Vilamoura relaxing

This is intended as a relaxing day. Flights arrive at differing times and not all will fly into Faro so we need to allow time for all participants to gather. Those who arrive first can go off exploring the town.

Vilamoura and neighbouring Quateira are interesting towns with lovely sandy beaches. Quateira has an old harbour and Vilamoura a relatively new marina. These are very much beachfront holiday resorts and you will find many of the stores closed during January and February but there will still be enough open to address most needs.

Both the Hilton and the Crowne Plaza are 5 star hotels and have excellent facilities including indoor swimming pool and those who simply wish to unwind with a drink will find the surroundings most comfortable. The Hilton is located in a golf course whilst the Crowne Plaza is beach front so each will appeal to a different group of clients.

The evening meal is a buffet and it always offers a wide variety so there will be something to suit every pallet.

Vilamoura, Silves circuit 260km (160 miles) circa 5 1/2 hours riding.

Departing the Vilamoura hotel heading east to Olhau a charming fishing port then on to Fuseta which sits behind a low barrier island and continuing we reach Taveria, a small town with over 30 churches! We take a coffee break in Taveria before turning north west passing Pego do Inferno, a small waterfall and lake, then through Santa Catarina, Sao Bras de Alportel, Querencia and Bartolomeu de Messines all towns unaffected by tourism to reach waters at Pergo Escuro where we take a brief stop before reaching Sao Marcos da Serra. Those of a religious persuasion will be interested to note that there have been several apparitions of the Virgin Mary in and around the town. Sao Marcos da Serra nestles between two mountain ranges and so most of the properties are huddled together on the steep slopes around the town centre. We take a break here for lunch.

The next leg of this route takes us east to the waterfall at Barbatole before heading to the south. Along the road you will note large chunks of bark stripped from the trees around this countryside. This is for cork production. The route brings us to Silves where we take a look at the ancient castle. There has been a fortress here since Lusitanian times. The Romans then occupied the site and later Umayyad Caliphate before being conquered by the Moors. Much of what you see today dates from the Moorish occupation during the 12th and 13th century. We take our afternoon break in Silves then make our way back to the hotel in Vilamoura.

vilamoura Salir circuit 170km (110 miles) about 4 hours riding

This will be a leisurely day with some lovely towns and villages and roads with gentle curves. We begin this journey with a run around some streets to the east of Vilamoura and Quateira to familiarise the group with the surroundings before we head away from the coast to Loule to visit the castle and the Market. The Castle is of Roman origin although the oldest parts of what can be seen today date from the early 1400’s and it is a protected building. The market is an interesting mix of Arabian and Art Nouveau styles and is over a century old. It won the Prize Turismo de Portugal in 2007 and within you will find a diverse range of goods and produce.

Following our stop in Loule we head north towards Beja taking a somewhat circuitous route to Salir a small town with pretty church, ruined castle and a water tower that commands great views across the surrounding country. We shall take a lunch break in Salir before continuing our journey.

After lunch we take another loop up into the hills passing through mainly farmland. Travelling the backroads the road surface can be a little irregular, broken at times and with the occassional pot hole but they are fun to ride and lead us to Alte a village on a steep hill with another of those pretty white washed churches and houses. Alte is renowned as one of the most typical and unspoilt villages in the Algarve region and features fresh water springs.

We complete the journey returning to our hotel in Vilamoura. As we descend back towards the coast you will no doubt see vendors at the road side selling fresh oranges. If you have not already tried the produce you should stop and buy one because they are absolutely delicious!

Vilamoura to Elvas - 345km (215 miles) circt 5 hours riding

Today we change hotels and we have a longer journey that the each of the previous days to cover and so to make more rapid progress we take the motorway for about 40 miles towards the Spanish border before heading north aprtly following the course of the River Guadiana that acts as a natural border between Portugal and Spain. We progress as far as Alcoutim a charming spot to enjoy the riverfront, its modest castle and churches. Alcoutim also hosts some food fairs that may well be running when we pass through. Our journey continues to Mertola where we take a break at the Castle that dominates the skyline in the small town. The town was once an independent state before being conquered by Seville about a millennium ago. The 30-meter tower at the castle dates from 1292.

We continue our journey north to Moura which hosts one of Europe’s largest solar power stations. We stop by the another former Moorish Castle for lunch.

The final leg of this journey crosses the border to Spain and then back into Portugal to our hotel Sao Joao de Deus in Elvas.

Elvas, Estremoz, Avis, Rendondo circuit 244km (152 miles) about 4 hours riding

This leisurely route explores the planes of Alentejo region to the west of Elvas and passes thorough farm land and some charming villages. The first of note is Vicosa where we pass Castelo de Vila Vicosa of 14th century origin, once the seat of House of Braganza but now in public ownership. Our route continues towards Rendondo where we alter course to the north. A little past the town we come across a megalithic polygon chamber, Anta da Herdade da Candeeira. We will return to the Rendondo later in the day but will take our first break at the next major town, Estremoz.

Estramoz sits behind high rampants on what little high ground exists in miles around and was clearly settled for the strategic advantage this brought. There are local marble quarries and an abundance of marble is used to face the properties in Estramoz. After seeing the town sights, we continue our route north towards Fronteira then we follow the southern shore on the river past Ervedal to Avis where three of the six old castle towers still survive. After a brief stop we alter course now heading in a southerly direction to Vimieiro. The town is of little note but the truck stop cafe just outside serves wholesome food at a budget price so it makes a good lunchtime stop.

Making our way back to our hotel we ride south easterly to Redondo. The town landmarks include a Convent and a Cathedral. Next, we head north easterly to the border with Spain to Juromenha where we visit the town fort which dates from 1640 when Portugal separated from Spain. After our visit we complete the journey returning to our hotel in Elvas.

Elvas, Santo Antonia, Ponte de Sor, Alter do Chao circuit 270km (167 miles) about 4 1/2 hours riding

We begin the day heading north to Santo António das Areias another town located on the Portuguese side of the border with Spain and within the Serra de s. Mamede National Park. After a refreshment break we turn to the west passing Castleo de Vide, Alpalhao, and others small settlements as we head towards Gaviao where we alter course to the south to Ponte de Sor where we break for lunch.

There is little of note in Ponte de Sor although the park opposite the café where we shall stop and riverside walk way afford the opportunity for a pleasant stroll to stretch the legs after a few hours riding.

After lunch we turn back towards the east to Alter do Chao which is dominated by a medieval castle. We can make a stop here for those who wish to view otherwise we continue back to our hotel at Elvas for an early stop and to prepare for a longer trip tomorrow.

Elvas to Vilamoura 315km (195 miles) circa 4 1/2 hours riding

Our return trip to the Algarve takes our first stop at Evora the former seat of the Kings of Portugal. You will note as we approach the long straight road so it may come as no great surprise to discover that Evora contains some Roman ruins including a 1st c temple. The town also boasts medieval town walls, the 13th c cathedral which is considered the best gothic building in the country, a 16th c aquaduct (Aqueduto da Agua de Prata) and a well preserved old town centre making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a member of the Most Ancient European Towns network.

After viewing the town centre and taking a light refreshment, we continue our journey to the south but rather than taking the straight road towards Beja we shall take a more interesting route deviating to the east and into the hills where there are also lakes, reservoirs and olive groves.

There is a lot of history in and around Beja. On the bank of a river a little to the east are the ruins of a Roman villa that is one of the largest ever excavated having over 40 rooms and the nearby baths are one of the best examples of Roman baths ever uncovered. In the summer the route to Beja and surrounding area is covered in wheat fields but in the early months of the year the seeds will be sewn but little growth occurred giving clear views across much of the landscape. The area is steeped in Moorish history and the castle, although of Roman origin with 14th century additions which are characteristic of Portuguese fortifications.

Our next stop along the route is at Sao Marcos a small town of little note but it makes a convenient spot to break the journey and take a refreshment break after which we complete our journey returning to Vilamoura.