Via Algarviana - The Algarve way

[Jaime Byrd]

Hello! My husband and I are planning on walking the Via Algarviana in southern Portugal this February 2022. Has anyone else ever walked this 300 km walk from Spain to the Portugal coast? It has 14 stages (or sectors) with some long days. I would love to know anything any one has to offer about this walk. I am told Feb and March are the very best months for this route. Thank you for any and all advice! Jaime

 

[jungleboy]

I haven't walked it but I have been to three of the end-of-stage destinations (Alcoutim, Silves and Cabo São Vicente), and all are definitely worth visiting. I like that the route goes through the interior of the Algarve and not along the coast, as parts of the coast are very touristy which I find doesn't jibe with a pilgrimage/walking mindset. When we walked the first stage of the Caminho Nascente from Tavira to Vila Real de Santo António, we didn't really enjoy walking through beach resort places like Monte Gordo.

Regarding weather, you certainly wouldn't want to do it in June-July-August as it will be very hot, but I don't think you have to be restricted to Feb-March either. We started from Tavira at the end of April this year and the weather was great. So I think April, October or November could also be good months, while May and September might be a bit hot depending on your personal preferences.

 

[Jaime Byrd]

Good info! Thank you so much!

 

[Former member 99290]

Hi @J Byrd here is a link that might be interesting for you.

Via Algarviana: All You Need to Know to Hike Across Portugal — A Woman Afoot

If you are looking for a long-distance hike which provides beautiful views, cultural heritage sites, and safety - I have good news for you! Via Algarviana is a fantastic destination, and I am happy to explain why. The Via Algarviana trail is a long-distance path stretching between the Eastern-most

awomanafoot.com

And yes to what @jungleboy wrote about that touristy sections of the south coast. Yikes.

I haven’t walked the The Algarve Way so probably have no business offering an opinion. And I don’t know what type of experience you are looking for. So this is more just information to do with what you will. We were planning to walk this path about 5 years ago. By pure coincidence my sister and brother in law were planning to walk a few months before us. I did quite a bit of research and for some reason I just couldn’t get too excited about it but we were going nonetheless.

My sister and her husband - adventurers, walkers, campers, pilgrims etc who love to be off the beaten track - left the Algarve Way after a week and made their way to thé Southern most point of thé Rota Vicentina (RV) and walked north from there. The main thing I remember my sister saying was that even though they were pleased to meet the few locals along the way, they found the mostly abandoned villages quite depressing and not something to look forward to at the end of a day’s walk. They just didn’t enjoy it. Note thé author of the blog linked above enjoyed the scenery and also makes reference to the dilapidated villages.

Ultimately we didn’t go to the Algarve Way We decided to walk the RV (followed by the Camino Portuguese from Porto). The RV was wonderful - we walked against the tide (not that there was really a tide of walkers) from south to north, weaving between the historical way and the fisherman’s Trail. If you’re interested and don’t already know much about it, here’s a link to a useful website.

Rota Vicentina

A pé ou de bicicleta pelo Sudoeste de Portugal. Descubra o Trilho dos Pescadores, o Caminho Histórico ou os Percursos Circulares da Rota Vicentina.

rotavicentina.com

For Portugal walking options and info, @jungleboy is very knowledgeable and far more experienced than me.

Best wishes for whatever you decide.

 

[PilgrimPillar]

Feel free to forward questions but first
look into my blog in detail, which is starting with Algarviana….

 

[Jaime Byrd]

Hi @J Byrd here is a link that might be interesting for you.

Via Algarviana: All You Need to Know to Hike Across Portugal — A Woman Afoot

If you are looking for a long-distance hike which provides beautiful views, cultural heritage sites, and safety - I have good news for you! Via Algarviana is a fantastic destination, and I am happy to explain why. The Via Algarviana trail is a long-distance path stretching between the Eastern-most

awomanafoot.com

And yes to what @jungleboy wrote about that touristy sections of the south coast. Yikes.

I haven’t walked the The Algarve Way so probably have no business offering an opinion. And I don’t know what type of experience you are looking for. So this is more just information to do with what you will. We were planning to walk this path about 5 years ago. By pure coincidence my sister and brother in law were planning to walk a few months before us. I did quite a bit of research and for some reason I just couldn’t get too excited about it but we were going nonetheless.

My sister and her husband - adventurers, walkers, campers, pilgrims etc who love to be off the beaten track - left the Algarve Way after a week and made their way to thé Southern most point of thé Rota Vicentina (RV) and walked north from there. The main thing I remember my sister saying was that even though they were pleased to meet the few locals along the way, they found the mostly abandoned villages quite depressing and not something to look forward to at the end of a day’s walk. They just didn’t enjoy it. Note thé author of the blog linked above enjoyed the scenery and also makes reference to the dilapidated villages.

Ultimately we didn’t go to the Algarve Way We decided to walk the RV (followed by the Camino Portuguese from Porto). The RV was wonderful - we walked against the tide (not that there was really a tide of walkers) from south to north, weaving between the historical way and the fisherman’s Trail. If you’re interested and don’t already know much about it, here’s a link to a useful website.

Rota Vicentina

A pé ou de bicicleta pelo Sudoeste de Portugal. Descubra o Trilho dos Pescadores, o Caminho Histórico ou os Percursos Circulares da Rota Vicentina.

rotavicentina.com

For Portugal walking options and info, @jungleboy is very knowledgeable and far more experienced than me.

Best wishes for whatever you decide.

Thank you SO much for all this information! I really appreciate you sharing it! I think it's helpful info for making some decisions we've been on the fence about. I will check with jungleboy with more questions as they come up. Thanks again! Jaime

 

[Jaime Byrd]

Feel free to forward questions but first
look into my blog in detail, which is starting with Algarviana….

Vid for inspiration

https://www.facebook.com/1943115662632084/posts/1952972861646364

Do you have a link to your blog? Thanks!

 

[jill___a]

@J Byrd,

I planned to be walking part of this route now, but postponed my trip bc of the uncertainties around omicron. ):

The itinerary also included driving north through the eastern Alentejo as a precursor to waking the Caminho Nascente. (@jungleboy and Wendy’s podcast got me hooked, but the infrastructure didn’t feel sufficient yet for a solo, non-Portuguese speaking woman—especially in December.)

But I digress… back to the VA. This website has good information: click here. I wrote with some questions, and Ana got right back with me. She also followed up about some problems with dangerous dogs roaming free on sector 10. I’d recommend you check in with her before your walk.

There’s a planning section of the website, if you haven’t seen it already. A general guide is also available for download.

Here’s Ana’s contact information from her email signature.

Ana Gomes
Técnica de Marketing e Comunicação da Via Algarviana
+351 289 412 959 | +351 925 482 138
agomes@almargem.org

Via Algarviana

www.viaalgarviana.org

Bom Caminho!

 

[Jaime Byrd]

@J Byrd,

I planned to be walking part of this route now, but postponed my trip bc of the uncertainties around omicron. ):

The itinerary also included driving north through the eastern Alentejo as a precursor to waking the Caminho Nascente. (@jungleboy and Wendy’s podcast got me hooked, but the infrastructure didn’t feel sufficient yet for a solo, non-Portuguese speaking woman—especially in December.)

But I digress… back to the VA. This website has good information: click here. I wrote with some questions, and Ana got right back with me. She also followed up about some problems with dangerous dogs roaming free on sector 10. I’d recommend you check in with her before your walk.

There’s a planning section of the website, if you haven’t seen it already. A general guide is also available for download.

Here’s Ana’s contact information from her email signature.

Ana Gomes
Técnica de Marketing e Comunicação da Via Algarviana
+351 289 412 959 | +351 925 482 138
agomes@almargem.org

Via Algarviana

www.viaalgarviana.org

Bom Caminho!

Thank you so much for this info! I appreciate it!!!

 

[2ndCaminho]

I haven't walked it but I have been to three of the end-of-stage destinations (Alcoutim, Silves and Cabo São Vicente), and all are definitely worth visiting. I like that the route goes through the interior of the Algarve and not along the coast, as parts of the coast are very touristy which I find doesn't jibe with a pilgrimage/walking mindset. When we walked the first stage of the Caminho Nascente from Tavira to Vila Real de Santo António, we didn't really enjoy walking through beach resort places like Monte Gordo.

Regarding weather, you certainly wouldn't want to do it in June-July-August as it will be very hot, but I don't think you have to be restricted to Feb-March either. We started from Tavira at the end of April this year and the weather was great. So I think April, October or November could also be good months, while May and September might be a bit hot depending on your personal preferences.

finding it hard to find (online) information about the route from tavira to vrsa. is it quite well marked etc?

 

[jungleboy]

finding it hard to find (online) information about the route from tavira to vrsa. is it quite well marked etc?

The marking is OK but not great, mostly consisting of painted arrows on the ground. The free Wise Pilgrim app for the Caminho Nascente contains GPS tracks and some navigational information, which is also available on the WP website.

 

[2ndCaminho]

The marking is OK but not great, mostly consisting of painted arrows on the ground. The free Wise Pilgrim app for the Caminho Nascente contains GPS tracks and some navigational information, which is also available on the WP website.

oh great. will investigate. everything is so high tech these days... will have to get with the programme! thankyou.