Date: 4th September 2019
Travelled: 71 kms from Armaรงรฃo de Pรชra to Almancil, both in the Algarve
Visited: The villages of Alte (N37.2368, W08.1731) and Salir in the Serra do Caldeirรฃo
Stayed: Almancil private aire, + E. โฌ12. N37.07468, W08.03386
Budget: 87 days @ โฌ73 per day
After spending a quiet evening in the paid aire at Armaรงรฃo de Pรชra, we decide to move on. It was very warm last night but the Hymer was comfortable and cool thanks to the AC. The beach and township of Armaรงรฃo have no appeal. The crowded apartment buildings and cheap beach shops all look a little tired. The beach is long and sandy, but crowded with what seems mostly local Portuguese holiday makers.
After our usual coffee and fruit we re-load the scooter, service the Hymer and pay our โฌ12. The weather app tells us another hot one today, but we brave the heat driving north to explore the Serra do Caldeirรฃo. Our guide book highlights two villages in the hills about 40 kms to our north.
Salir, Algarve, Portugal
Alte, Algarve, Portugal
Map of Inner Algarve, the icons on Alte and Salir
We set the GPS for Alte taking the no tollway option, the N roads. The road soon rises into the Serra do Caldeirรฃo, a series of low hills to about 500m. Itโs mostly cork trees and olive groves but as we climb the harsh scrub becomes more evident.
So we set off to explore Alte. 
Pam finds an Australian bottle brush doing well.
Alte is something of a postcard village, every building seems freshly whitewashed. No litter or graffiti itโs a credit to the locals.
We return to the Hymer via whatever shade we can muster. The mid-day sun and the fading breeze makes for an unpleasant combination. Once the Hymer is rolling west for Salir we thankfully create our own breeze.
Salir doesnโt have the white washed look of Alte, but its still an interesting walk. 
There are two hills overlooking the village, the first has this church at the crest.
Inside the museum, come tourist office, we wait for 5 minutes to ask the receptionist a question, whilst she chats to an old friend about her daughterโs boyfriend, who is obviously a cheating bastard. Eventually her friend departs and we step back up to the counter. Half way through me asking the question the phone rings, itโs her hairdresser with some gossip about something or other, so we walk back to the Hymer our question left unanswered
Finally back in the Hymer, we set off down the hill, the GPS set for Almancil and hopefully the beach and a swim. We pass a Lidl, stopping to do a quick shop, whilst enjoying their air-conditioning. Prawn salad is now on the menu for tonight.
Michael and Pam
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One thought on “Serra do Caldeirรฃo, Portugal ๐ต๐น 2019”
Dinner sounds delightful. It looks like you are seeing lots of places and enjoying the weather. Stay safe.