passionate about hiking
Portugal is a great place for walkers, particularly during the winter when it is generally mild and sunny. Spring and autumn are also good for hiking.
There are plenty of way-marked walks, ranging from long-distance trails like the Via Algarviana and the Rota Vicentina in the Algarve and the Portuguese Way from Lisbon or Porto.
Northern Portugal is more mountainous and is home to the Peneda-Gerês National Park, while the Silver Coast and Algarve provide hikers with some spectacular coastal scenery.
Inland, there are cork forests, eucalyptus groves, white-washed villages, lakes and rivers.
For some time now, we’ve been talking about heading to São Bartolomeu de Messines for an overnight stay with our friends Dale and Irina. Irina runs a well-being retreat called Pure Body, Healthy Mind from her beautiful quinta, located in the hills just north … Continued
We overdid it slightly last night. Soon after our arrival at the very pleasant Hotel Burgau, it started raining again and by the time we ventured out to eat it felt more like rainy Wales than the sunny Algarve. Burgau … Continued
We awoke to better weather, although there was little reason for cheer: more rain was forecast for around noon. The owners of Casa Mestre have been gradually renovating this large property and each time we’ve stayed here we’ve witnessed improvements. … Continued
At some point in the early hours of the morning I was awoken by a distant beeping noise. Groaning, I rolled over and eventually managed to get back to sleep. It was only when I awoke again hours later that … Continued
