Rota Vicentina, Portugal hike

I found a second coastal walk to do, the Fishermen's Trail, part of the Rota Vicentina in far southwestern Portugal. Another of Europe's extremities.

28 October The bus from Lisbon was full of Rota Vicentina walkers and the town of Porto Covo (white buildings with a typical blue trim along the base and the doors) was a holiday place with plenty of visitors, so this wasn't going to be a lonely walk. As a warm up I did a short loop around the cliffs north of town. The scenery was impressive: from the cliff tops I looked down on deep rocky inlets with tiny sandy beaches and sometimes longer beaches, establishing a system for my whole walk of village on the cliff top with beach far below. Grilled sardines for dinner. 4 kms

29 October I left Porto Covo on the low sandy cliffs and crossed a number of narrow inlets, usually descending to a tiny beach. Then I walked a longer sandy beach with an offshore island that had ruins of a fort. There was another fort at the end of the beach, with a cafe so I had coffee and watched a stream of people coming along the beach; I haven't seen this since the start of the TA. The trail stayed on top of the dunes above sandy beaches and surfing activity

and I came to a long boardwalk at Praia do Malhão; from here the rocky coastline became spectacular with huge chunks of rock broken off high cliffs, a rock stack with a stork's nest on top and lots of rocky coves. The trail hugged the cliff edge.

People were fishing from the cliff tops. This lasted for many kilometres, the only downsides were the biting flies and the soft sand underfoot. Then the coastline made an abrupt turn and I was on the edge of Vila Nova de Milfontes. The last part into town went past hotels, a sandy estuary and a fortress. I stopped for lunch in the old town. Every building is white with a red roof. 20 kms

30 October I road walked out of Vila Nova to get to a long bridge across the Mira River and followed fields back to the river bank, where there was a convenient cafe with a nice view over to the town. I briefly visited Praia das Furnas then got onto a path alongside fields. The official route stayed this way for hours but I went onto the cliffs (much higher now) and had a great time, going above narrow ravines, rocky inlets, bigger coves and bays, rock platforms with strange tiny pinnacles, until I was forced inland by dense acacias.

There followed a long acacia tunnel before I could return to the cliffs for a view of long Brejo Largo beach, then passing more sandy beaches, with huge rocks scattered offshore.

When I got to Praia de Almograve I went off the curriculum again and waded the inlet for a direct walk into the town. On the other side I climbed too high and had to come all the way back down, wondering if I should have stayed on the proper route. I walked into Almograve and stopped at the first (and only) open cafe, for a toasted chicken sandwich. Portuguese toasted sandwiches are the best. 17 kms kms

31 October I wandered along the beach at Almograve then went up onto the cliff top dunes. This was a lovely stretch with steep headlands and broken off slabs of rock in the water. When the trail went inland I stayed on a narrow path at the cliff edge. It was magical on the dune plateau: low vegetation (a carpet of hottentot fig, close relative of pig face but a yellow flower), sandy bowls and fabulous coastline including big isolated rocks.

The sand varied in colour from yellow to red to white. I got my first sighting of the lighthouse at Cabo Sardão. Before going there the route made a detour past vegetable fields to a little village; time for coffee and my first pastel de nata.

The road led straight to the lighthouse and there were multiple places to enjoy the views of the rocks. Pic. Then the trail veered away from the cliff edge, passing drab moorland and acacia bushes with occasional access to the views - thin slices of rock jutting into the sea and more flat topped rocks with stork nests. It rained a little. The trail returned suddenly to the cliff tops above a beach

and I descended steeply to a tiny fishing harbour, then climbed straight up to a few houses, Entrada da Barca, and another cafe for all of us walkers to troop into. 

After that the trail was beside a road and I went back to the cliffs as soon as I could. More amazing coastline and a dramatic entry to Zambujeiro do Mar on a boardwalk across the cliffs.

The town was on the cliff top, right to the edge, with the beach directly below. Again every building was white. There were lots of restaurants in the town centre. I had pork with clams for dinner. 20 kms

1 November From Zambu I went up onto the cliffs for an off-route walk along the cliff edge above rocky inlets. Nice view of the town looking back.

The dune scrub was more shrubby. I went above beautiful beaches ending with Praia do Alvarão,

then came down to a beach with deck chairs laid out, and a cafe. A nice beachside break as the sun came out. Then more cliff top walking with picturesque beaches, some accessible,

but the dense acacia often got in the way of the views. There was a tedious lengthy detour past farms then I returned to the cliffs and soon arrived at a little village with a busy restaurant, where I ate a stale croissant and watched the rain approach.

More spectacular cliff walking (in light rain) with huge dark slabs of rock cast adrift and pebbly coves beneath vertical cliffs. I rounded a bend and I could see the village of Praia de Odeceixe running down the opposite cliffs to a wide beach, River Seixe on one side and Atlantic Ocean on the other. I stayed high a bit longer, going briefly into pine forest then finding a dirt road to get me steeply down to the river. I could see Odeceixe town on the other bank of the river (with a windmill above the houses) but I had to walk two kilometres to reach a bridge and then walk back on the town side (having crossed from the Alentejo region into the Algarve). Odeceixe had a cute triangular central square with cafes.

It was dark by the time the rain stopped but I walked up to the top of the town to see the windmill. Then I came down to the square and was so pleased to see a place where I could have a drink without yet eating. The waiter brought out my drink and started to wipe the wet table, and knocked my wine all over me. 20 kms

2 November An inland day. I walked back up to the windmill

and then made my own route to Rogil walking mainly on little paths alongside irrigation channels, past isolated farms, flower plantations, ploughed fields. Rogil was spread along a main road and I found a bakery. 

The dirt roads to Aljezur were uninspiring until the end when I descended a wooded gully of eucalyptus to cross the river. Then I went up steep streets through the town to the hilltop castle ruins. I had been looking forward to this but there was nothing there apart from low walls and bits of turret. I came back down through the town on an extremely steep set of steps to the main street and lunch.

I had to go back through Aljezur again, then I had a roller coaster walk on eucalyptus and pine clad hills with some views of coastal dunes, and scattered villages. It was hot. At the end I walked past a lot of houses on a plateau to my nice hotel in Arrifana.

I was all settled in when I decided I ought to go and have a look at Praia da Arrifana as it was highly rated. It was further away than I realised and I was worried about getting back across the unlit scrub before dark so I almost ran there. It was a long beach with a high promontory at each end, nice enough I guess, everywhere very busy except the beach itself.

Seared tuna for dinner. 30 kms

3 November I took village roads out of Arrifana and went onto a long stretch of dirt road, first descending to the coast with a great view of endless headlands and beaches southwards and pebbly Praia do Canal beneath the sheer cliff I was on, with a solitary sea stack offshore.

Next was rather a trudge through light eucalyptus woodland undulating over a plateau with fairly desolate views. It was windy. At the top, Monte Novo, there was a cafe and a chance to get out of the wind for chocolate cake.

The road stayed on the plateau with increasing ocean views and the descent when it came was on deep sand. The trail came close to the cliff edge with a long strip of golden sand below - I could easily distinguish the buildings of Arrifana spilling down the hillside back along the coast - and eventually I descended to the wide Praia do Bordeira with white sand. I walked along the beach, climbed above a stagnant lagoon and stamped through deep sandy dunes into Carrapateira, a quiet surf town surrounded by hills. 21 kms

4 November I had a nice early morning view over the area from the very simple white church at the top of the town. A day of two halves. I first looked down on and then had a lovely walk along Praia do Amado.

The cliffs were red and there was a patch of pink pebbles on the sand. At the end I climbed steeply and descended to a small bay then went up and down again to a pair of little bays, one sandy, one rocky and a long view back down the coast. Inland the landscape has changed to low mounds of dark green bushes on rolling hills of red-brown earth. 

After a long climb up to the plateau the rest of the trail was a plod directly into the wind with nothing to see but clumps of dark green cistus. And a small group of goats. I came into Vila do Bispo and found a cafe on the central square. Cod with potatoes for dinner. 15 kms

5 November I walked out of Vila do Bispo past fields and empty land. Within an hour I could see the lighthouse at Cabo São Vicente in the distance. It was exciting to be reaching the far southwestern corner of Europe. I came back to the coast which was soon very rocky and sheer cliffs, the rock sometimes reddish or white, a lovely sandy beach: Praia do Telheiro

and many stony coves. It was again possible to walk near the cliff edge. The black clouds that had been hovering went away. I could see the lighthouse clearly when there were still several promontories in between, and the last kilometre was slow going over jagged limestone with a requirement to stop for all the views.

To both sides of the lighthouse were 70 metre sheer cliffs; good thing it wasn't windy.

I had a coke then walked to Sagres, at first by the high cliffs on the southern side, stopped at a small fort, and walked by the road until close to town. Very hot. I went back to the cliffs where there were people fishing from the top. After a break in Sagres I walked out to the large fort on the Sagres promontory and stayed to watch the sunset. 23 kms

6 November I woke to the best weather of the walk, perfect blue sky. I left Sagres along a seaweed covered beach and returned briefly to cliffs, islands off shore. Then an inland stretch on heathland, green and pretty on a sunny day. Little birds. Descended to a beach then pleased to climb to the cliff edge again, rocky headlands and beautiful blue ocean. The dunes have been replaced by hard baked red earth. The cliffs are now crumbly red and yellow sandstone.

I stopped at (weedy) Ingrina beach for coffee and almond cake and went over a headland to Praia do Zavial, much prettier because it was weed free. There were little crocus flowers on the path just like I'd seen in Galicia.

I climbed the next headland above Praia das Furnas for a long view down the coast, one sandy beach after another; I had hoped to walk these beaches but I had just missed low tide and they were separated by impassable rocks.

So I did a lot of ups and downs above the beaches, finding some short cuts. I was able to walk the last of the beaches, then after a path through pine trees I was in Salema, clearly a busy resort but short on accommodation. I checked out the dinosaur footprints in the rocks and walked the beach, and got the bus back to Sagres. 19 kms

7 November Bus back to Salema. I climbed through the town to get back to the cliffs. The path repeatedly went down to beaches and back up. Very windy. Passed ruins of a fort. In one place I tried to get around the rocks on the beach but couldn't. I descended steep little lanes in Burgau to a tiny cafe overlooking the beach. Everyone here seems to be English.

I went on to Luz (past ruins of a smaller fort) on the cliff top. The cliffs, red and yellow sandstone, look more fragile here. I went in the open church in the centre of Luz and I stopped at a large busy cafe by the empty beach for a pastel de nata.

After Luz I climbed to an obelisk with a commanding view over the sprawling town and continued on a walkway on the cliff top. For the first time some of the cliff edge was fenced. There was a long strip of beach below. I rounded a bend and could see my final destination, Lagos, but I still had a treat in store. 

When I got closer to the headland Ponta da Piedade, with a lighthouse, I reached an area of the most amazing sandstone formations both in the sea and on land: rock arches, freestanding pinnacles, weird cliffs, caves and holes in the rocks. Tiny beaches. Nothing I had read had mentioned this. There was a maze of boardwalks to lookouts and masses of people.

Unfortunately at the far end my route was thwarted by roadworks and I had to detour past derelict buildings. I emerged at the river estuary and entrance to the marina where there was a little fort with a tiled chapel and across the road an archway that was part of the original town wall. I went through to the old town (seemed crazy busy after all the quiet villages) and stopped for lunch. I decided this was my finish line for the Rota Vicentina. 23 kms

Total 212 kms