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Portugal - the Algarve Click on the pictures to see the videos
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If you want to get away from the beach for a change, a good day trip is inland via Silves, to the Monchique mountains. Silves is the ancient capital of the Algarve, and it's ruined castle dates back to the 8th century. You can still walk around the ramparts. Caldas de Monchique is a beautiful little spa town further up the mountain road towards Monchique, and is much more picturesque than Monchique itself. From the town of Monchique take the turning to 'Foia' and you will reach the summit. Good views on a clear day but otherwise uninteresting. There are however some good restaurants on the road up from Monchique where you can sit and admire the view.
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We've been holidaying in the Algarve for about 30 years, usually staying in a self catering resort just outside Carvoeiro, which has apartments and small and large villas. Carvoeiro itself is now a town built around what was a river of sort, long dried up, which presumably in it's day created the bay. When we first went there, you could see the old path of the water through the town, but this is now one of the two main roads, both one way, one down to the beach, the other, away from it. The cliffs in this area provide superb views and isolated beaches, a cliff top walk among the wild flowers is a 'must do'. Although the town is now much more built up, it still has a 'small town' feel, unlike some of the bigger resorts towards Faro.
Another good days trip is out to the westernmost point, Cape St Vincent, taking in Lagos and Sagres. lagos is well worth a visit on it's own account, an old walled town, with a pedestrian area and many restaurants and shops. Near Sagres are the ruins of the 'Fortaleza' possibly the remains of Prince Henry the Navigator's school, the compass adds to this, but in fact there is no proof, and only the simple chapel remains from his time, the rest having been destroyed by earthquakes. However it is undoubtedly a nice walk, if generally a little windy.
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