Tuesday, 4 March 2025

Alferce Loop walk 26.02.25


Alferce Loop walk  26.02.25 

This walk was adapted from a previous walk that we led last year. However, instead of descending into the valley and attempting 2 river crossings we decided to do a higher loop walk from Alferce towards Picota via the boardwalk and bridge which opened 2 years ago.

19 brave walkers met at the snack bar Petisqueira in Alferce where the walk began, with a coffee!

Following this, we went through the village of Alferce , passing the murals.....

and heading  towards the Passadicos Barranco do Demo ( meaning Devil’s gorge),  where we used the boardwalk and suspension bridge to traverse the canyon.

 Even though we adhered to the recommended maximum of 5 on the bridge it swayed back and forth. Well done to everyone for overcoming this challenge as this can be a bit disconcerting. ( You can say that again! Ed)


The wooden pathway continued around 800m providing us with an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding area. Luckily the weather was fantastic with a bright blue sky and sunshine.....and so to a belated starter photo...


From left Bruce, Tony, Steve, Geoff, Kieran, Steve, Mike, Karen, Nic, Sue , Fiona, Maggie, Julie, Susan, Peter, Jane, Karen, John. In front Linda and her dog Toby.

We then proceeded along the PR 10 on an off-road trail. We omitted the steep climb to Alferce castle. Eventually we crossed the road leading back to Alferce where we encountered our first set of barking dogs and (non barking) chickens. Our only canine companion Toby was well behaved and stayed with his mistress.

 We continued along a narrow pathway until we reached the intersection of 4 paths. We took the path to our left and proceeded on the VA13.


 We carefully passed the farm where dogs had attacked Toby on a previous occasion. Luckily even though we heard barking in the distance there was no reoccurrence of that dreadful attack. The path became narrow and was covered with greenery and beautiful flowers courtesy of the recent rain. 


We then began our ascent towards Monchique and Picota. We passed a house where the owner rescues abandoned dogs. We had spoken to her during our recce and she had agreed to keep the dogs in during our walk.

Lunch was held at the high point of the walk. Everyone relaxed and enjoyed the views especially when informed that the remainder of the walk was mainly downhill. We were pleased with the pace of the walk as we arrived 10 minutes earlier than we had predicted.


After lunch we retraced our steps until we met up with our downward path. We chatted and enjoyed the splendour of the day until the first mishap. I had a déjà vu moment  when I fell because my laces got caught in my boot. Luckily no serious damage was done. Sue used her whistle to alert the group of walkers in front.

Later there was some confusion at one of the many intersecting paths. Having consulted the map we found the correct path. I remembered nearly falling during the recce. John warned the group that it was slippery and down went Geoff. Again, thankfully there was no need for first aid or a mountain rescue just a slightly bruised ego. Eventually we reached the area where we had accessed the VA earlier on the walk. At this point we followed the signpost towards Alferce. ( Susan is too kind.....having slipped once, I then did it again a few minutes later......this is becoming a habit on S & J walks, last time I was up here with them I managed to fall down part of the hillside ! Ed)

We spotted a hybrid tree...

Eventually we reached the village and returned to the café for drinks. Many thanks to Julie for organising the post walk refreshments. Welcome to Karen, Mike and Nic the Canadian contingent. It was lovely to meet Maggie Braddock a previous AWW who had opted to walk with us during her short stay in the Algarve. Bob her patient husband awaited our return in the local café.....the noisiest in the Algarve!


Walk stats:

Distance: 14.5 km

Elevation gain 600m

Walking time 4.5 hours

Map of walk The below map was recorded during our recce

Thanks to everyone for walking. We really enjoyed your company

Susan and John