hiking on the west coast is different from hiking on the hills around here. there’s the sea, obviously, but it’s the cliffs that make it all somewhat more adventurous, a little bit more challenging. there’s a lot more wind too — and colours!
the photos are from a sunny day last november. seems like the only time we go that way is when the sweet potato festival is on in aljezur… but i’ll tell you about that in another post! :)
winter — time to hike all the things!
into the wild!
agfa apx 100, minox 35gt
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!