Walk this way...

A hiking festival in the Algarve is a sensational workout for the soul, says MIRANDA COMERASAMY

- MIRANDA COMERASAMY

AS I walked through the forest I suddenly heard a heavenly chorus that seemed for a split second to be putting me on the path to cloud nine.

But a shake of the head revealed this wasn’t a dream. My feet were still on terra firma hiking through woods in the glorious Algarve and the ethereal sounds stopped me in my tracks.

The singing was in Portuguese but the performers - from different nationalities and communities - were part of the spirit-uplifting live entertainment at Algarve Walking Festival, which was enjoying its 10th anniversary.

Included in the two-day celebra-tion of art, nature, heritage and community were events such as yoga, silent discos, a children's choir and spray-painting to name but a few, scheduled around dozens of themed walks,

I'd arrived a couple of days earlier for the festival and checked in at the Pousada Palacio de Estoi, a small five-star boutique hotel, around seven miles from Faro Airport. This restored 18th-century palace with dusky pink walls, regal French-style gardens dotted with fountains, statues and busts, and a fabulous pool is a truly lavish affair. And inside it bursts with Rococo glamour such as ornate ceilings painted with cherubs, glittering gold leaf plasterwork and antiques.

The spacious rooms are pared back and sleek with polished wood floors, pristine white walls and marble bathrooms.

The hotel's fine-dining restaurant, O Visconde, gave me my first taste of the flavours of the Algarve. The clams served Portuguese-style with garlic butter and coriander and the panna cotta and tomato marmalade and salted caramel dessert come highly recommended.

After a restful first night and a hearty breakfast I headed into Loule, a town steeped in history. Among its landmarks is an old fortress that dates back to the time of the Moors, as well as an Islamic bath house, rediscovered by archaeologists 16 years ago, preserved and opened as a tourist attraction.