loulé btt q, portela do barranco, 19 km

full screen, open track in gpsies 

BTT Q Portela do Barranco

The mtb q circuit starts at Portela do Barranco, north of Salir, council of Loulé. A very well chosen scene in a beautiful part of the Serra do Caldeirão which is still dominated by cork farming. Probably the hardest part of the tour is to climb the wide dirt road right after the beginning. This dirt road starts where the tarmaced road ends right outside Portela do Barranco's café. With a few bits down hill to catch our breath the road continues to climb all the way until the wind mill and first houses appear. The serene village of Barrigões is tucked away high up in the hills and only seems to be accessible by dirt road. we turn west to enjoy the views and the descent after which we follow a track through the valley and creating a lot of enthusiasm with the dogs of the farm we pass through at the California road. This road would have taken us right into the Alentejo province if we would not have turned south right after the bridge. it is a beauiful old trail along one of the many creeks in this area and obviously this used to be an important connection for the pretty hamlet of Sobreira Formosa. A steep climb after the village takes us to the top of the hill. Overlooking the area there are so many tracks to choose from. The one back to Portela do Barranco crosses a few creeks, smaller hills and a reforested area with pine trees. We climb to the road at Cerro do Alganduro. A recommended option is to climb just a bit further through this village up to the wind mill where you can overlook  the vast area of hills to the south down to Salir. After this all is easy. The road back to Portela do Barranco is quiet and relaxed this great ride comes to an end.

Distance: 19,30 km.

Accumulated ascent: 533 m.

Our rating:

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

 Points of interest: 

• Caldeirão, Natura 2000 PTCON0057, www.icnb.pt

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