loulé btt g, boliqueime, 19 km

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BTT G Boliqueime

The mountain bike route at Boliqueime in the council of Loulé is a ride full of surprises. Boliqueime may find itself tucked away in between national road 125 and the A22 motorway but riders doing this circuit would hardly notice. We touch the 125 shortly after leaving the church square in centre of town. At the Fonte de Boliqueime roundabout we turn off road in eastern direction. First along some easy going tracks and it is not until after crossing the roads to Loulé and Alfontes that we start climbing one of the hills just north of Boliqueime, an urbanized area where the old rural tracks are more and more being tarmaced. This definately changes after climbing up to the Paderne road and entering the Quarteira river valley. This valley is a precious present to mountain bikers. Some technical turns and climbs, then follows a great descent. Try descending this as slow as possible not to miss out on views of the coast not far away and the curves and original vegetation of the valley itself. It is a very interesting area, protected from agriculture by its steep hill sides and from summer fires by its location south of the barrocal and the A22 motorway. The Quarteira river allows a rocky crossing most of the year. Riding the single tracks on the southern bank is like floating through a garden of pine and pleasure taking us back to Boliqueime far too soon.

Distance: 19,03 km.

Accumulated ascent: 357 m.

Our rating: 

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

Points of interest:

• Boliqueime's 18th century church
• Quarteira river, Ribeira de Quarteira, Natura 2000 PTCON0038, www.icnb.pt

Food & drinks:

• Several cafés and restaurants in Boliqueime near the starting point
• Although never far away, there are no cafés or restaurants along the track

Track author: Prof. Arménio, www.cm-loule.pt