Mata Nacional de Barao

Walking the mata nacional. Above the village of Barao de Sao Joao there is "floresta de pinheiros", called the Mata. Barao de Sao Joao is easy to acces from Lagos. Either you come from the A22 high entering or your follow the sign Bensafrim in Lagos and follow the inner road, When you at the end of the A22 a roundabout, turn right to Bensafrim, cross the village and at the end follow the sign " Zoo of Lagos" which is heading to the village of Barao. On the top of the hill you can see the village, follow the road until you arrive at the church on your left hand, turn left and immediately go right. Follow the road to Sao Miguel. Turn right on the first road you meet at your right side, go along the cafe "Palmeira" and follow the small road upwards the hill until you are outside the village. Park your car and start your walk.

Vila Nova de Milfontes-Vila Nova de Milfontes

The Milfontes walk starts actually between the town and the fish harbour NW of the town. V.N. (Vila Nova) de Milfontes is lying about 20 km below the town of Sines. Nearby villages are Porto Covo (north of Milfontes) and Cercal more inland. Milfontes itself has a great position regarding to the estuary of the Mira river. The village dated from the year 1468, founded by the king D.Joao II. The first settlers were prisoned people for minor delicts. In the ancient times it has been attacked several times by pirates. For that reason a fortress was build in 1602. The fortress is called Saint Clement's Castle.

You start your walking tour outside of Milfontes. If you enter the city follow the sign " Praia's". At the end of signed street you turn left and straight on. You enter more or less the lower parts of Milfontes and follow the sign to the fish harbour ( turn right). The road brings you to the outskirts of Milfontes and follow the paved road. You can park your car halfway to the fish harbour. On your right you see sandy roads crossing the landscape. Pick up one of those tracks ( it is possible to do it by car) and head for the coastline. At this point you have to follow the pathes at the top of the cliffs. After an hour walk you enter the beaches of " Praia de Malhao" . There are some obsticles on the beach to walk all the way through but not impossible to cross a few small cliffs. At a certain point on the beach you notice Porto Covo and "Ilha de Pessegueiro". Here you have to decide to walk to the top of the cliffs. From this point you can follow the sandy path inlands and just before you enter the forest you have to go to your right, heading for Milfontes. Because the landscape is rather flat you can keep an eye on the ocean to follow the right track back to your car. The area is lovely, easy to walk, sandy dunes, predatory birds, rabbits and a lot of small birds, populating the bushes underway. The duration of the walk is more or less 4 hours, of course depending on the speed you walking. After your walk there are enough opportunities to visit the town and have a coffee or late lunch breake. Enjoy it!!

Lagos - Cabo Sao Vicente

Starting in Lagos. The ancient city is approx 2000 years old, with many famous inhabitants and passants like Gil Eanes, Columbus, Dom Infante Enrique , and Vasco da Gama. The original name was Lagobriga. The inhabitants were Romans, Phoeniciers, Carthageners etc. In 1755 there was a huge earthquake which destroyed a great part of the city. From that time the influence of Lagos was minimized and later on Faro became the capital of the Algarve. But there are still a lot of history buildings and musea left which makes the city an attractive starting point for our walk. Short information of the track:
Lagos (Forte da Ponta da Bandeira), Porto de Mos, Luz, Burgau, Boca do Rio, Praia da Salema, Praia das Furnas, Ponta da Torre, Praia do Barranco, Ponta dos Caminhos, Praia do Martinhal, Sagres, Cabo Sao Vicente. It is a route in total of approx. 60km, with an average of 15 km a day you can cross the coastline in more or less 4 days but maybe 5 days would be more comfortable. Places to spend the night could be Burgau, Salema, Figueira (a little inland) and Sagres. After Salema it will be difficult to find a sleeping place at the coast, so you have to find a small village inland. From Cabo Sao Vicente there are buses back to Sagres and from there you can travel to Lagos again.
You start at the crosspoint of the old and new city, at the Bombeiros station. You cross the street and follow the sign of "Praia de Ana", a beautifull city beach. From their you follow the signs
" Ponte de Piedade". It is about a 2 km long peninsula with on your left hand a really magnificent coloured rock formation . You can cross the edge on the left side of the paved road and you follow the trail until the lighthouse.
From the lighthouse you can see on a clearly day the peninsula of Sagres where on that peninsula there is also a rememberance of Dom Infante Enrique.
Walking to Luz you cross the paved road and now you walk on the left side of the peninsula. As long as you keep the path which is easy to follow, you can see the small beach ahead of you. At a certain point you enter a couple of villa's. It is possible because of a fench of one of the villa's you are forced to make a little turn through Porto de Mos ending at the beach. Cross the beach and just follow the sandy road uphill, leaving all the new villa's on your right hand. From that point there is access to the sandy roads towards Praia da Luz. The rock formation is very steep, so don't come to close to the edge, especially in wet wintertime!!! Arriving in Luz you leave the beach on your lefthand, go after the square a little to the right following the paved road. After the village you have access again to follow the sandy road again along the ocean side. When you reach Burgau, at the front you have a restaurant, just follow the road down the hill and you enter the small square just before the beach. Here is the possibility to stay for the night, you have choice enough for hotels, pensions, rooms etc.
Also in Burgau you have to follow the road for a little while heading for Salema. Just after the villa's you can turn left heading for the coastline path. From here it is more or less 6,3 km to Salema and from now on the world will be emptier for you, because you are entering the Costa Vicentina. A natural park starting at Burgau and stops in Sines 120 km above the cape Sao Vicente. From here signs are rare but if you just follow the pathes along the coastline you cannot mis the diverse beaches you cross. Sometimes it is a wise decission to make a u-turn because down hill to the beaches is to steep. I would recommend to stay in Figueira, it is and inland village but there are hardly any possibilities to stay for the night. From here you can start the start for your trip to Sagres. Praia da Figueira is your starting point and from there again follow the coastline. It is a rough area, sometimes you have to make a large u-turn to enter the coastline again because of steep mountains or rivers. In distance to Sagres is not that fare but in time you are underway 6 or 7 hours. Eventually you end at "Praia do Martinhal", a huge new developement project, but the beach and the sight at Sagres are very beautifull. I would suggest you end your day at Sagres and find a good sleeping place. That means you have time enough for your walk the next day to the cape. To finish your trip and end at the most SW part of Europe, just follow the main road to the end of the village. Because of military equipment you have to walk along the main road to the cape for approx 2 km and then you can cross the land to the coastline. Watch the little church on your way to the cape. Because of the "fjords" sometimes you have to walk to the main road and back to the ocean front and than as a reward..... The "Cabo Sao Vicente". Steep rocks, fisherman who are fishing from very dangerous points and let us say, from eleven am, the tourist bushes are waiting for 20minutes to let people take the pictures.
Ignore them and celebrate your own achievement. I am sure you will enjoy this walk because there are so different landscapes you enter on a relative small scale distance. Beautifull sights to the inland and especially silence. Let me you know if you did like it!!

Miranda do Douro, Atras os Montes, NE Portugal

Terra de Miranda (Tierra de Miranda in Mirandese) the historical name of a 500km2 mesa in the northeastern part of Portugal, lying on the border of Spain. It used to be an administrative division and although it does not correspond to a madern day regions's borders, there are some cultural chareacteristics particular to Terra de Miranda that kepp the name in use to the present day. It has been a border region between different administrative areas of the Roman Empire the kingdoms of the Visigoths and the Suevi, the Arabs and the Christians. Although the etymology of the word Miranda is stil debated, it is beleived to mean "border". Among the best know cultural features particular to this area there is the Mirandese language, the Pauliteiros, the pagan rituals practiced from Christmas to Easter, namely the farandulo and the bagpipe music. And, don't forget the castle in the village, with an impressive old cathedral and lovely small streets.

Now the walk (click on "photo" above for the map). The walk is from Miranda do Douro, Vale de Aguia, Aldeia Nova and back again. The route is approx. 10 miles incl return. In Aldeia Nova you can take the bus back to Miranda.

You leave the city in NE direction in a way that you can see the Douro on your right hand. There is a path, sometimes marked, which you can follow all along the Doura until Vale de Aguia. This is also one the most beautiful parts of the walk. Passing small houses, villages where the age of the people are far over 60's, and even a little church, restored in the beginning of 2000. As bird life is concerned, you can watch, if you have a lucky day, the big owl and the Golden Eagle cruising over the mountains tops. In the beginning there is an open field where you have the scenic views, later on there are bushes and especially in springtime flowers. The whole route has a different landscape of course created and structured by the Douro in the past centuries.

Take for your walk water and something te eat because there are hardly any shops, so be prepared!

Enjoy the special character of this landscape with the top of view, the Golden Eagle.

Benagil - Senhora da Rocha - Benagil

Benagil is is a small fishing village on the south coast of the Algarve, on the west side of Carveiro. The most easy way to access the village is from the EN 125, in front of the International School, take the exit on your right coming from Portimao. Follow the sign of "Benagil", it is about ten minutes from the EN125. Stop at the cafe " O Littoral", where you can park your car. Across the road of the cafe you can start your walk. It has an easy access to the coast. It is more or less a 1,5 hr walk and rather easy to handle except for the last part to the church. You have to cross a a dry river but it is a little bit difficult to go down cross the dry river.

The coastline is magnificient, especially because of the chalk coloured rocks and the area of this part has not been spoiled with hotels and projects. This part of the coast is protected. You cross Praia de Marinha, Praia de Albandeira. Watch carefully the wholes in the rocks but there are everywhere good signs where it is safe to walk. Have a nice day and enjoy the beautiful and quiet walk in the south of the Algarve.

The islands of Madeira

Dear Friends, walking on Madeira is a spectacular experience. You have the oppertunity to walk a " thousand miles" track on the levada's around the island and in the mountains. Funchal is the best starting point for walks for the east side. Ribereira da Brava, app. 10 miles from Funchal a very good starting point for the west side of the island. We have been here to celebrate the "Reveillion 2009/2010" with fireworks not seen before in the world.

A short explanation of the "levada" walks. At the beginning of the century there were about 200 levada's with a total lenght of 800 miles. In 1970 the Portuguese governement started to reniew and made an inventory of all the canals. The function of the levada's is to distribute the water to the small canals from 1000 meters. From their to a level of 600 meters and irrigate the land. The banana plantations on Madeira is one of the major activities besides wine and vegetables.

Some instructions for walking:

• Don't go on your own, always in a group. Leave your mobile phone and route behind in hotel or with friends


• Take warm clothes with you and take for rain coverage


• Good walking boots, compass and something to eat. Weather can change very quickly.


• Because of the walking distancies in rural aerias, don't under estimate the length of your walking trips. Take enough time to end at a village before dark.

I will describe one levada walking, one is near at Funchal, the capital of Madeira The "Levada dos Piornais", connected to the "Levada do Curral".

Talke a bus to "Rua dos Estados Unidos, which ends at the football stadium. Walk along the road uphill and after approx. 500 meters on your left side there is a small stair which is the starting point of the levada dos Piornais. The Levada is dated around 16th century. On your left hand side down you see the development areas of hotels but you are walking high enough on the mountain to enjoy the local houses and plantations. After 20 minutes you get a much nicer view and you see in the sea the Cabo Girao. After 30 minutes you reach Amparo. Here seems the levada to stop, but after a littel cafe you cross the street and follow the canal again. After you reach Quebras you have to cross a road, keep right until you find a school on your left hand. 30 meters after the school on your right hand you can follow the track. You walk along a small valley where in the distance you can see a bridge over the valley which is called " Scorridos". Suddenly the levada is going north with breath taking views of the river " Ribeira dos Socorridos". From here the nuns were fleeing from the monestry of Santa Clara through the sugar cane fields to Curral. After 10 minutes you have to decide what to do. Or going down along the river and climb the stair after approx. 1 kilomter or take the tunnels. The tunnels are narrow, so if you don't trust yourself going along steep cliffs, I recommend the detour along the river and climb the stairs later on. At the end of the levada you have to climb concrete stairs to a house ( do not take the sign " gate 1,5 kim) but hold right to climb the stairs. If your at the house on the top, go right on the road to " Pinheiros das Voltas". From here you can easily take the bus, which has an excellent connection to Funchal again. (This track from the stadium of Funchal to Pinheiros takes you 4 hours, more or less.

If you want to c0ntinue your walk, in Pinheiros there is sign at the cafe on your left hand pointing to the Levada do Curral.

For more information, consult the Tourist Information op de Avenida Arriaga, in the centre of Funchal. It is also possible to take a guide, from 20 to 30 EUR per person you can hire a guide which also includes transport.

Tip: take a day to Porto Santo with the ferry.

Monchique to the top of the Foia

About 30 kilometers of our house there is the magnificient and highest mountain of the Algarve, the Foia, 902 meters high. You are starting at the village Monchique. There is a central square called "Largo 5 de Outobro", with some terraces where you can buy a " bica" before you are starting to climb. At the square you see in front of you a busstation and your are turning right, uphill. About 50 meters you are finding on your left side a small ally, (signed Barlovento). It is a steep climb passing a cafe and afterwards the ally is covered with flowers. At the top of the ally you follow the signs of the "Convento" and since a short period also the signs of the Algarviana official GR13 (www.viaalgarviana.org). Before you get into the forest you look behind you and will see the wonderful town of Monchique within the distance the terracces against the mountains. When you starting to walk into the forest it is a small distance to the old Convento, the path to this place is very simpel and easy to find. Pay a visit to this old monestery, if you are lucky you can pick up and buy honey with the local alcohol madronho. The alcohol is fermented from the fruits of a plant which grows on the mountain of Monchique. If you follow the way up after visiting the monestery, you turn left and follow the footpath. It is easy to find and follow this path until you cross a paved road. You can cross this road directly but it maybe safer to follow the path is just a little to the left, about 30 meters. There is a more easy path. When you reach the crossing of woodpaths, follow the sign of the GR13, marked in colours on a stone. From now on the only thing you have to do is follow the path, which from now on is not very steep. Enjoy during your walk the magnificant sight on your left hand of the Algarve delta where on a clear day you can see from Albufeira to Vila do Bispo. As you reach the end of the forest watch carefully that you mark the sign of the GR 13 on your right hand. You can see where most people have been walking by the erosion. From that point it is very easy because when you reach the top of that hill, you can already see the masts of the Foia. From there you walk over a paved road towards the top. In summer there is a restaurant where you can treat yourself on a refreshment. Because there is no busline connection to the Monchique, maybe you can order a taxi if you don't want to go downwards on foot. If you want any information please react on my weblog.