The Algarve | Postcards From Here and There

The Ria Formosa

The Ria Formosa is a coastal lagoon in the Algarve, southern Portugal and covers an area of 18,000 hectares, stretching from Tavira, in the eastern Algarve to just west of Faro. It was made a National Park in 1987 and is of ecological importance, particularly for its bird life.

A series of barrier islands gives protection from the Atlantic Ocean and as a result the waters are usually flat calm and are relatively shallow.

A number of companies offer tours of the Rio Formosa from the quayside in Faro. A popular option is a 5 hour tour which includes visits to four of the islands and a lunch stop on Culatra Island for which you cover your own costs. Our trip was in a very comfortable catamaran, seating up to 12 people, with guide who is able to give a commentary in a number of different languages.

Ilha Deserta (the deserted island) is a popular island for visitors, especially in the summer, with its beautiful beach facing the Atlantic Ocean You can reach it by Ferry from Faro which runs all year round. It’s deserted in the sense that nobody lives there but there is a cafe/restaurant and toilet facilities. Visiting in early March was fantastic as the number of fellow tourists was very small indeed and you could appreciate the peace and tranquility of the place.

A short boat ride then takes you on to Farol Island complete with is lighthouse built in 1851. There are also some lovely little cottages here, many of which are now holiday homes and rentals. A busier island but still peaceful and quiet at this time of year.

Armona Island is opposite the town of Olhão from where you can pick up a water taxi to the island. Armona is busier with more of a resident population, a small convenience store and a number of cafes.There are still no cars or roads here as on previous islands and its is a nice place to wander aimlessly through the narrow, twisting streets.

The final stop was Culatra Island, also known as Fishermans Island. Here there is a harbour for the fishing boats that service the lslands main economy.

Here you can have lunch if you so desire and what else would you eat but fish. I am a huge fan of simply grilled fish and nowhere does it as well as its done in Portugal. Washed down with a zingy, fresh glass of Vinho Verde its a perfect end to an excellent tour.

It is then a 20/30 minute boat ride back to Faro where you get excellent views of the old town as you approach.

Travelling the Algarve by Train

For our recent trip to the Algarve we decided to forego hiring a car and see how much we could do just moving around using the local regional railway. We didn’t miss having a car but you do need to plan carefully how you will manage a visit and exactly what you want to see and do. I don’t suggest this option is for everyone but it does give a cheap option for those on a budget.

The Algarve Regional Railway runs from Vila Real De Santo António in the east to Lagos in the western Algarve. It is often necessary to change trains in Faro. The station at Faro can be somewhat confusing when catching a train as there are no departure boards. Even the locals can be unsure at times as to which platform to use. We found the staff to be most helpful in this regard. Most trains also have the destination on display at the front.
Trains to and from Lisbon connect with the regional railway at Faro, Loulé, Albufeira and Tunes. These trains have a different pricing structure and tickets can not be bought on the train.
Journey times are; Vila Real De Santo António to Faro is roughly an hour, from Faro to Lagos it takes 90 minutes. Trains are roughly hourly in each direction but not all trains run at weekends.
Tickets are relatively cheap compared to the UK. There are only two types of ticket, single and return. The cost of a return is double that of a single.
Tickets are not available in advance and must be purchased on the day. Not all stations on the line have a ticket office, in this case you simply purchase a ticket from the conductor on the train who come round after every stop. It’s worth noting that the conductor only deals in cash, he does not take card payments.
A tourist ticket is available. Called the Tourist Travelcard it can be bought as a two day or three day card. This allows you to use the Algarve line as often as you like but the days of use must be consecutive. A two day card costs 20.90 Euros and the tree day 31.90 Euros. It can only be purchased from a station with a ticket office, they are not available on the train. You may well want to check if it is actually a saving for you. Faro to Tavira is 6.40 Euros return and Faro to Lagos is 14.80 Euros for a return. We didn’t use a Travelcard for our visit.
It is worth checking in advance if the station of your chosen destination is actually close to where you want to go. The station at Albufeira is actually 3 miles from the old town, Lagos is much closer but it is still a reasonable walk to the old town though it is a very pleasant walk past the marina and along the river.

Algarve Cork Production

Cork is produced by a species of oak tree called Quercus suber, it grows well in the western Mediterranean where it favours the mild winters and plenty of sunshine. It grows wild in the Algarve and is not usually grown in plantations so you are likely to come across it in the mountains along with other useful trees such as olive, almond and carob. Portugal produces half the worlds cork, most of which is used to make stoppers for wine bottles. The best quality cork for stoppers is said to come from the Algarve and parts of the Alentejo.

Cork production has remained largely unchanged for centuries. The cork oak is not a fast growing tree so it must be at least 25 years old before the first harvest. This will be inferior cork and unsuitable for wine stoppers. Cork can then be stripped from the tree every nine years but it will be the third harvest before cork for stoppers is good enough. Following harvest the tree is painted with the year it was undertaken, 5 painted on the tree trunk signifies it was harvested in 2015 it therefore can’t be harvested again until 2024. Producing cork is a long, slow process.

Cork is initially only taken from the lower part of the trunk. As the tree gets older it can be taken from greater heights as the tree grows. Cutters work in teams of two, one climbs the tree and the other remains on the ground. They carefully strip away the cork layer using axes but extreme care is needed not to damage the living layer below as this is where the new cork will be regenerated from. Cork is usually removed in the summer months between May and July, this gives it the remainder of the summer to dry out.

Cork oaks can live for over 200 years and are protected by law. The law regulates the frequency of cutting at nine years and it is illegal to cut down a cork oak even if it is dead or diseased.

Once the summer is over the cork is sold to cork factories. The town of Sã0 Brás De Alportel is the epicentre of the cork processing industry in the Algarve. The industry has declined in the area and much of the finishing of cork products is now undertaken in northern Portugal. When the cork first arrives at the factory it is stored outside in stacks two pallets high. The curvature of the bark can clearly still be seen at this stage.

The cork is then taken into the factory and placed into a boiling water tank. This kills any insects and microbes that may be on or in the cork but also softens it so that it can be flattened. The boards are then stacked and left to dry.

The boards are then examined by eye for the quality of the cork. The person that does this is highly skilled and is looking for imperfections and patches of retained moisture. Strips are cut away until the best, most even cork is left. The offcuts are bagged and used to make cork tiles and insulation material. Nothing is wasted here.

Below shows two pieces of cork, the one on top is much higher quality for making bottle stoppers.

Today the cork is now sent to other factories to be turned into the final products which can be anything from the aforementioned bottle stoppers to floor tiles, thermal and acoustic insulation boards, clothing, shoes, handbags, purses and shopping bags. The amount of cork that is processed for use is staggering just from this one factory

Corks for bottles used to be punched out individually from strips of cork cut to the required depth

Stoppers used to be punched manually using a machine like this.

Today the demand for bottle stoppers is huge. Something like 80% of the 20 million bottles of wine produced each year are stoppered using cork. It is not surprising therefore that the process is now fully automated and can produce thousands of stoppers per minute.

A fascinating visit to one of the traditional industries of the Algarve.