ALJEZUR is in two parts on either side of a fertile valley with a patchwork of fields of various crops. The original village clung close to the hillside, atop which there has been a fortress at least since Moorish times. The stream around the base of the hill was once infested with mosquitoes which spread malaria, formerly a killer disease in the Algarve, long since eradicated. To encourage villagers to move away from the stream, Bishop Francisco Gomes of Faro ordered the building of a new church on the far side of the valley in the mid-18th-century.

The best overall view of the valley and the two sides of the town is from the castle ruins which you can walk or drive up to. Legend has it that the Knights of Santiago under Dom Paio Peres took the castle without a fight one night in 1249 when a Moorish maiden opened the door and let them in.

The beaches are the big attraction in the area. They are all fabulous. Just south of Aljezur a turnoff leads to the beaches at Arrifana and Monte Clérigo. Just north, there is a turnoff signposted praia to Amoreira beach.

There are obscure beaches along tracks out of ROGIL, but another easily accessible one is reached from the village of ODECEIXE. Follow the praia signs through the centre of the village and continue along the road running westward next to the Odeceixe river which enters the sea at the beach. Accommodation in the village comprises an inn, and privately-run rooms-for-rent.

After Odeceixe going north, it's goodbye Algarve, hello Alentejo and a whole different scene and way of life.

Visit: Câmara Municipal de Aljezur