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Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8 |
Arrival in the Algarve and transfer to Faro
The Budens Wetlands. A short drive takes us to the start of our day which begins with a walk along a limestone escarpment offering good views over the countryside before dropping down to the Budens wetlands. Research by Cambridge University Geography department has revealed that 2,000 years ago this area was the estuary of the Almadena river which over time slowly started to silt up. Dramatic changes to the area came in 1755 with large Tsunnami deposits of sand which prevented the river reaching the sea leading to the formation of these wetlands. After a leisurely stroll through this area we climb gently up on to the cliff tops with superb views passing the ruins of the 16th century Almadena Fort before dropping down to Boca do Rio where the remains of a Roman settlement can be seen in the cliff face. We continue on along the coast to the fishing village of Salema where we can enjoy a late afternoon drink by the sea. Along the limestone escarpment and coastal path we should see a various bee orchids, the mirror orchid, hooped petticoat narcissi, the tiny Barbary nut ‘iris’, several varieties of cistus, French lavender plus the ever present Bermuda buttercup. Through the wetlands paper white narcissi adorn the banks of the river together with irises while pyramid orchids maybe spotted on the banks along the path.
The Serra de Monchique. A longer drive today up into the Mountains of Monchique, these mountains are the remnants of old volcanoes and the rock type is granitic which offers us a very different landscape. We begin our walk at Bica Boa - a small restaurant with rooms where we have time for a coffee with the owner Suzy (an Irishwoman who has lived in Monchique for over 20 years) before setting off down the valley. Here Canary oak and Lusitanian oak are very much in prominence together with cork oak and eucalyptus with orange, lemon and cherry trees in sheltered spots. Between the trees there is a distinctive undergrowth of the various cistus, the arbutus bush, two types of heather (Erica arborea & Erica australis) plus the distinctive Mediterranean spurge. The walk takes us down to the fertile valley floor where the local mountain folk practice small scale farming using traditional methods. Here life has changed very little over the centuries and this becomes a walk back in time before returning to Bica Boa for a taste of ‘medronho’ – the local firewater produced from the fruits of the arbutus bush.
Esteveira Nature Reserve. Today we drive to the west coast and the Cape St. Vincent Natural Park where we stop for a short time in the old Moorish town of Aljezur for a coffee before another 15 minute drive brings us to the coast at Esteveira and the tiny nature reserve perched high on the cliff tops. The nature reserve protects an area of sand dunes which is home to many rare plants including Antirrhinum major the ancestor of the cultivated Snapdragon and large spectacular Broomrape parasite species of Leguminosa, the large yellow restharrow and the curious Portuguese crowberry shrub (Corema album) that is only found in an Atlantic dune habitat.
Free
The Odelouca and Arade Rivers with a visit to the Moorish capital Silves. We drive to the hamlet of Vale de Lama to start our walk around the limestone knoll ‘Ilha do Rosario’ which is bounded on two sides by the Odelouca and Arade rivers and we follow an old watercourse (levada) above the rivers before completing out circuit along quiet country lanes. Beside the river we may see French lavender, rosemary, the brilliant blue lithospernum, the gentle mauve Jerusalem sage, bee orchids and the pale pink naked man orchid together with large bushes of kermes oak; for the eagle-eyed amongst you there is an opportunity to see the scrambling ‘fly trap’ (Arisotolochia boetica). Along the country lanes carob, almond, olive and Japanese loquat guard our way and nestled in the damper areas the Peruvian Scilla and periwinkle may be spotted.
Cape St. Vincent. We drive along the Sagres peninsula and make a short stop in the small town of Vila do Bispo for coffee and a visit to the 18th century church which is well known for its classic blue and white tiles (azulejos) and decorative fresco paintings of the nave vault. Then we drive to Cape St Vincent where the hard dolomitic limestone culminates in dramatic 100m high cliffs. Sand has filled fissures and cracks on top of the rocks forming anchorage for a multitude of plants in this wild and windswept landscape. The area around Cape St Vincent has many plants that are endemic, thriving in the wild windswept landscape which is renowned as a classic site for biologists. On the south-facing cliff tops, the plant assemblages are notable for herbs including the wiry shrub Salsola brevifolia and rounded mounds of thyme (Thymus camphoratus). The cliff slopes have more shrubby vegetation with abundant sweet smelling senna (Coronilla valentine), the ‘cucumber plant’ (Sanguisorba minor) and the foetid rue (Ruta angustifolia). The Astragalus tragacantha ssp. Vincentinus is notable also for the prickly hedgehog plants of the gorse-like Stauracanthus genistoides are common on the north-facing slopes subject to fierce sea winds, while the Hottentot fig (Carpobrotus edulis) and southern bird’s –foot trefoil (Lotus creticus) are found on the cliff tops.
Transfer back to your departure point
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