Vila Nova Cacela to Conceicao

Denise Hatcher

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After winding your way out of Villa Nova Cacela and reaching the left turn-off on the N125 you are rewarded with a peaceful and colourful day ahead. There is only about 200m to walk on the N125, so make sure you are facing the oncoming traffic and it will be over and done with before you know it. The overall walk is not convoluted at all and consists of long straight stretches with an abundance of varied flora and fauna along the way.

I strongly recommend taking time to visit Cacela Vehala by turning left at Waymark 5, the views of the formosa are breathtaking and the small village is vibrant in season with a handful of extremely popular traditional Portuguese restaurants. The village often hosts a market on Sunday mornings (Algarve market timetable provided). There is a stone stairway down to the formosa for the adventurous; this leads down to a lazy sandy beach when the tide is low.

There is a left turn marked 'Fabrica' in between Waymarks 5 and 6. This leads to the formosa hamlet of Fabrica, where boat rides out to the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean are on offer during season. There is a small coffee kiosk and a large, overpriced restaurant there and long, sandy formosa walks. Fabrica has a lovely atmosphere as there are only a few houses down by the beach and if the tide is low enough, there are amazing formosa beaches for strolling along. Check your tides before walking along these beaches as you can get caught out and stuck.

After passing Waymark 6, both sides of the road become a golf course for about a kilometre and then change into dune pines. Depending on what time of year you do this walk there can be many olive trees in full fruit, a multitude of colourful flowers and a long walk through some amazing-smelling orange orchards just before reaching Conceição. There is a wonderfully peaceful part of the walk between Waymarks 6 and 9, where you meander through the orange and lemon orchards scattered with a few traditional houses, all drowning in beautiful citrus scents.

After entering Conceição the walk takes a different flavour as you find yourself in a purpose-built holiday village, with the odd original building here and there. There a few cafes and restaurants around the train station, but a short meander further down the road from Waymark 10 will find you in the waterfront village of Cabanas, which would be a just reward to end your walk with if the train is nowhere in sight. There is a multitude of waterfront cafes and restaurants to choose from, and supermarkets and corner shops.

Portugal - South Portugal - Eastern Algarve - Vila Real San Antonio