Odeceixe » Aljezur

This route takes us back to Odeceixe beach, this time on the southern shore, in the lands of the Algarve. We set off to walk further kilometers of fishermen trails, crossing irrigated fields and the coastal heathland, on the way to Aljezur.

Before leaving Odeceixe, do not forget to go to the mill, one of the few that is still in operation and can be visited. Around it, wooden walkways and benches invite you to sit and take in the village houses, the Seixe stream mouth and the Mediterranean shrubs on the south-facing slopes – a treat for the eyes!

The floodplains lie on the banks of the stream, where on days of heavy rain, the water that collects in the banks will go on to be store and build deep and fertile soils. During the rest of the year, the water from the flood is efficiently used to grow vigorous crops and pastures. Some of these banks still remain in their wild state, occupied by reeds and rushes. These are environments rich in birds, like the grey heron and the great egret.

In the sand dunes there are abundant aromatic shrubs such as juniper, shrubby everlasting, camphor thyme (endemic to this coast), lavender and rosemary. These plants, although specially adapted to the arid environment of the tops of the cliffs, have some difficulty in dealing with the invasion of exotic species such as acacia and the hottentot-fig. In the wettest places, where the water reaches almost the surface, the marshes covered with rushes provide habitat to the most endangered rodent in Europe, the cabrera’s vole.

The agricultural fields that play a dominant role along this route make a harmonious mosaic of small clumps of pine, eucalyptus or cork oak forests, with marshes (wetlands) and water lines. Temporary ponds and agricultural ponds also add to this landscape, a mosaic that houses breathtaking biodiversity.

In the avifauna, it is worth noting the presence of the tawny and meadow pipits, carrion crow, zitting cisticola, shrikes, woodpecker, corn-bunting, Eurasian nuthatch, linnets, European crested tit and the cirl bunting. Hidden in the woods, the birds of prey go out to hunt in the open fields. This is the case of the short-toed snake eagle or the black-winged kite.