Hi, Gilly here, great to be back and to share a new route with you – Ecovia do Litoral Sudoeste.
When Tomorrow asked if I knew anything about this new route out of Vila do Bispo, I couldn’t get my bike on charge fast enough – yes, charge! Sadly, the knee issue isn’t going to get resolved anytime soon, so my wheels of choice for this mini expedition were those of an eMountain bike.
In line with the Algarve Regional Development Programme, there are three Ecovia (biking and hiking trails) planned for the region: between Odeceixe and Sagres, between Sagres and Vila Real de Santo António, and a third between Vila Real de Santo António and Alcoutim. They aim to support local commuting, leisure and tourism, and form part of the Eurovelo routes, a huge network of cycle paths across Europe. The majority are already operational, and EU funding is available for participating municipalities to complete the paths.
Ecovia Sudoeste, which is almost complete, offers just over 100 km of continuous cycling along the west coast through the beautiful Costa Vicentina National Park. Researching online, I learnt that not only is this one of the finest preserved stretches of European coastline, but the park is also home to various unique species of animal and plant life. Apparently, one of the rarest species is the white stork; this is the only place in the world where they build their nests in the seashore rocks. The national park is also the only place in Portugal, and one of the last places in Europe, where it is possible to find otters in a marine habitat!
The latest addition to this Sudoeste route is 24 km of paths in Vila do Bispo, running between the municipality’s border with Aljezur, Praia da Cordoama, Vila do Bispo town and Cape St. Vincent. Me and my mate Deb had already explored the section from town to the Cape, so this time, with full batteries and GPS mapping apps, we set out to find the new coastal section – what a wonderful day we had!
We headed out from Barão de São João on BTT tracks and, once through the forest, we swapped to Via Algarviana paths that took us all the way to Vila do Bispo centre, totally avoiding the N125. From the centre of Vila do Bispo, we picked up the Eurovelo route to Cordoama beach along the M1265, where we joined the new section of Ecovia heading towards Praia do Amado. The path here was in pristine condition and freshly marked with small posts, following the coastline with fantastic beach views. It is a great addition to the network and we would have loved to continue up to Aljezur but, mindful of our battery range and with mission accomplished, we headed back towards the N268 along the historic Fishermen’s Trail, dropping into Pedralva village via Via Algarviana, before heading back to the forest and home.
We clocked up circa 80 kms, we criss-crossed a whole host of tracks and trails in good condition, with nothing very technical. The scenery was beautiful, the opportunities in all directions were endless and there were plenty of options for rest breaks – highly recommended. The only downside was that my online research didn’t uncover a map of the new route – I can only imagine that once the full length of the trail is completed, it will be published and promoted. That said, there are lots of signposts on all the routes, and I like getting lost; it is how I have found some of my best rides!
I hope this encourages you to get out exploring. I will be heading back very soon. As always, have fun out there and stay safe.
