Walking in the Algarve - A Walker's Guidebook

Guidebook to walking 34 full- and half-day walks in Portugal's beautiful Algarve. The rich range of scenery from volcanic hills to dramatic limestone escarpments and beautiful coastline, together with a diversity of flowers and wildlife, and an equable climate, makes the Algarve an ideal walking destination.

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Walk 16: Amorosa - Torre Hill Walk

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Distance: 11.5km/7.1 miles
Time: 3.5hrs
Grade: Moderate
Facilities: Several cafés in Amorosa; restaurants on the main Silves–S.B.Messines road, and in both towns.
Access: Amorosa lies just north of the N124 Silves–Messines road. If coming from the coast travel up the IP1 (old Lisbon road) and take the exit for Messines/Silves. Follow the signs for Silves; the road to Amorosa is the first turn on the right after the Messines bypass. Drive down towards the village and park by the first café on the right-hand side on the edge.

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This area is characterised by a fascinating and abrupt change of scenery as the underlying rock type changes from limestone to deep red sandstone and then to shale. This also involves a complete contrast in vegetation, from typical barrocal flora into orchards of citrus fruits and then to hillsides covered in gum cistus. A circular walk that crosses three different rock types with correspondingly different flora and fauna.

Walk down the road to the village and take the first road off to the left. Walk up the street; when it forks at the top go left and you will see a track to the left (the end of Walk 17,   Amorosa–Zimbreira). Follow the surfaced road; it soon bends to the right. Almost immediately take a narrow walled road to the right (opposite the ‘Casa Espinho’). At the end of the road turn left, then first right; on the corner is the sign for the ‘Rua de Trabalhador’. This soon leads to a junction of roads; go left (there should be some rubbish bins on the left corner).

Walk along a surfaced and then unsurfaced track. Ignore turnings to left and right; keep straight ahead and soon ascend past some villas on the right; to the left is a large hill and trig point (Gralheira: 282m). Continue along the track, passing a new house on the left, with panoramic views ahead down the valley to Silves. Pass a house on the right,  ‘Vivenda Valverde’; stay on the track and eventually reach a junction of tracks. Take the narrow footpath opposite; this passes between fields, some of which have been abandoned.

This leads into the village of Cortes. Once through the arch turn right and walk between the houses. At the top the path bends left and passes some houses to reach the road, where you turn right. Ignore a road to the right and climb up to a café. Stay on the surfaced road through tiny hamlets – look out for threshing circles near some of the houses – with panoramic views left down to the coast, and after about 1km pass a new road off to the left. Continue straight on.

Look for a track off to the right just as the road begins to head uphill. Follow the track down and around the hillside, with good views across the valley to the Serra; it eventually levels out (ignore a track to the right) and continue to meet another track, where you turn right. This leads through citrus groves before bending left, then right, to reach a surfaced road.
Turn left; the road immediately forks. Take the right branch that descends to cross a small bridge; then turn right on to a track that heads uphill. Keep to the left when the track forks to continue up to the crest of the hill to meet another track; turn right.

Now walk along the crest of a ridge, with several steep climbs and descents along the way; however, the views make up for any minor discomfort! At the top of the final climb follow the track downhill, slightly to the left and then to the right, to reach a wide track; turn right.

The track crosses deep red clay; most of the time the walking is easy, but after periods of heavy rainfall it can become both muddy and slippery. The track climbs gently;  follow it all the way to the edge of the village of Amorosa, where you meet a minor road and turn left.

Follow the road straight down through the village until you meet a main road; turn right. Another 200m will bring you to the starting point.