Glorious views abound

It has been quite a while since we last parked the car at Sapal de Baixo and walked on the south side of the Riberia de Odeleite, and so I set out with quite a spring in my step when we did it last week. In fact our stroll was so lovely I am going to keep the exact details of some of the trails and paths we used to ourselves, but if after reading this post you are interested in hiking in this area check out PR4 ‘Odeleite de Perto e de Longe‘, which not only covers some of the same ground as the walk we did but is of a similar length.

The skies were gloriously blue but the air was still quite cool as we headed towards Assador and Moinho das Pernadas. Which might explain why every tree, shrub and rock seemed to be alive with birdlife; a perfect morning for flitting about. It also meant we didn’t get very far very quickly initially as we were both constantly stopping to observe and if we could identify the numerous birds around us.

I was also sidetracked by the signs of rural life, oranges and a Witches Horse! Eventually though we found ourselves at Moinhos das Pernadas. Still looking very beautiful, but still very much closed. I have never heard back from the council so have no idea when it opens.

After bemoaning the fact you cannot cross the Odeleite at the mill, we continued our stroll. Initially still on the river bank, but it wasn’t long before we were heading south up hill away from the river valley and towards Alcaria. Alcaria is a tiny village in the Guada do Ruvio, and one we regularly pass through when driving on the back road to Alcoutim. It has a cafe and a well resourced camp site if you are travelling, and makes a great alternative to Odeleite if you are thinking of walking the PR4.

We had our lunch in our rucksacks so we didn’t stop in Alcaria, instead we focused on finding the perfect picnic spot. And what a view we found for our picnic. From here we could see the Forest Rangers’ Post in the Mata Nacional das Terras da Ordem, as well as Pernadas, Tenência and both the Foupana and Odeleite rivers.

From our picnic spot it was an easy descent to Assador, where we caught up with the sheep who had just been let out to pasture. A perfect way to end an our 6mile walk.

If you enjoyed this but are looking for a longer walk than the PR4 then check out the Grande Rota do Guadiana and also our three river adventure. And if you love walking posts please do visit our fabulous friend Jo and her Monday Walks.