The Alentejo is a picturesque and tranquil region bound by the Algarve coast to the south, and by the Atlantic to the west. It has a gently rolling landscape ideal for easy or moderate walking. Largely agricultural, it is renowned for its traditional cork plantations scrub oak, olive groves, vineyards, beautiful whitewashed hill towns and extensive coastline of untouched sandy beaches. Only a few, more adventurous, walkers have discovered this beautiful area.
This beautiful tour starts in Vila Nova de Milfontes on the Mira estuary which is well worth exploring. After breakfast a coastal walk will take you along sand dunes and cliffs to the village of Cavaleiro where cliff-nesting storks can be watched from the lighthouse. The night will be spent in a rural guesthouse. Continuing south the route will pass by the tiny fishing port of ‘Entrada da Barca’ and on to the bay of Zambujeira do Mar where fresh bream and sea bass can be sampled in the local restaurants. After spending the night in Zambujeira, a coastal path starting at the beach will lead us on to Carvalhal bay. We then cross over the river into the town of Odeceixe, the first town in the Algarve, where we will stay the night in a ‘Pensão’. Heading into the interior through traditionally farmed agricultural land the walk takes us to the market town of São Teotónio where we will overnight. Heading east from here, we take paths through fields with cork oaks grazed by black pigs leading us onto the tributary of the river Mira. We will follow the route into the county town of Odemira to spend the night in a guesthouse in the heart of the town. We finally follow the river Mira along its banks passing the villages of Troviscais and the working windmill of Vale Bejinha. The tour finishes back at Vila Nova de Milfontes for a well-earned rest at the hotel. All along the way there is a plethora of flora and fauna, all seen from the single track roads, tracks, trails and paths that constitute the route. The local people are incredibly friendly and provide warm hospitality and fresh food from the locality to sustain you on your
way.
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8 days |
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detailed dossier
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Duration: 7 nights/8 days
Tour Code: JPA
Grade:
Easy but some long moderate graded stages
Day Stages:
Minimum 10km, max 30km. |
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SELF-GUIDED Dates 2010 |
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February - December. July and August can be very hot.
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Accommodation
7 nights/8 days - The first and last nights will be spent in a small hotel in
Vila Nova de Milfontes. The following nights will be spent in guesthouses in
Cavaleiro, Zambujeira, Odeceixe, Sao Teotonio and Odemira.
The accommodation we visit during the tour is all small privately owned places with plenty of traditional Portuguese character.
Sherpa
Notes
Waymarking
Routes are waymarked where needed, use of maps and route notes is required.
Accommodation and
Meals
Bed and breakfast throughout staying in a small hotel and local guesthouses. All rooms are ensuite and generally of good 2* standard. A welcome dinner is included on the first night.
Travel
via Air: Flights Heathrow to Lisbon with British Airways everyday of
the week. From Lisbon airport, taxi fare to Vila Nova de Milfontes
is approx E150 (up to 4 people in a vehicle). If your flight arrives
before midday you can take a bus from Lisbon to Milfontes (taxi to
bus station E10, bus E13). From Faro transfer to Milfontes by taxi
approx E150 (up to 4 people in a vehicle).
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