Tareja - Ribeira de Alportel.

A fairly easy trail that runs through the Ribeira de Alportel and the surrounding hills. We enjoy views over the valley and have beautiful sights of the river. This route does not follow the usual paths but rather runs through the hills on the south side of the Ribeira, without ever crossing it. That is a good idea in winter, because then there can be quite a lot of water in the Ribeira.
In general, the route goes through very quiet places where there are no houses at all.

The trail starts at the Fonte da Tareja, where we can find parking space for just a few cars. After a very small strech of asphalt road we turn left and pass a few houses, after which the road becomes unpaved. We follow a bit of a ridge and we can already see the Ribeira in the distance below. The path is of good quality and the walking is easy.
Our road descends and we reach the Ribeira de Alportel, which we follow upstream.

Ribeira de Alportel
In this particularly exuberant riparian corridor, the tree curtains of ash, poplars and willows alternate with the oleander, reeds, buffaloes and brambles typical of these waterways. The river also has a remarkable faunal diversity, with dozens of butterfly and dragonfly species recorded, such as the rare emerald dragonfly. Birds such as the kingfisher, or, among reptiles, the common tortoise and the viperine water snake, are some of the many vertebrates that live here. In the floodplain, monumental carob trees can be seen. The Umbrian slopes, naturally facing north, are covered by leafy cork oak forests, contrasting with the cistus and sparse pine trees on the sunny slopes.
(source: https://www.visitalgarve.pt/pt/10107/trilho-da-ribeira-de-alportel.aspx)

Along the Ribeira there is a wide unpaved path that we follow for a while. Occasionally there is a side stream with a ford, which we can easily step over. Sometimes we walk right along the stream and we have beautiful views of the riverbed. In winter there can be quite a lot of water.
After about two kilometers the path narrows and winds a bit more along the foot of the hills. It's a bit more challenging now, but still pretty easy.
We pass a small waterfall and shortly afterwards we turn away from the river. We pass a stretch with some houses and then reach an old well. From this point we will follow the yellow-red marking (Trilha da Várzea da Cova).
We leave the houses behind us and arrive on a beautiful path through the hills from which we have splendid views over the valley we first walked through. We continue to follow the indicated path until we reach Tareja.
At the entrance of this hamlet, someone was renovating his house (December 2022) and had closed the road a bit. But since we follow a marked official route here, it can be no problem to walk along it. The mason present was indeed kind enough to let us through.

At the end of Tareja we pass a historic laundry just before we return to our starting point.

Some additional information:
The route is designed in a counter clockwise direction.
Time spent: total = 3 hours 51 minutes of which moving = 1 hour 46 minutes
The track is rather easy from a technical point of view.
We will follow the Trilha da Várzea da Cova from km 4,5 untill the end.
Although the route is close to the river, it is not slippery anywhere. But make sure to wear sturdy shoes and bring walking sticks.

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