The Guadiana River and the landscapes of the Northeastern Algarve and the border between Portugal and Spain will once again be the setting for another edition of the Alcoutim Hiking Festival, which will take place between the 6th and 8th of April, from Friday to Sunday. The event was already supposed to take place in March, but was postponed due to weather conditions.
The program has 13 walks and the action takes place on both sides of the border. From walks along the riverbank, on the side of Sanlúcar de Guadiana and overlooking Alcoutim, to the already emblematic outing to the countryside with a shepherd and his goats, there are many proposals from the Municipality of Alcoutim, which organizes the event with the Ayuntamento de Sanlúcar. In many of them, there is the bonus to taste some of the most famous local gastronomic products.
«The Walking Festival is an example of the partnership between the two regions. When we launched the event, we invited our Spanish neighbors to take part. Thus, we have journeys in Portugal, others in Spain», illustrated the mayor of Alcouteneja Osvaldo Gonçalves.
In the mayor's view, this cross-border partnership has "allowed bringing people who otherwise would not come, mainly Spaniards." “We must not forget that Andalusia has 8 million inhabitants, which is a great potential. This is a smart way for us to be able to push each other and help each other”.
Alcoutim City Council looked to the other side of the Guadiana, but also into the region, and joined the Algarve Walking Season, a new project that aims to promote the Algarve as an international hiking destination.
“This has already brought us advantages. Through this partnership with the Ameixial festival and what the association Almargem will promote in Lagos, we have already been able to access European Union Funds, which we did not have in the past. The first four editions were fully supported by us. In this fifth edition, we already have this support, thanks to the scale that was created with the integration of the three festivals», revealed Osvaldo Gonçalves.
This support helped set up a program with initiatives for different tastes and different degrees of difficulty, which can be consulted in detail here.
On the first day, after a welcome session, where there will be no lack of tasting of local products and an exhibition of handicrafts, scheduled for 12:45 pm, participants are challenged to participate, from 15:00 pm, in the walk “Sunsets of Alcoutim from Sanlúcar de Guadiana”, an 8-kilometer stretch “to Ribeira Grande de Sanlúcar de Guadiana and return along the Spanish bank of the Guadiana river, with views of the town of Alcoutim”, according to the Alcouteneja municipality.
At 20:00 on the 6th of April, there is a tour “Between the stream of Cadavais and the stars”, which leaves the village towards the river beach of Pego Fundo and the stream of Cadavais, ending at the Castle of Alcoutim with astronomical observation.
On the first day of the event, the dissemination session “Potentials of Ecotourism in Baixo Guadiana” will also be promoted.
On Saturday, the day begins at 9:00 am with a walking trip to the “Taipas Beekeeping Landscapes”, where you will go in search of the bees that produce the famous honey of this region, “appreciating the mountain architecture, the vegetable gardens and the Mediterranean landscape” .
At the same time, the walk “Along the Trail of Shepherds and Mills” leaves Giões, which takes place along the Ribeira do Vascão.
Also on Saturday, at 10:00 am, participants will have the opportunity to spend a “Morning with the shepherd”, “one of the emblematic routes of the Festival, departing from Corte da Seda, accompanying a shepherd and his herd of goats” and with tasting of fresh goat cheese.
At 13:30 pm, another walk begins, this time along the Via Algarviana, between Cortes Pereiras and Corte da Seda. At 14:30 pm, the inhabitants of Farelos and Clarines take the tour “Let's walk and make bread”, “where hikers can enjoy the experience of baking bread and having a snack”.
Before the end of the 7th of April, there is “Anoiteceres do Caldeirão” on a walk in the outskirts of Martim Longo, “enjoying the beautiful natural landscapes and the sunset in the Serra do Caldeirão”.
Sunday, the last day of the event, begins with the walk “Trilhos de Ronda on the Guadiana, from Vascão to Alcoutim”, which leaves Alcoutim at 8:00 am, and continues with a Nature Observation trail at Ribeira do Vascão, scheduled for 9:00 am .
At 9:30 am, there is a new international tour, in this case “Through the Paths of the Raiana Defense on the Guadiana – Between Alcoutim and Sanlúcar de Guadiana”, which will “learn the history of the two sister villages” and will end with a gastronomic tasting in Spain.
The program also includes the Marcha Corrida de Vaqueiros, scheduled for 10:00 am on April 8, as well as a new outing among Algarvian goats, on the “Tarde com o Pastor” walk, scheduled for 14:30 pm.
It is with these initiatives that the Municipality of Alcoutim intends to make known the landscapes, activities, products and the potential “of this other Algarve” in the area of sustainable tourism and nature.
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