TOURS AND TRAILS | EASTERN 129
tour of the guadiana On this tour, we shall see the place where the weary peninsular river draws the last glow of beauty with ecstatic glances before emptying itself into the arms of the warmest waters in Portugal. Here, the border is not the great watercourse, but several borders – less outlined of course - dividing the coast and the hills of the Serra between which the Barrocal is located. We shall enjoy the three different Algarve landscapes on this tour: from the extensive salt marsh guarded by the castle and the whitewashed houses of Castro Marim to the extensive group of aquifers providing water to half the Algarve. We go from landscapes of low shrubs, tended by man, dark figures in the distance, to the mirage that is Martim Longo, an unusually young and lively town, lost in an Alentejo-like landscape. In between, we find places with prehistoric menhirs and enchanted medieval castles, from which the sails of today’s dreamers can be seen on the meandering Guadiana. Once we have taken in its beauty, we can enjoy the freshwater fish in the little eating places by the river in Odeleite. In places where schools have been turned into museums as people have moved away, we will have a look at times past. Around the bends in the Serra, we shall transport products from looms and potteries, and an accumulation of centuries-old expertise.
Guadiana River (HR)
