ANDY HOLLIS heads off the beaten t rack to enjoy a boating holiday on Europe's largest artificial lake in the little-known Alentejo region

I'M SITTING at the wheel of my houseboat cruising on Europe's largest artificial lake. Alqueva in the lesser-known Alentejo region of Portugal, what's known locally as "Grande Lago", couldn't be more different from the Norfolk Broads. There's no traffic, my GPS is doing all the work, the sun is beating down and I'm feeling very relaxed.

Dubbed the country's "bread basket", Alentejo's most important crop is wheat, with poorer soils reserved for olive trees, cork-oak trees and vineyards.

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Famed for its wines, smoked hams and cheeses, the region is sandwiched between the Algarve and Spain.

Earlier my partner Lisa and I had picked up a hire car and crossed Europe's longest bridge, the nine-mile Ponte Vasco da Gama, over the river Tagus to our overnight stop in the regional capital, Évora. This World Heritage Site is home to a Roman temple and the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), wall to wall with skeletal remains, next to the Gothic 14th-century St Francis Church. Another Gothic masterpiece is the 13th-century cathedral which dominates the city skyline and is embellished with statues of the Apostles.

To quench Alentejo's thirst for water for agriculture, several rivers have been dammed to create reservoirs, most notably the Alqueva Dam which was finished in 2002. We had headed to the lush Guadiana valley where the "Grande Lago" was filled to capacity only six years ago. It still feels untouched by tourism.

After an hour's drive we arrived at the Amieira Marina and eyed our home for the next three days. Our 36ft boat had two en-suite cabins and plenty of deck space. There was a gas barbecue and a small, well-equipped kitchen in the open-plan living area with a TV, DVD player and stereo.

As we now cruise with no other vessels in sight, we feel completely alone except for the odd stork or seagull. The landscape of sprawling green fields reminds me of the picturesque estuary town of Salcombe in Devon, though with far fewer houses and boats.

After three hours of gentle cruising we arrive at Estrela. We explore the quiet streets lined with gleaming whitewashed bungalows and can't miss the storks clattering their bills in a huge nest on the church's bell tower while swallows circle overhead.

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It is unusual to visit somewhere in Europe that feels so untouched by tourism but this place truly is.

So as we enter the bland-looking Sabores restaurant, we cannot be more surprised. From the outside it looks unremarkable but inside is a light and stylish restaurant with lovely views over the lake.

Next morning, we are on a four-hour cruise to Monsaraz where we have booked a guided tour. As our guide Maria drives us to the stone gateway in the walls of this fortified medieval village, we soon realise why it is known as the jewel in the crown of Alentejo; it is spectacular.

We wander along a labyrinth of pretty, narrow, cobbled streets lined with well-preserved stone buildings.

THE HILLTOP village is believed to be a prehistoric fortification and extraordinary efforts have been made to preserve it.

Only the battlements and the courtyard of the medieval Monsaraz Castle remain.

As the sun begins to set, the fading light gives the buildings a pretty orange glow and we admire the views over Alentejo's vast plains, the lake and towards the Spanish border. Maria puts a finger to her lips as she says: "You can hear the sound of silence, it is just so peaceful."

We still feel that sense of peace during the all-day return cruise back to base in Amieira Marina.

Somehow I don't think the bustling Norfolk Broads would have the same effect.

GETTING THERE:
Amieira Marina (0203 026 2551/ www.amieiramarina.com) offers seven nights on a houseboat from £1,464 (two sharing).

TAP Portugal (0845 601 0932/ www.flytap.com) offers return flights from Heathrow and Gatwick to Lisbon from £104.

Guerin rent-a-car (www.guerin.pt) offers daily car hire from £16.

Alentejo tourism: www.visitalentejo.pt

Portuguese National Tourist Office: 020 7201 6666/ www.visitportugal.com