Malhao East Walk description.

With your back to the café,(1) turn left and left again to descend the main tarmac road, for 470m. Now take the fork on the left and descend for a further 200m, arriving at another fork (2). Bear right here and continue to descend slowly for a further 280m. Now stay left and continue on more or less level ground for a further 860m. (3). Stay on this main track for just over 1k, fairly level at first, but climbing slowly over the second half. Arrive at a sharp left hand turn (4) and stay on this main track for another 660m, seeing a settlement (mostly ruins) come into view on the left at (5). On the next stretch, of 370m, pass more ruined buildings on both sides, to arrive at (6), where the track is turning right, to face more or less northeast.

Over the next 830m, the track first of all stays fairly level, but then rises somewhat, to descend again to (7). Here the track turns sharp right, and remains more or less level, broadly easterly, for another 400m. Now at a fork with a lesser track, turn right onto it, facing due east. (8). Walk forward for 130m, uphill, when the track curves to the northwest. 100m further on come to a track junction and turn very sharp right, walking now southeastwards for a further 140m to a cross tracks. (9). Go straight across here and round a very shallow curve for another 140m. Now turn 90 degrees left on a fairly wide track with trees on the left. After 100m, fork right, due east, on a narrower track heading down into a valley.

Arrive at a wider track on the valley floor and turn right along it. (10). Descend steadily for 830m, passing a small barragem on the left, to join a track coming in from the right (11). Bear left to follow the main valley track for another 420m to a junction of tracks, with a tarmac road a short distance away ahead (12). Now turn through a hairpin left, and start to climb steadily, facing northwest. After 140 metres, the track turns to the northeast and continues to climb. After 580m come up to the tarmac road. (13) Cross the road diagonally and take the clear wide track on the right. This leads along a long ridge for 1.53k, always tending southeast. At the end of this distance, the track descends more quickly and describes a fairly tight turn to the left.

About 110m after the track straightens out again, still descending, find a narrow track on the right, running off more or less parallel with the main track. (14). Take this track, which turns right after around 110m. It then runs southeast and then due south and finally southwest over the next 730m. Arriving at a valley floor, turn right (15), and follow the track as it begins to climb. After 170m, turn left and continue to climb over the following 260m. At a junction with a track on the right (16), go straight on along a ridge for the next 550m, rising quite quickly due south over the last few metres. From here (17), take the right fork and continue along the ridge for another 900m, again rising a little in the final metres of the section. Fork right once more (18) to stay on the ridge, maintaining the south – southeast direction, for another 560m.

Now start to descend from (19), for the next 850m, to reach a wide track in the valley (20), and turn right. After 500m, take the left hand track at a fork, and continue northwest for a time, climbing once more, before swinging round to southwest, and passing the small settlement of Cravais de Cima, sitting on a low ridge. (21). From here, descend a little, swinging right with the main track at a junction, and then following this for 670m to reach a tarmac road (22). Turn left and walk up the road for 330m, then take a track on the right leading off at an acute angle. Follow this due north and then due west for 290m, to a T junction with another track. (23).

View from Mlahao village, near the end of the walk.

 

 

Turn left here and walk for 280m to reach a fork with a tarmac lane coming in from the right. You are now back at Point (2). Turn sharp right at the fork and follow the road round and through the village of Malhao. Do not turn left halfway through the village, but continue round it for 650m before coming to a junction. (24). Bear left along the tarmac here to reach the café where you began, 260m along.

 

1	Cafe Miramar	18	09	88		05	45	10
2	Right fork	18	22	97		05	56	16		640m
3	Cross tracks	18	52	38		05	35	95		1.12k
4	Turn West	19	21	569		05	45	20		980m
5	Interim 1	19	31	70		06	06	28		660m
6	Interim 2	19	42	68		06	09	71		360m
7	Turn east	20	03	20		05	52	50		800m
8	Fork right	20	03	79		05	37	23		410m
9	Fork left	20	02	03		05	25	38		350m
10	T junction	20	02	77		05	12	55		370m
11	Left in valley	19	42	02		04	53	99		830m
12	Hairpin uphill	19	35	72		04	39	35		420m
13	Road xing	19	56	46		04	32	00		780m
14	Right off main	19	37	99		03	53	20		1.51k
15	Valley floor	19	23	94		03	34	77		830m
16	Join main	19	16	54		03	35	66		500m
17	Right fork	19	00	82		03	38	28		540m,
18	Stay right	18	37	71		03	52	33		880m
19	Fork right	18	22	31		03	58	62		530m
20	Main track	18	07	96		04	05	75		850m
21	Round village	18	21	55		05	05	75		1.3k
22	Tarmac	18	22	79		05	30	03		870m
23	T junction	18	30	53		05	50	22		650m
24	On main road	18	13	10		06	07	10		940m
	End at cafe									260m