The Cervo viewpoint stands on the archaeological ruins of the first fortress of “Terras de Cerveira” (Land of Cerveira), a stone castle erected in the beginning of the Middle Ages, taking advantage of the geostrategic location of the Mount of Senhora da Encarnação, from which they could control all the entrances in the Minho valley. Taking advantage of two systems of tectonic faults, the Minho River has formed, during millions of years, an open morphology caused by the retreat of the slopes, in which the differential erosion had an important action. Thus, the valley present a wide and open final part, with a few narrowings, such as Cerveira and Lanhelas, or in the river’s mouth, caused by the presence of Monte de Santa Tecla. The meeting of the ocean and river currents in a land with little slope (0,55%) favours a very active sedimentation, caused by the deposit of sand, fluvial mud and organic materials. These conditions were perfect for the creation of typical estuarine bed configurations such as beaches, islands, sandbanks and salt marshes, which present a rich landscape and ecology. One can see that in the examples of the marshlands of Caminha, the islets of Grilo and Varandas and in the islands of Boega, Amores and Canosa.
Location: Vila Nova de Cerveira
