The route runs along the NE part of the Escarpão Plateau, the only place in the east Algarve where you can observe the complete sequence of sediments accumulated in the Tethys Ocean of the Upper Jurassic (161.2 to 145.5 million years ago), which gave rise to the Central Atlantic Ocean. You can also observe magnificent fossils of marine creatures, such as ammonites, belemnites, and corals, throughout the route. In a valley deeply carved out of the Escarpão Plateau, the Quarteira Rivulet accompanies the final kilometres of the route. The valley is shaded by native vegetation and is cool in the morning, even during the summer. Soils are mainly terra rossa, and generations of farmers have tirelessly removed the stones to create their agricultural lands. The Escarpão Plateau is a typical karst region where water seeps through sinkholes and dolines to supply the aquifers.

In an essentially agricultural area, it is worth noting the size of the dry-stone walls that can be found next to the paths. Preparing the land for agriculture forced the removal of the stones existing in the soils. These stones were used to make the magnificent dry-stone walls that separate properties and support the soils without constituting ecological barriers. In the Quarteira Rivulet Valley, besides the ruins of the old water mills, you can see the floodplains, with the Quarteira Rivulet alluvium, the rare naturally fertile soils of the Escarpão Plateau, and the typical watermills with mill race. These remains of ancient irrigation systems pay tribute to the agricultural importance these soils have since ancient times.