aljezur btt 1, carrapateira, 17 km

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BTT 1 Trail of tides

The mountain bike route at Carrapateira in the council of Aljezur shows that the village deserves more visitors than only fishermen, surfers or nature lovers. It is a great opportunity for bikers to appreciate the spectacular scenery of the Vicentina coast. Starting at the main road that enters Carrapateira coming from Bordeira we follow the road going to Bordeira beach. The road starts to climb up to the cliffs of the famous 'Pontal de Carrapateira' Here the tarmaced road changes into a wide dirt road following the cliff tops south and offering great ocean views. Various well accessible view points have been created to enjoy this rough and wild scenery of the Vicentina Natural Park in safety. Before we get to Amado beach the road passes close to the little fishing port of Zimbreirinha. This amazing creation on the steep cliff sides shows the efforts that local people must make in order to make a living out of fishing.

After observing the surfers at Amado beach we turn inland following smaller tracks through a forrestal area with pine and eucalyptus. We cross the main road now south of Carrapateira turning north. Soon we go off towards Monte Velho to enjoy a speedy descent. So speedy that we overlook the sharp left turn at the bridge and end up turning around a bit further down at Vilarinha. For the home stretch we follow the comfortable track along the pretty valley of the Carrapateira river until it opens up to a wider area again just before the main road and the starting point.

Distance: 17,46 km

Accumulated ascent: 212 m.

Our rating:

• Technical difficulty: 2/5
• Physical difficulty: 3/5
• Scenery: 4/5

Points of interest:

• Museum of Sea and Land in Carrapateira (Museu do Mar e da Terra)
• Archaeological site of 12th century Moorish fishing settlement (Ponto do Castelo)
• 17th century Christian defensive fortress
• Carrapateira's 16th century church
• Vicentina Natural Park (PNSACV), www.vicentina.org
• Costa Sudoeste, Natura 2000 PTZPE0015, PTCON0012, www.icnb.pt

 Track author: Bordeira parish of the municipality of Aljezur, www.cm-aljezur.pt/jfbordeira