Walking in the Algarve, Portugal

A series of longer walks in the southernmost province of Portugal.

North of Bensafrim Circular

Walk Forty Nine. North of Bensafrim. 18.3k.   Ascent: 660 metres

GPS: 37/ 09  19  00 8/ 44  15  53

This is the second walk in the series that starts from the small, attractive town of Bensafrim, just off the end of the A22 motorway in the west of the Algarve. It explores the hills and valleys immediately to the north of the town Moderately challenging, but all on good wide tracks. Refreshments at start and finish, but not at the same place - see the text for details.

Getting to Bensafrim.

The only obvious way from the east is via the motorway. Pick it up at a convenient point and drive to the end. At the roundabout turn right into Bensafrim and drive down to the open square on the left, beyond which is the market building and a café. Park here to begin the walk. Coming from Lagos, take the N120 from the eastern end of the town, near the marina, signed to Aljezur. Follow this main road up into Bensafrim at the junction, and find the market square on the right.
 
The Walk
With your back to the market cafe, (1)  turn left and walk round the market building to the back. Continue along the street in front of you, and at the T junction, turn left. At the next junction, follow the road round to the left and walk out of the town. At a junction after 970m, keep left with the main track.Take the second track on the right after 220m,heading roughly north. (2)  It climbs quite quickly, then levels off and undulates along, with quarry workings on the left and some woodland on the right. After 750m, come to a junction with a wider track (3) and bear left along it. You are now on a ridge. Follow this for 1.3k. At a fork (4), take the left hand track uphill, to reach a summit after another 520m.(5).
 
Now turn left and descend quite quickly. Take the right hand at a fork, and arrive at a cross-tracks after 320m. (6). Turn right here and continue to descend, more gently, over the next 800m, heading north, then northeast, then north again. Arrive at another junction (7) and turn right. Now walking along a valley,southeastwards reach another junction after 1.3k.(8). Go past the wide track heading southeast, and take the next on the left, a narrow track heading off northeast, quite steeply uphill. After 800m, pass a track heading off southeast, and 100m further on arrive at a junction with another, narrower track going almost due east. (9) Stay right here and walk due north on more or less level ground for 380m. Come to a fork (10), and take the left hand track. This is quite a narrow affair, running between trees. It eventually turns southwestwards and passes round the end of a small barragem, or dam. It then runs northwest and briefly west to reach a junction, 780m from point 10.(11).
 
 Swing sharply right here to stay on the same track, and descend again in a winding fashion, passing some ruins on the left on the way down to the valley floor. At the junction here (12), turn right, and walk along the valley. Where tracks cross your line after 670m (13), stay on the main valley road. Walk south for another 1k. Arrive at a junction with a barragem ahead and left. Turn left through this hairpin bend (14), and follow the wide clear track as it climbs fairly gently. Hairpin right after 280m, climb to level ground after a further 660m, and then walk along  east of south for another 380 to find a junction at a point where the track begins to curve to the left. (15). Turn right here on a narrower track, heading south again. At a complex junction after 320m, (16) take the track straight across, heading southeast. Over the next 1.35k, the track winds around a good deal, but your trend is always due south. To help you, use the following instructions for each of the several junctions on the way. 210m, left; 80m,right; 140m, right; 100m, left; 160m, right; 160m, left (this is a short cut to avoid a loop in the track.) Then turn left to complete the section after another 260m.
 Bensafrim windmill
Old windmaill above Bensafrim
 
Arrive at another multi junction (17), and head straight across, going due south. At a junction after 210m, turn left and continue south, descending quite quickly, to a junction in the valley. (18) Turn left. Walk along the valley for 680m, passing buildings left and right towards the end, and then take the first turn on the right, which leads you across the valley floor to a stream crossing. Once across, dog-leg left and right (19), to start climbing, rising onto a ridge. Stay on the upward trend, ignoring all turns left and right.After 940m, stay right at a fork, and continue more or less due west, with two largeish barragems in the valley below on the left. Arrive at a summit, with an old windmill base (20), and swing round to the south, starting to descend quite quickly. Fork right twice and arrive at a third fork after 500m.(21) Take the left here (you can see Bensafrim below), and follow the track down, to hit a tarmac road on the outskirts of the town. (22). Go left and right to walk past the football club and along to a junction. Turn left here up the hil and then right to return to the market square. The market cafe will be closed on your return, but there is another cafe if you go onto the main road and turn right. 
 
GPS Points.  (37/8)  Orientation: North is on the right.
 1  Bensafrim market 09 19 00   44 15 53    
2 Stay left 09 46 88   44 30 60   1.26k
3 Bear right 10 14 36   44 37 81   1k
4 Fork left 10 53 38   44 46 24   1.34k
5 Fork left 11 05 80   44 58  83   520m
6 Turn right 11 05 65   45 12 18   330m
7 Hairpin right 11 26 17   44 57 92   790m
8 Ahead, then left 11 05 87   44 14 20   1.33k
9 Turn left 11 24 03   43 50 68   880m
10 Turn lerft 11 37 34   43 51 08   400m
11 Hairpin right 11 49 96   44 10 65   780m
12 Turn right 11 55 93   44 00 88   400m
13 Stay right 11 41 10   43 41 96   680m
14 Hairpin left 11 11 86   43 36 87   1k
15 Turn right 11 14 49   43 02 45   1.35k
16 Multi junction 11 06 16   43 03 13   340m
17 Multi junction 10 42 11   43 06 20   1.13k
18 Turn left 10 27 05   43 12 21   560m
19 Dogleg 10 08 22   42 54 51   870m
20 Bear left 10 05 78   43 47 42   1.49k
21 Fork left 09 53 74   43 56 50   490m
22 left and right 09 30 63   44 03 86   810m
  End                 470m

North of Bensafrim 2