Also known as: Praia Jurássica de São Bento, Sítio Paleontológico do Cabeço da Ladeira
English name: Jurassic Beach
A walk on the beach is always lovely in Portugal. This one, however, is on top of a mountain and there’s no cool water anywhere! It’s a fossilized beach in the heart of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros. It’s also fenced off and you can only really see the fossils if you organize a guided visit.
In a limestone quarry, a large area was uncovered in 2003 that showed a fossilized beach dating back around 170 million years, to the Upper Jurassic. Fossilized starfish, sea urchins, and sea lilies were found in great number, as well as fossilized sand showing waves. This was considered a very important paleontological find, and many of the fossils were preserved by being removed and replaced with replicas.
The site is now fenced off, and can only be visited with a pre-arranged organized visit. There is a sign that says it is undergoing conservation and improvement.
Location
The site is in the Leiria district, in the municipality of Porto de Mós. It’s located in the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros, and it’s near the top of a mountain beside the village of São Bento.
Protected area: The site is within the Natural Parque of Serras (“Mountains”) de Aire e Candeeiros. Please do not disturb the site or remove fossils from the area.
Coordinates: 39.544115, -8.799170
Access
Getting to the beach is a bit of a mission. You might need a 4WD vehicle to get to the top of the mountain, or you may need to hike. There is a 2km (round-trip) trail up to the site and back.
The site is fenced off and closed. There’s a sign that indicates that guided visits can be arranged, by contacting ICNF (Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas, “Institute of Conservation of Nature and Forests”).
Signage
There is a sign pointing to the site just outside (to the North) of the village of São Bento.
Links
- Article (in Portuguese) from National Geographic Portugal
- Blog post (in Portuguese) from Portugal em Pedra
- Video (no language) from Portugal em Pedra
- Description (in Portuguese) from the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros
- Description (in English) from Natural.PT
- Trail guide (in Portuguese) from Wikiloc
Nearby
There is an impressive dinosaur tracksite, Pegadas de Dinossauros de Vale de Meios, about 18km to the south. The Monumento Natural das Pegadas de Dinossáurios, which is the biggest and most famous dinosaur tracksite in Portugal, is about 30km to the east, between Ourém and Torres Novas.