The Grandfather's Mill

The highlands of Serra de Monchique are cooler and greener than the Algarve coast, defined by forests and rural communities. Cork oak and chestnut forests cover the hillsides, streams cut through shaded valleys, and the air smells of eucalyptus and pine. You begin with a walk on forest trails around a small mountain village. The route leads to Passadiços do Barranco do Demo — opened in 2023 — a wooden walkway hugging a steep gorge, with a fifty-metre suspension bridge crossing the ravine at its midpoint. The walkway itself has around 500 steps, so this stretch is a moderate hike. From there, you drive to a small olive mill that has been in the same family for three generations. The current owner has restored his grandfather's mill, keeping the original syenite grinding stones — one of only about three mills of this kind left in Portugal — while running a modern operation alongside it. Then, a tasting of the mill's oil, paired with tapas made from produce of the surrounding hills.

The morning walk crosses the beautiful landscape of Serra de Monchique's forest interior — cork oaks, streams, and a wooden walkway across a steep gorge — before the drive down to the mill. The oil pressed at this mill tastes the way it does because of a chain of specific things: the altitude of the Serra de Monchique, the local volcanic rock the grinding stones are cut from, and three generations of a family that has been calibrating the process. The mill visit is led by the owner who inherited the mill from his grandfather. He kept the original syenite stones running alongside a modern facility — and produces a different oil from the same fruit. He walks you through both processes and you taste the oils side by side. Being hosted by him means the conversation is real — technical and practical, unhurried and shaped by what you're curious about. The tasting is paired with tapas made from what people cook here — bread, cheese, cured meat, seasonal vegetables.

Your host – João’s colleague - is a guide who works regularly in the Serra de Monchique and knows the mountain's forests, trails, and producers first-hand. The mill owner you meet is the third generation of his family in the olive oil business — his grandfather founded the mill in 1952, and he took it over to restore the traditional press while running a modern operation. Between them, you get both the broader context and the direct story of a family business that has been preserved and adapted.

Comfortable walking shoes with good grip (the walkway has around 500 steps), a light jacket (mountain temperatures can vary), sun protection (hat, sunscreen), a water bottle, and a camera or phone for photos. **Guests drive their own car and follow the guide between the two locations.