Casa Ferrobo stands at the edge of a tranquil vale dotted by tiny villages where the passage of time has made little impact on their traditional practices and way of life. Time-worn paths thread to these hamlets through a landscape of old olive groves, little vineyards, and the ever-present cork oak woodlands. Winding past noras (hand-wheel wells) and rusting, donkey-powered scoop wells, walks meander through a secluded countryside drenched in spring wildflowers and vibrant with birdsong.
From this vale, hills ripple upwards into the twisted limestone Barrocal hills and the Serra da Caldeirão, rising to a modest 1800ft or so but with the punch of a miniature mountain range. Centuries-old carreteiros (donkey tracks), footpaths and a maze of forestry tracks penetrate this marvellous countryside.
We've researched a collection of SELF-GUIDED WALKS that will take you to some of the best places to appreciate the real Algarve. The routes reach deep into the countryside, climb to ridges with fabulous views and pass through many of the little villages that characterize the area. From February to May the hills are smothered in luxuriant wildflowers and shrubs - the cistus, lavender and yellow teline are breathtaking - whilst at all times of year the groves and terraces of wizened old olive and carob trees, orchards of almonds, figs and oranges and cool pine-woods invite gentle exploration.
On their walks, past guests have recorded well over 150 species of birds (many unfamiliar to British birdwatchers) whilst entomologists find our area a second-heaven, with invertebrates ranging from the showy Spanish Festoon, Swallowtail and Cleopatra butterflies to preying mantis. Small lizards are everywhere, taking the sun or hiding amidst prickly-pear cactus; the chorus of croaking frogs in lazy streams can be deafening. To us, the background whirr of cicadas and the magical call of bee-eaters is excuse enough to relax and recover beside the pool after a testing walk!
Most of the routes are circular and a clutch of them start from Casa Ferrobo itself. So whether you're inclined to a gentle stroll, intent simply on drinking in the unfamiliar birdsong, wild-scents and startling landscapes, or prefer to escape deep into the rural idyll that this part of the Algarve has by the bucketful, we've just the route to help you make the most of your stay.
We've been very circumspect in grading the walks, erring on the side of caution. If you're a fairly regular walker in Britain, then the routes are all a piece of cake - even the most challenging is akin to an easy ramble in the Lakeland fells. Those new to walking will, we hope, find these an ideal introduction to the pastime - they're energetic enough to do you good and quicken the pulse, but the scenery and wildlife will prove such a diversion that you won't notice such exertions!
The walks are fully described in the "Welcome" folder you'll find in each of our cottages.
- A SHORT STROLL FROM CASA FERROBO - a short, easy stroll up the hill behind Ferrobo and a great introduction to the area's trees, flora and heritage. About 2 miles, easy.
- CASA FERROBO TO ALPORTEL - follow lanes and donkey tracks into the refreshingly tranquil and pretty countryside to the noth-west, where peaceful hamlets await your discovery. About 4½ miles, easy going. Click Here to view this walk
- MIRADOURA DAS CASTANHAS - visiting a grand viewpoint over the local area, this walk then climbs easily to a fantastic, wooded ridge walk before returning past tempting local cafes. About 5½ miles, easy/moderate.
- TAREJA AND THE VALE DE ESTACAS - explore the villages east of Casa Ferrobo prior to a stunning walk into secluded, wooded valleys overshadowed by saw-toothed hills. Lots of cork-oak heritage along the way as well. About 5½ miles, easy/moderate.
- A HILLY WALK FROM FONTE FERRERA - the Fonte is a local beauty spot, from where we climb to and through the extraordinary landscape of vales, ridges and hills you can see to the north of Casa Ferrobo. A marvellous combination of memorable views, utter peace, a wealth of birds and butterflies plus, in spring, an endless carpet of lavender, cistus and rock roses. About 4 miles, moderate/challenging.
- FONTE FERRERA TO CASA FERROBO - chance to walk back from Fonte Ferrera to base along the valley of the Ribeira do Alportel and through the beautiful cork oak and pine woods clothing the ridge above Alportel village. There's a handy café along the way, too! About 3 miles, easy/moderate.
- TWO WALKS FROM BISPO - both walks start on a roller-coaster route to fabulous ridge-top views and the extraordinary, chasm-like valleys hidden amidst the twisted hills off the road to Barranco do Velho. The shorter option returns to the start through cool oak and pine woods; the longer route drops into a fertile vale before rising across the stark, eerily beautiful Maquis scrubland, an area possessed of magnificent views prior to returning on foot to Casa Ferrobo via a welcome café stop. About 3 or 7½ miles, moderate or moderate/challenging.
- ROCHA DA PENA - this is our take on one of the Algarve's best-known walks. Rocha da Pena is a veritable Table-Mountain, a monadnock of limestone thrust high above the surrounding landscape - locals have nicknamed it the Portuguese Ayers Rock. Adventurous paths and tracks climb to the plateau-like top and the reward of fabulous wildflowers and shrubs, great bird life (including eagles) and views to the coast. The return is through the utterly charming, time-warp village of Penina. About 4½ miles moderate/challenging.
- MEALHA - this remote hill village still has the extremely rare traditional little thatched, circular huts used to store hay and fodder. The drive to it via the charming mountain village of Cachopo is part of the experience; the other is the remarkable view obtained from the walk to the hilltop location of the Neolithic necropolis of Anta das Pedras Altas, from where mountains deep into Spain are visible as the distant horizon. About 3½ miles, moderate.
- TO THE FONTE DE BENÉMOLA - from the white hill-village of Querença, a walk into a sylvan dale lined with springs and reedbeds. Easy tracks wind out of this glorious wooded valley through old olive groves and soft-fruit plantations spread on a plateau dappled by oaks, with the usual unbelievable views across this secret Algarvean landscape. Some easy road-walking returns us to the tempting cafes beside Querença's lovely church. About 5 miles easy/moderate, with a shorter 2½ mile easy option just to the Fonte itself.
- FEITEIRA & THE CERRO DE FOIA DE ERVAS WALK - another terrific mountain-road drive finds tiny Feiteira, at the heart of the Serra do Caldeirão in the midst of a contorted, corrugated wooded landscape. The walk drinks deeply of this hilly countryside, plotting a way via excellent viewpoints on adventurous tracks, culminating in a memorable final mile through cork-oak woods watered by dancing rivulets. Around 5½ miles moderate/challenging going.
- QUINTA DO LAGO WALK - BIRDWATCHER'S SPECIAL - feather meets fantasy-land beside the endless Atlantic beaches of the central Algarve. Absurdly opulent villas crown sandy islands rising from the salt-flats just west of Faro. These flats and tidal marshes are home to myriad bird species, from Greater Flamingos and Stilts to Black Kites and eagles. Add a stroll along one of Europe's best beaches in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, and this ramble through this millionaire's paradise is an ideal introduction to the quiet side of the Algarve's coast. Up to 4 easy miles.
- PARIZES - The Via Algarviana is Portugal's only long-distance waymarked path, stretching from Alcoutim on the Spanish border to Cape St. Vincent, Europe's most south-westerly point. Parizes is a hill-village on the route; this walk explores the remote, deeply-incised valleys of the Serra da Caldeirão, discovering a ruined village and extraordinary views along the way from ridges high above one of Portugal's major rivers, the Ribeira de Odeleite. About 6 miles moderate going, with a long, steady climb to return to the start.
