we learnt to hike and love the mountains in slovenia… the solitude, the view and good food at the top of the hills, the clean air stretching our lungs, the dirt in our shoes and the sore, tingling legs on the days after. it’s hard and yet it’s so easy — one foot in front of the other, until you reach your destination. no distractions and no giving up in the middle… nowhere to escape but into our own minds and the greenness that surrounds us.

we picked the south mostly for the good weather year-round — the hills and mountains came as an added bonus, one that we might end up enjoying more than the beach itself. the via algarviana, the path that runs the length of algarve really is the cherry on top of the cake.

the scenery here is remarkably different from the one in slovenia. instead of glacial valleys, we straddle the serra and the barrocal, through the cork and holm oaks, strawberry and olive and almond trees, beehives and small vegetable patches.

300km of well-marked paths, with lots of circular one-day detours for when the mood strikes.

last year we walked section 4 with friends, and the circular path in marmelete on a separate occasion, and i look forward to logging many more miles in 2016!