Odeceixe sits low and white against the hill, beside a river that marks the border between the Alentejo and the Algarve. You take off your rucksack and look back on a day that asked more of your legs than the map suggests.
The path stays low, but it never stops going up and down. In total you climb a good 500 metres, in small bites, always a short way up and then down again. The loose sand makes every step a little heavier. You are on the go for about six hours, with the wind in your face and little shade. Towards the end the route drops into the valley. Behind you the cliffs remain, with storks on their nests above the sea.