Day 9: Moura back to Faro

You could not ask for better weather for a good day on the road on 2 wheels. It was already 12 degrees by 9am in Moura. I had a nice breakfast at the hotel, and packed up to be on the road just after 9. My path today would take me through the South Eastern portion of the Alentejo region before descending into the Algarve. Riding today was blocked at 4 hours and change, and i still had to allow for returning the bike by 4pm, so i did not make any long stops on the road, only rest stops to get some roadside images along the way.

Just before 10 i spotted this castle and stopped to grab an image while changing out of some cold weather gear. The further south i went the warmer the weather got.

This next shot is of the castle within the walled city of Mertola. The site was mentioned in a written historical record as a fortified town in a record from 440AD. The castle and walls that can be seen now were mostly constructed during the Moorish occupation which ended during the Reconquista under Sancho II. The fortifications were continuously improved and the walls around the town were extended multiple times until the 17th century. From the early 18th century, the importance of the fortress diminished and it was abandoned and allowed to slide into disrepair until the mid 20th century. The refurbishment of the castle and the walls began after a government decree in 1943 identifying the site a property of public interest.

The fortress and walled town of Mertola.

The Western side of Mertola Castle from the road out of town.

45 minutes after leaving Mertola i entered the Algarve region and started climbing back down out of the mountains. I stopped for a break in the middle of some very windy roads to get some images of the Algarve in full Spring bloom.

The first valley i came to in the Algarve.

A good view of the town of Aloutim nestled in the valley.

My trusty steed. The Honda NC750X. I did not think i really liked this motorcycle, but it certainly grew on me after about the 3rd day, and was reliable and dependable for all 1970KM of my trip.

Very dependable, good at everything and great at nothing. The Honda NC750X.

Climbing back up the far side of the valley i was able to get a good image of what i believe is the fortress at Alcoutim.

Fortress above the town of Alcoutim.

View of the fortress from the far side of the river with the town in the foreground.

From here, i rode the rest of the way down into the Algarve, and made a short stop at Tavira for sentimental reasons before riding back into Faro and turning in the bike.

I will try to go back through everything in a post tomorrow and talk about what parts of the country i saw that i enjoyed most, what the costs associated with my trip were and what the very early plans are for the return trip, hopefully in the fall.

Finally i really wanted to send out a shout out to Soulful bikes, and Arao in particular. Arao did all the route planning for my trip once i outlined what i thought i wanted to see. The rental rates are fair, the bikes are in good condition, and they are just really decent motorcycle people. I certainly believe i will be back to rent from them again.