Saudade Algarve

An off-road tour in the south of Portugal for all-terrain bikes: gravel / cyclocross / MTB.THE REGION
The Algarve is a paradise for cycling: hills, woodlands, orchards and picturesque villages connected by an extensive network of lanes and gravel roads. I was drawn there by the mild winter & spring weather, and was lucky enough to catch the almond trees in full glorious bloom. In summer the south of Portugal is hot so probably the best time of year for this route is spring or autumn. The Algarve has >300 days of sun per year, but expect to ride through mud if it does rain!BACKGROUND
Originally I planned to follow the official Via Algarviana, a multi-stage hiking & MTB route beloved of Portuguese bikers but less well-known outside the country. However I found that on my gravel bike setup with touring luggage, and no suspension, a few sections of the Via Algarviana were just too tough in terms of gradient and large rocks. And indeed, the MTB route was not so much planned for bikes as just evolved from the hiking trail. Through a process of exploration, with plenty of hikeabike and back-tracking and rerouting on my journey, I put together a slightly smoother route on gravel roads and back lanes, avoiding the most technical sections but still keeping the essence of the Via Algarviana. I was helped in this by locally-based Fiona of Échappée Portugal echappee-portugal.com - check out her fantastic offering of biking holidays, guided tours, routes, planning assistance, and bike hire if you'd like any support on your ride in Portugal!STRUCTURE
I accessed the Algarve by train from Lisbon: the Portuguese rail system is friendly to bikes :-)
The route starts with a day's riding to get from the train station at Beja to Alcoutim where the official Via Algarviana begins.
The main section of the tour through Algarve I split into 3 quite chunky days of roughly 100km each.
At the end, I added two days to ride up the Atlantic coast via beautiful Odeceixe to a main train station at Ermidas-Sado.
If you want to shorten the route because you have less time / prefer less lengthy days, I'd say the best sections are stages 2-4 through the heart of the Algarve.LOGISTICS
Some areas are quite remote, especially on stage 2 from Alcoutim to Salir you'll go a long time without seeing anywhere to get food or water. Take plenty of snacks and carry enough fluids! When you do pass through a village, people are delightfully friendly and the cafes and restaurants offer delicious cakes, coffees, and meals. It's advisable to plan daily stages around your accommodation - larger towns have lots of hotels and hostels, but they can be booked up at popular times. For bivouac / camping options, please inform yourself of the local regulations.MTB ALTERNATIVE
I've included the original Via Algarviana route in this collection for anyone who wants to ride the "real deal". For this I advise a MTB with minimum front suspension, and travelling as light as possible in terms of luggage (there are some unavoidable hikeabike sections where you'll regret a heavy load!). Be warned that it might be a little frustrating for skilled mountain bikers because about 90% of the route is smooth gravel tracks and back roads (perfect on a gravel or CX bike), with just a few sections of serious trails where a MTB comes into its own. That was my motivation for putting together a route avoiding those technical sections :-)