0 km today.
131 km this trip.
273 km from start.
0 metres minimum height.
30 metres maximum height.
0 metres ascent.
0 metres descent.
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Quiet roads. 12.3km
Up the Ribeira de Alportel and Back
The advantage of this walk is that it is circular. No transport is needed and the route is more or less on the flat the whole way.
Go downhill from number 37 on the Rua Dr Miguel Bombarda, continue along Rua da Liberdade and, when you get to the Praça de República (10 minutes), turn left along the banks of the river. Keep to the right of the bus station and use the walkway under the blue bridge (20 minutes). You pass under the railway line and the main road (Ponte Sequa)(25 minutes) and then just keep going along the river ignoring any left turns and passing through a little hamlet (1 hour). Eventually you pass a farm built in 1918 (1 hour 20 minutes). Soon after this the surface of the road becomes cobbled and you reach a right turn signed to Cachopo. Straight ahead leads intriguingly to Moinhos da Rocha and Pego do Inferno. If you have time, this would be well worth investigating. There is a second river crossing quite soon. We turned right here though and crossed the river (1 hour 45 minutes). Continue through bamboo and orange groves until you get to a T-junction (1 hour 55 minutes). Turn right here to return to Tavira along the other bank. If you have done the Tavira to Cacela walk you will recognise the left turn to Vale Formosa. Just before you get to the road bridge (3 hours), turn right off the road and go behind the skate park and children's road safety area. Beyond these, you need to work your way back to the road to cross the blue bridge (3 hours 5 minutes). You can get back to number 37 by the same way you used coming or you can take the second right after Rua dos Bombeiros and then go left before the ramparts. At the end of this street, turn right. This takes you the church square and castle. To get down the other side, go down the right-hand side of the park and then keep going straight ahead until you get to the Travesa Dr Miguel Bombarda. Go to the end of this street. Number 37 is slightly to the left once you get to the end (3 hours 20 minutes).
This walk was not part of the trek across Europe. It was just a day out to look at flowers and the views. We took a circular route from the centre of Tavira, up one side of the river and down the other. The walk was hill free apart from a short section in Tavira. There were sections with cliffs where shade loving plants grew. This is where the GPS track failed.
12.3 km