which used to be continental in character, with harsh winters and hot, dry summers, is now milder, influenced by the two large reservoirs that are also very rich fish areas. Pedrógão Grande is integrated into the Pinhal Interior Norte area, the largest forest spot in Europe, where pine, eucalyptus, acacia, and olive trees predominate, which are of great importance in the local economy. The economic fabric of Pedrógão Grande is essentially characterized by the secondary sector, with emphasis on forestry, textiles, and civil construction. On 17 June 2017, a devastating fire occurred in the municipality of Pedrógão Grande, which killed 64 people and caused a high number of injuries.
The river beach of Cabril located in Albufeira de Cabril, about 1 Km from Nacional 2 and about 3 Km from Pedrogão Grande. Access is via a ramp that gives access to the river pool which is next to the boat dock of the Clube Náutico de Pedrogão Grande, which has motor boats, pedal boats, canoes or kayaks for rent. It has two floating pools, one for adults and one for children. The adult one has a depth between 1.35m and 1.65m. The children's pool is about 50cm deep, with water at a very good temperature for bathing. Ideal for motorhomes as you can park in the car park on the side of the road! Before the access to the floating pool, next to the access ramp, there is the Parque de Merendas do Cabril. Here you can enjoy pleasant moments of leisure, contemplating the crystalline blue of the River Zêzere in the Cabril Dam and the green of the pine forests that surround it. It has several months with shade and a barbecue. Also close to the river beach and the Camping Park, there is a restaurant overlooking the Cabril Dam. The Pedrogão Grande Campsite, located in Vale de Góis, very close to Albufeira do Cabril and the river beach, is an excellent space for a family holiday, close to nature, next to the bold Vale do Zêzere, the splendid Dam. Cabril and its majestic shores, but also all the accessibility and amenities necessary for the satisfaction of daily life. It has a capacity for 150 people, has bungalows, a swimming pool and a tennis court. The contacts are: Phone: 00 351 236 485 459 or Mobile: 00 351 963 975 382
Pedestrian Route – Marginal of Albufeira de Cabril This short route, 5.8 km long, can be done on foot, by bicycle or on horseback and allows you to admire the beautiful Cabril reservoir. TECHNICAL SHEET OF PEDESTRIAN TRAVEL Name of Route: Marginal da Albufeira do Cabril Location: Parish and municipality of Pedrógão Grande, district of Leiria Access to the beginning of the route: Take the municipal road 1175 towards Cabril dam, the route starts at the Camping Park Access at the end of the trail: Take National Road 2 towards Picha, in the town of Tojeira, follow the sign for Pesos, continue until the end of the asphalt road, the end of the trail is next to the chapel of Santo António at the beginning of the road. Type of route: Small Linear Route Starting location (GPS: N-39 55.494 W-008, 07,990): Crossing the island next to the Pedrógão Grande Campsite Ending location (GPS: N-39 56.767 W-008 07.658): Location of Pesos Fundeiros next to the chapel of Santo António dos Pesos Extension: 5.8 km Area in square km: 0.24 Total descent: 124 m Total ascent: 152 m Maximum altitude: 367.8 m Minimum altitude: 312.6 m Duration: (approx) 2 hours Difficulty: easy Recommended season: every year
Located in the municipality of Pedrógão Grande, in the village of Mosteiro, the water line that bathes this beach is the Ribeira de Pera. It is a rural beach, perfectly framed in the landscape. On this beach, in addition to enjoying the good quality of air and water, you can also have direct contact with two infrastructures that portray a little of the past history and cultural heritage of the county. It is an olive oil mill, which was recovered respecting its design and which currently supports the beach – Bar/Restaurant - and a castor mill, recovered under the Project for the Promotion and Requalification of Riverside Ecosystems in Pedrógão Grande .
It is important to point out that the milling industry was of great importance in the municipality of Pedrógão Grande, a fact confirmed by the presence of at least one castor mill, every 500 meters, along the stream.
