Jo’s Monday walk : Falesia beach

Falesia Beach has its share of plant life

Reach for the skies!

Back to the beach this week!  Well, we are in the Algarve, aren’t we?  It would be rude not to.

Falesia Beach is quite central to the Algarve and runs from Vilamoura, with its huge array of yachts, to Olhos d’Agua, a smaller resort on the run up to Albufeira.  It won’t really require me to say much, as the photos pretty much speak for themselves.  I should warn you though that if you intend to do much of the clifftop you will require the agility of a mountain goat.  But we can worry about that part later, or simply stay on the beach.

Something of an unexpected sight
But you know I love a boardwalk

There is ample parking at the western end of Vilamoura, beyond the enormous marina.  At the eastern end of the resort, hotels back on to the shoreline, but to the west the red cliffs begin a steady ascent.  A bridge carries you from the car park across a canal and onto the boardwalk. From here you can see for miles.

A path runs along the back of the beach

A path runs along the back of the beach

The cliff shapes are quite captivating
With lumps and bumps everywhere
And a quantity of grass too
Aloe Vera grow freely too

Aloe Vera grow freely

I am mesmerised by the shapes and colours

I am mesmerised by the shapes and colours

At intervals there are steps up to the cliffs

At intervals there are steps up to the cliffs

Those leggy trees that I love poke through the grasses

Those leggy trees that I love poke through the grasses

And the cliffs grow ever steeper

And the cliffs grow ever steeper

The colours begin to vary
And tiny flowers battle for space
Beneath the towering giants
Can you see anyone on the tops?

Can you see anyone on the tops?

From time to time a couple of people will appear up there, peer down and then disappear from sight.  I’m quite keen to follow some of the cliff top trail, but I know that it is a little rugged in places. (I once attempted part of it in flipflops- not a good idea!)

There are lots of ups and downs

There are lots of ups and downs!

You might have been wondering about the beach?  I’m sorry!  I do tend to get engrossed in the patterns on the cliff face.

Here it is!

Here it is!

Often the blue skies are deceptive but this particular Winter’s day in the Algarve was balmy. Before climbing up the cliff, I sat for a while, just absorbing the sun’s rays.

A sheltered spot to relax

A sheltered spot to relax

Directly from the beach a flight of not very steep steps led up to a hotel complex, nestled among pines.  From here it was easy to head back towards Vilamoura, along the cliff top.

For a moment the sun hid behind a cloud
This pink beauty craved my attention
Looking back along the cliffs

You may remember my saying that the cliffs were fit only for goats.  There are some stretches that are fairly level and you can choose to descend to the beach if the going gets too rough. A couple of flights of steps lead down.

Steep gullies
In places the pines are quite dense
Back to the beach
Just one last look!

Just one last look!

And then it’s safely back to earth.  I hope you agree it was worth a little bit of climbing for those views.  And when you get back to Vilamoura there are plenty of places to eat and relax.

walking logo

I’d love it if you could join me with a walk of your own.  It can be long, short, or in between- I really don’t mind.  For details just click on my logo, or go to my Jo’s Monday walk page. It’s time to say a big thank you to my contributors again this week.  Let’s put the kettle on, sit back and enjoy!

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The last of Jude’s Australian walks.  Oh NO!

Oasis in the Suburbs

A trip to the loo, with Esther?  And a poem to make you smile :

A walk in the dark

A tour of Old Montreal, for history and culture lovers.  Thanks, Ana!

Walking tour of Old Montreal

Or an eating frenzy in Vegas with drums and Boba tea?

Chinese New Year at China Town in Las Vegas

These salt fields look very like those in the Algarve, but Kampot is totally different :

Kampot : Colonial town and salt fields

Back to Suffolk with Geoff now.  Hope you don’t mind a drop of rain?

Wet, wet, wet- You’ll never walk alone part 2

A little damp on the streets of Strasbourg too, but we can take the trolley!

Walk right In

And finally, Pauline (and Jack) take us to a pretty rural village :

March 1st and a walk through Tyalgum

You can’t beat that for variety, can you?  So glad you could join me.  I hope you have a happy week and some great walks.  You might need to wrap up warm!

153 comments

    1. Already it’s another world and we’ve not been home 3 weeks yet, Debbie! But we’ve just booked to go back again soon, for another quick ‘fix’ of blue 🙂

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    1. Even within the Algarve there’s a lot of variety. We’ve traveled in the Douro, to Lisbon, of course, and lovely Evora. Still got many places to see 🙂

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  6. I just love this terracota earth and cliffs – stunning there between the blue ocean and the blue sky.Again amazing views and images … my favorites is the last … back to the beach and along the cliffs. If I have to experiance the end of the earth I hope it will be like this.

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  10. It’s just so beautiful there Jo and your beautiful shots says it all. Thanks for sharing and for the lovely walk. 😀 ♥

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  12. This trip and your stunning collection of photographs Jo is my all time favorite walks of yours. The opener was gorgeous enough, but image after image – all scenes that as an artist I’m so attracted too. Love it ~

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    1. Feel free to paint any one of them, Mary. I’m sure you could make a wonderful reproduction of the cliffs. I’m happy you like the photos. It was one of my favourite walks this trip. 🙂

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      1. Oh my goodness, really? Well I may start my track back to oil pastels with one of your fabulous scenes here. BTW, one or two of these would make gorgeous B&W too for the challenge.

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    2. Of course, if you wanted to 🙂 I did think about them for the black and white. It’s hanging over my head like that Damocles sword! I so much prefer colour 🙂

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      1. I know, but sometimes the most unbelievable results of depth and textures come from B&W. You’ll love your results, I can’t wait to see them.

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  14. Great that you showed more of the cliffs. When cliffs are that beautiful, I am more interested in taking pictures of it than the beach. 😉 I like the combination, but I think I’m leaning towards more on the cliffs …. just because it’s hard to lean on waters. Ahihihi 😀 Cheap joke.

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  16. Those cliffs are stunning, Jo! Do you know what they’re made of? Is it clay? I ask because they remind me of the clay cliffs on Martha’s Vineyard. There, the cliffs drop dramatically to the sandy beach, just like in your photos. The similarity is amazing.

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    1. Yes, it is, Jackie 🙂 There are so many places where the exposed earth looks similar. Parts of the Australian coast are the same. Nice to think we share some of the same beauty around the world. 🙂

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