This is a day for patience. It’s around 23 kilometres, a good six hours on the road, and there are no steep walls to leave you gasping. The challenge lies in the distance and the slowly rising terrain. You climb more than you descend, and you’ll feel it in your legs by the end.
The Alentejo rolls quietly by. Plenty of space, plenty of sky, no rush. Settle into a steady pace and take a break in good time, and the kilometres will pass by themselves.
Evoramonte announces itself from afar, with its castle on the hill. For the last stretch, you walk towards it all the way. At the top, you wander through the village’s narrow streets and look out over the plain you’ve just crossed. Rucksack off, time to look back.