Cerro de São Vicente

We set out from Paderne, pass the Chapel of Nossa Senhora ao Pé da Cruz (17th century), and head straight to Purgatório, a town to the west. We are 600 meters south of the confluence of the Ribeira de Alte and the Ribeira do Algibre, which form the Ribeira de Quarteira—a course controlled by the São Marcos da Serra/Quarteira fault. From Purgatório, we climb Cerro de S. Vicente. We observe the small-scale farming landscape, divided by stone walls, where almond, fig, and carob trees grow alongside Mediterranean-style scrub.

At an elevation of 169 meters, at the summit, we enjoy the landscape offered by the watershed of the Alte, Algibre, and Quarteira streams: the valleys in this region cut through geological formations from the Late Jurassic period (160 million years old). At the summit, in addition to the ruins of the old windmill, the landscape holds heritage value, reflecting the traditional way of life of the local people. From this hill, the picturesque landscape is marred only by the highway and the smokestacks of the old brick factory and its ponds, created by the continuous extraction of clay during the second half of the 20th century.

The final stretch of the route explores the floodplains of the Ribeira de Alte and Ribeira de Algibre. On the latter, the crossing to the other bank is made by fording or via footbridges. Fig trees, olive trees, vineyards, and typical riparian vegetation line the route on the return to the starting point.