The first light falls across dry hills covered in cistus scrub. It is quiet, apart from the sound of your own footsteps.
This stage is long: more than 30 kilometres. The hills stay low, but they never stop. A little uphill, then down again, over and over. It isn’t the climbs that wear you out, it’s the sum of them. The land is open and the sun has it all to itself.
Allow around nine hours. Find a steady rhythm and don’t let anything throw you off it. At the end, Mértola lies on the Guadiana, with its castle above the white houses. It’s a lovely place to take your shoes off.
Walk by feel and take your time. You’ll get there.