Silves was once the capital of the Moorish Algarve, and its red sandstone castle still dominates the town. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, when it was known as Xelb, it was a rich and cultured city, famed for its poets and its markets, and the river Arade carried ships right up to the foot of the walls. The castle, among the best-preserved Moorish fortifications in Portugal, has thick red walls, towers and a huge cistern, and it can be explored on foot with views over the rooftops and the orange groves.
The Christians captured it in 1189 with the help of crusaders, but lost it again within two years, and it was only taken for good in the thirteenth century. The cathedral beside the castle, a Gothic building that replaced the mosque, is a reminder of that change of power. The river silted up over time, and the town lost its role as a port to Portimão, so it has been a quiet inland market town for centuries. Cork was the main industry in the nineteenth century, and old factory buildings survive.
Silves sits among orange groves, and in winter the trees are covered with fruit, which gives the area a rich, sweet scent. The roads in the valley are gentle, passing farms and small villages, and the climb north into the serra toward Monchique is a different matter, with hairpins, tight corners and a steady rise through cork oak and scrub. The surface is generally good, though sections can be rough where heavy vehicles have worn the asphalt. In summer the heat is intense in the valley, so ride early, and in winter the occasional heavy rain can make the roads slick.
Silves has about eleven thousand people, so there is fuel, supermarkets, banks and many restaurants, and the old town has a pleasant, unhurried feel away from the beach crowds. The old Roman bridge is a short walk from the centre, and the riverside is a pleasant place for coffee. Grilled sardines, cataplana stews and orange cake are the natural choices on the menu. Take a walk up to the castle at the end of the day and watch the light turn the red walls even redder.