DESTINATIONS ACTIVE ALGARVE ESCORTED TOURS LEFT: Sagres


coastline RIGHT:


Cyclist in


the Algarve BELOW:


Walking trail


◗ WALK ON THE WILD SIDE A light dusting of frost covers the valley grass, and the first rays of the sun peep over the hills. After breakfast, we take a transfer to nearby Figueira for the start of our nine-mile trek towards Sagres. The route begins on quiet back roads, winding through farmland and small villages. Every so often we pass an old, defunct windmill, while light-pink almond blossoms and wild mimosa dot the fields around the track. Before long, we reach Praia das Furnas, a beach deserted but for a young family who’ve spent the night here in their camper van. The first real challenge of the day comes with a steep climb up onto the clifftops, where we get our first proper views of the


There’s a ‘wow’ from the group as we look over the Sagres Peninsula – Portugal’s answer to Land’s End


Algarve’s coastline. Looking back east, it seems to go on forever, an infinite wall of pale-honey rock receding towards Faro, the gateway to the region. The headland path cuts


through cluster after cluster of rock rose, an aromatic wild flower that is sticky to the touch. As we reach the cliffs above Praia


do Zavial, the Sagres Peninsula stretches out before us in full. There’s a collective ‘wow’ from the group as we look over Portugal’s answer to Land’s End. Below us at Zavial beach, a surprisingly large number of novice surfers are braving the chilly spring waters for a lesson. We see plenty more over the course of the weekend, beginners and pros alike, taking on the reliable surf of the Algarve. Surf schools are common here, particularly on the Atlantic coastline, and clients should take the time to have a go. Amado Surf Camp has multiple schools on the peninsula. The majority of the trek sees


us tracing the line of these dramatic cliffs, dropping down


every now and again to explore a quiet beach. The last few miles of the walk bring us up over some scrubby fields where parched bushes dot clay-coloured earth, and a herd of sheep hang around a long-abandoned farmhouse. The last stretch into Sagres


takes us over another set of vertigo-inducing cliffs, where centuries of erosion have formed caves large enough to house a small church. Finally, we make our way down to the long sweeping beach that sits below the town. Before sunset, we head over


to Cabo Sao Vicente to watch the sun dip low on the horizon, as some ardent surfers catch their final breaks.


70 travelweekly.co.uk 13 September 2018


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