Why this ride
A dense sequence of passes, valleys and viewpoint roads. It also links naturally to Monchique mountains.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Monchique and Western Algarve
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 111 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 50
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Check wildfire closures, heat and local road works. Specific flag: heat; wildfire.
Seasonal context
Oct-May
Scenic road chapters
Algarve Coastal Route
This part of the ride is 26 km of Algarve Coastal Route.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 26 km
- Named road
- Algarve Coastal Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Lagos
Lagos is an Algarve town with a past that is both glorious and uncomfortable. It was from this harbour in the fifteenth century that many of Prince Henry the Navigator's caravels set out down the African coast, and in 1434 Gil Eanes sailed from here to round Cape Bojador, a step that opened the sea route south. The same port saw, in 1444, the arrival of the first cargo of enslaved Africans brought to Portugal, and the old arcade where they were sold still stands on a small square, now a museum that tries to tell the story honestly. It is worth the time.
Read the complete Lagos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lagos sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Monchique.
2. Monchique
Monchique is the Algarve with the beach taken away. The town sits on the slope of the Serra de Monchique, a range of old volcanic rock that rises behind the coast and catches the rain and mist that the shore misses. The air is cooler, the slopes are thick with cork oak, chestnut and eucalyptus, and the whole mood is rural and quiet. The highest point, Fóia, reaches around nine hundred metres, the highest in the Algarve, and a road runs to the top for a wide view over the coast.
Read the complete Monchique write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Monchique comes up 22 km in. Next is Silves.
3. Silves
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.
Read the complete Silves write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
45 km in you reach Silves. Next is Lagos.
4. Lagos
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Lagos write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lagos, late in the day.
Recorded source links
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Monchique Algarve Mountain · 534 km