So below was the route I had taken.
Just shortly after leaving Lagos, I had to make a stop along the highway, as I came across these storks and their nests. There were many of them here, as I bird watched for a while. It's also probably feeding time, as I saw a couple storks swooping back into the nests to feed their young.
1st stop, Portimão. It's a much larger city than I expected but because it's so large, I felt it didn't have much character. I however really liked the beach here, and from the viewpoint you can see both Praia da Rocha and Praia dos Tres Castelos.
I also walked along the coast further up from Praia dos Tres Castelos and found some nice boardwalks and viewpoints.
I continued back on the bike and shortly after had to stop as I rode past a fortress. The good thing about having a scooter is that I could park the bike almost anywhere.
Another great view from Fortaleza de Santa Catarina.
Riding on, I made another unplanned stop, as I was attracted to the Flea market along the streets which stretched about 1km long. This is Ferragudo Town Centre, which is also a fishing village.
Seeing that it is already past 12 and my stomach was feeling hungry, I decided to grab lunch at one of the restaurants on the square. A set lunch for just €12, comprising of a starter (I chose fish soup), a main (seabass) and a drink (sangria).
Very good value for the price, and a very generous sangria pour. The food was very fresh and tasty too!
Now for the original planned stops, 1st one being Farol da Ponta do Altar. There's also supposedly a hidden beach nearby, but when I looked at it from the distance, it looked like many people had found it.
The next stop Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos involves more walking along the boardwalk and coastal trails.
In fact the Algarve is famous for multiday trail treks. I've already met at least 5 people doing the "Fisherman's Trail" for at least a 4 or 5 day trek. And this is with their luggage. I don't think I will make it past the 2nd hour of trek if I do it with luggage 😂
The walk took me past interesting rock formations on the coast, such as the Arco Natural, as I headed towards Benagil Beach, which was about a 30 minutes walk.
This area is also famous for boat trips that head out to visit the caves along the shore, the most famous being Benagil Cave. And the way they land the boats... Driving super fast from the water onto shore.
It was then another 30 minutes walk back to the bike as I rode to my next point, Farol de Alfanzina. The lighthouse was closed when I got there, and I was lazy to get off the bike to explore the coastline, so just a quick selfie and then moving on.
But 1st with a quick stop at the petrol kiosk. It required to be prepaid before I can pump, and as the guy at the motorbike rental said that full tank would be about €10, I asked for €8. Turns out, I had to ask the staff back for a partial refund, because I only managed to fill €5.86 and the tank was full!
I continued my way on to Algar Seco for more coastal discovery.... If I had walked from the beginning from Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos, I would have gotten here by foot, though it would take me hours! But I am lazy and it's better zooming around on the scooter to explore and cover more ground 😅
Went into 1 of the rock formations and saw these holes in the walls.
Riding back along the coast, I soon reached the town of Carvoeiro. I really like this town, it has so much character, and the view from the top of the slope was nice!
Just around the corner from Carvoeiro is also this beach Praia Do Paraiso. Doesn't it look nice?
My last stop for the day is Midradouro da Arriba da Salgadeira. There was completely no one around here. But I didn't stay too long as it was starting to get dark and cold.
It was extremely cold on the ride back on the bike, but I had one of the most amazing views of the sun setting on my way back, with the skies turning a crimson red.
As it is expected to be raining the most part of tomorrow, and not wanting to be caught in the rain to find a petrol station to fill up the tank, I went about finding one before I call it a night. The damage €1.31.
Thankfully I didn't have to prepay, because I would be so embarrass asking for €1 or €1.50 of petrol and needing to ask for a partial refund after. I've never paid so little at a petrol kiosk before!
If I had to do the distance of where I went over the 2 days in a car, I would have easily paid more than 5 times the amount.
And considering that the prices of petrol is at an all time high due to Russia-Ukraine, a total petrol cost of €7.17 for all the distance I covered, is really good!
So glad that I came across this option while in Algarve.
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