getting there

PORTUGAL: Martin Slack discovers a lovely corner of the country that was dying on its feet and is now being revived

ACCORDING to the taxi driver we are going to “the end of the world”. Having taken several foreign taxi rides where the driver went so fast that I felt the world was about to end, I get into the passenger seat with trepidation.

As the countryside begins to speed by, with the Atlantic Ocean glittering to our left, more explanation comes from the driver. “Of course it’s not actually the end of the world, just the end of our world. That’s what we call it,” he adds.

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After touching down at Faro – the entry point for millions of Britons seeking the traditional sun and sea of the Algarve – we pass signs for Albufeira, Portimao and Lagos with their high-rise hotels and golf courses, and head still further west.

Civilisation thins out to just a few houses on the hillsides, and then finally the only sign of human life is a wind farm, which the taxi driver says is unpopular with whichever locals make their lives out here. You can see why they detest it. Apart from the turbines, the landscape in this corner of the country probably hasn’t changed a great deal since Vasco da Gama set sail,.

We cross into Costa Vicentina National Park, where strict regulations have kept development to a minimum, and after a final twisting road where cork trees line the route, we arrive in Pedralva.

Until recently, this tiny hamlet, which was once home to a thriving community of agricultural workers, had fallen into near ruin, with just a few residents, many of them elderly, remaining in a handful of habitable houses.

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The future for the village looked bleak, but a Lisbon-based advertising worker recognised that the tumbledown cottages could offer a way out of a rat race for travellers hunting for a unique place.

Antonio Ferreira was a regular visitor to the south-western corner of the Algarve, and when he found the village he embarked on a scheme which saw him ask almost everyone he knew, and some that he didn’t, for help to realise his dream.

Five years on, he owns more than 30 houses and plans to buy as many more as he can. Each house has been restored, and named after a local beach, and each offers an atmospheric alternative to package hotel room.

I am given the keys to a house named Rebolinhos, which has a large, simply furnished, open plan living room and kitchen area with stairs in the corner which lead to the one bedroom.

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There is no television and no radio, which is apparently part of the plan to help people relax and make the most of the fact that they are living as generations of farmworkers once did, albeit with certain essential mod-cons.

Venture away from the tiny village and it’s immediately apparent why the Portuguese authorities have done all they can to protect this beautiful and unique countryside – and why the country’s tourist officers are now trying to promote it.

After spending a night in the village, which has two excellent restaurants and a bar, it’s an early start to meet a local guide, and to begin a walk which starts on a track through a landscape where broad beans and oranges grow and cows graze.

After a mile or so, the terrain suddenly changes and, rounding a corner, we enter a pine forest which gradually gives way to huge sand dunes and finally a deserted sandy beach, reached by a craggy path through cliffs.

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The guide, Nicolau da Costa, who has lived in the area all his life, is one of those who is passionate about preserving the landscape and its traditions, and points out barely visible fishermen who are standing on tiny cliff ledges.

Mr da Costa doesn’t seem concerned that attracting visitors may upset the area’s delicate balance. He is one of a few who have been able to stay here simply because of tourism, while others have been forced to move away to find work.

As in many corners of Yorkshire, houses being renovated are for weekenders and holiday lets, but Mr Ferreira and Mr da Costa argue this is better than dereliction.

They recognise that tourists are essential for their future, and hope that many more will now come to discover what they regard as the real Algarve.

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Leaving Pedralva behind, it’s back to Faro, via Lagos, one of the less brash resorts on the Algarve coast. Both towns have ancient roots, but in Lagos particularly they are difficult to detect along the shiny, modern promenade.

Faro has an old town which is worth visiting, as is the former fishing community of Olhao to the east, which provides a way of visiting the Ria Formosa nature reserve. A series of islands, only accessible by boat, the park is home not only to huge colonies of sea birds, but also to some stunning beaches which even at the height of the summer season are almost totally deserted.

Following an afternoon island-hopping, it is recommended that a cycle ride at the western end of the park may be a good idea before dinner, but the guide doesn’t say that the route lies directly beneath the flight path for the busy airport.

Although the cycle path passes lagoons occupied by flamingos, it also winds through a golf course complete with huge villas, which we are told belong to celebrities and footballers, who hide behind high hedges to avoid the gaze.

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As another jet roars overhead, we hand our bikes back to a worker from the cycle hire company and attempt to cross an extremely busy road. Then it’s on to a coach bound for Faro airport.

Arriving back at the terminal, I can’t help but look round for the taxi driver whose description of sleepy Pedralva left me so alarmed. Having seen the end of the world and compared it to elsewhere on the Algarve, it’s the only place I really want to be.

GETTING THERE

Martin Slack flew from Stansted Airport to Faro with Ryanair and stayed at the airport’s Radisson Blu hotel, which offers a “stop and go” package which includes a room for the night before departure and car parking while abroad. The hotel is five minutes walk from the terminal and the deal includes four, eight or 15 days parking, plus one night’s accommodation. Eight days parking £154, or £184 for 15 days parking. Call 01279 661012 or visit www.radissonblu.co.uk

Flights to the Algarve also available from Leeds Bradford, Humberside and Robin Hood airports, some are seasonal. Return fare was around £150, including Ryanair’s charges for web check-in and baggage charges.

More details about Aldeia da Pedralva at www.aldeiadapedravla.com

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