Diary of a walk

The first 24 hours

So, this time it's the fishermans trail on the western cost of Portugal. Noted for excellent, unspoilt views of the Atlantic; the Alentejo region is also reputed to have the best food (and wine) in Portugal.....

So what have we been waiting for....

Well, the first 24 hours preamble to our walk has gone swimmingly; Somehow, we left the house in Bedford, got parked and through security at Luton airport with a G&T in hand, all in 50 mins!!!! (Gotta love Sunday evening travel...)

There was a slight issue with a stuck valve in the brand new plane's engine which had to be sorted manually ?! (tried not to think about that too much)....

On arrival, we downloaded the app and ordered our first ever Uber. This incurred an 8 euro charge as opposed to 30 for a taxi .. we also got to meet the lovely driver Dharma from India told us about his dream to visit the London he had seen in Bollywood movies....

Our lodgings for the night were the super central and stylish Correio Velho Suites (loved the communal kitchen/restaurant area). They also afforded a lovely sunny morning view of traditional blue & white tiled buildings....plus the legendary Bica tram just at the bottom of the road! (All for the princely sum of £72)

After breakfast at an old school pasteleria we decided to walk the 5kms to the Siete Rios bus station - a good chance to try out our walking mojo with loaded packs, etc.

After a somewhat circuitous route and a stark reminder that Lisbon is built on hills we made it (super early, as per...) to the bus station.

Having identified our stop and noting the fact the ladies loos were closed off, we headed off to find some sustenance...

Just through the bus station and under an unpromising (quite stinky) underpass we found the very accommodating Cafe Bar Shalom, where somehow we managed to consume 2 rolls (1 cheese, 1 steak) plus 2 cheese rolls to take away, 2 bottles of Sagres, 2 espressos and 2 pasties de nata for 13 euros!!! And the personnel (and toilet were exemplary!). One to remember....

We returned to the station, were first in the queue (as per...) only to be told by the stern driver that we needed another QR code. Cue a run to the ticket office and a desperate plea with an amused looking clerk....

Short story, we made it onto a very comfortable (No eating onboard order by the driver!!!), super calm and quiet 2.5 hour journey (no stops, but one) to the breathtaking Porto Covo - start of our walk tomorrow.....

Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes 22kms

The guidebook describes today's walk as "simply spectacular" and we would have to concur.

(However we would have to add "spectacularly hard going".....)

When B mentioned in passing last night that he thought his shoes were too small I thought that would be our major concern today....

However, we were not reckoning on 28 degrees heat or the really difficult soft sand terrain.....

We set off from our charming lodgings and decided to forgo the lure of the bakery whose delicious wafts were filling the air (aware there would be a stop after 1 hour)....

Lulled into what turned out to be a false sense of security by the cute path through a lush protected area we soon found ourselves scrambling over rocks and wondering if we were really up to the task...

Dramatic cliffs (my own personal nemesis due to intense vertigo) proved somewhat challenging on more than one occasion and we were happy to reach a welcome stop at the historic Forte da Ilha where we downed several coffees and shared a massive cheese toastie (which turned out to be just as well).

Beautiful beaches and coves abounded, one more gorgeous than the last (I actually stopped taking photos because it was becoming so commonplace I was stopping every few mins...).

Bright wildflowers and deep green succulents lined our way, but soon the sun was high in the sky and there was no shade to be had - anywhere....

We ran low on water and the promised second stop just didn't seem to get any nearer.

B had to carry my pack for a few never ending Kms and I took a Dioralyte (my new best friend) as I had stopped worrying about falling/jumping off cliffs and had started to fear I might not make this alive....

Eventually, after some very tense kms we made it to the promised stop (just in time, me thinks). Turned out it is closed on Tuesdays! However, we could at least take refuge under the shades and spotted a water fountain opposite (thankfully as we were out of water by this stage).

We munched on a couple of magdalenas we had snaffled from the guesthouse and drank several litres of water for the final push into town.

Much restored, we headed above a harbour, down a disappearing track and found our way through many hotels and holiday flats to the beautiful waterfront and beach at Vila Nova de Milfontes. A celebratory ice cold beer was very much the order of the day before heading into town to find tonight's lodgings (and some grub!)....

(The guidebook rates this walk as a grade 1 - easy. I have to disagree, the sand is very tough and add to that unseasonal heat and lack of availability of water I would say it felt more like a 5! Guidebook said 20kms. We covered 22kms to our guesthouse - an extra 2 makes a big difference in this weather!)

Vila Nova de Milfontes to Almograve 12kms (plus ferry ride)

Fuelled up by several coffees from our "local" snackbar H2O, a shared cheese toastie and sarnies to go we made our way to the ferry.

The ferry turned out to be an old fishing boat and our host at the ticket office was a charming young woman who offered us free coffee and advice about restaurants we really shouldn't miss further down the line....

A few minutes on the boat in the company of a German mum and daughter and 1/2 the Pennsylvanian crew we had spotted yesterday, led for a lively start. Said German mum concurred with all my thoughts and statements about the previous day's "outing"; she too, had run out of water, given her bag to her daughter to carry and had considered laying down and giving up....

(The Pennsylvanian women had read the itinerary of yesterday's walk and had decided to skip it! Sensible folk)

Just to clarify some of my comments from yesterday; we were mainly walking high on clifftops were the paths were loose sand, not down on beaches (photos on the beach were from the beginning of the route). So there were no options for a cooling dip....

Today's route was a short one (thankfully) - only 12 or so Kms.

There was a steep climb on alighting from the charming ferry boat. Some inland stretches and shady, woody parts gave relief from the mid morning sun, which threatened to be a scorcher once more...

There was a tricky part or two which involved some bum shuffling (my preferred method for descending steep parts) and also some more kms of our old frenemy, sand walking....

Some beautiful coastal views once more - putting us in mind of Ireland's west coast. A bit of farmland, finally some animals - horses. Birdsong and butterflies.

Some lovely interactions along the way with familiar faces from yesterday; this seems to be a most sociable route.....

One wrong turn due to lack of signage. A couple of young women also did the same and we all were soon back on track with the help of their app....

No stops on this route, so our trusty "sandes" were just the job. Fortunately cloud took over from sun and we had enough water to make it to what was described as "sleepy" Almograve, after 3.5 hours walking.

Hastily, we dropped off our bags and headed up the short distance to the beach/praia to be rewarded with an amazing deserted beach, ocean views and a super laid-back beach bar - oooh, we like it here very much! (I even managed to scope out a glorious pink beach side property which was giving us serious County Clare vibes - cue the rest of the afternoon coming up with a business "plan").

Almograve to Zambujeira do Mar 22kms

I awoke to rain around 5am and hurriedly brought our laundry in from the balcony of our simple guesthouse - gotta at least start the day right with dry pants for the ensuing (no doubt challenging) journey ....

A poor weather forecast had us mobilised early. Fortunately the mini mart up the road opened early for breakfast, so we stumbled out around 7am to down several very good espressos each plus the obligatory cheese sandes.

We headed down towards the beach and onto a satisfyingly wide and firm pathway to begin our day's route.

Soon the colour of the rock and sand changed to a deep orange/ochre and we had large dunes to our left - giving Arizona dessert type vibes (We're still mystified as to how/why sand is on the top of the cliffs....)

Views were of course, amazing and colours ranged from the deep ochre, to the almost black cliffs (so reminiscent of West Coast of Ireland). Each bay/cove was just glorious and way too numerous to recall.

Several extremely challenging points required us to skirt around clifftops. We clung to the assorted shrubbery for safety....

There was a stop after 2.5 (somewhat nerve jangling) hours at Cavaleiro for some much needed coffee/sprite/beer/crisps. Here we had a great chat with Ramon from the Netherlands.

Temperatures starting to rise as we wound inland, we were grateful for the occasional bit of wooded area and the glorious yellow flowering shrubbery that afforded some bit of shade.

We saw a handsome red and white lighthouse from the early 1900s and our first nesting storks on sea stacks which kept spirits high.

Further on we came upon a ludicrously steep and poorly maintained (some might say downright dangerous) wooden "staircase" down to a fishing harbour was about the last thing my nerves needed.

A super steep incline on the other side up a road to a bar (yay!) - c. 5 hours in, was what we actually needed....!

The final push into Zambujeira do Mar was a combo of a boring (but straightforward) 2kms of road then back onto the coast path for a final descent into the delightful village.

Cue the promised rain just as we arrived, phew!

Zambujeira do Mar to Odeceixe 15kms

So things took a different turn today (literally)...

The combination of a thundery rain weather forecast, plus reports of today's route rating "difficult" & requiring "Alpine experience" we decided to give my mental health a day off and instead take the inland Rota Vicentina historical route....

Only we couldn't find it....

So, we "ready reckoned" a route (which I think bore no resemblance to the one we had intended to take...)

After an initial ascent out of town past the gorgeous bay, we settled into a good few Kms of road walking through a long stretch of greenhouses growing assorted crops. We saw the very occasional worker, but it seemed strangely quiet.

Happy to see livestock; goats, sheep, black pigs and a field of languid looking cows. We were very much reminded of the Camino route we took through central Portugal 3 years ago and congratulated ourselves on seeing another side of the region that most tourists don't....

However, after an hour or so and a distinct feeling that we might not be going in entirely the right direction, we switched on the old GPS for advice. Fears confirmed and plans "modified", we continued along a quiet enough road, waving to the various folk we saw tending their plots.

The scent of orange blossom and pine filled the air at various points, wild flowers filled the verdant hedgerows. An occasional dog barked, but other than that all was still.

We wandered through a vineyard with an immaculately manicured property and onto a main road for what we considered to be our descent into Odeceixe. Only this was not to be.

Our GPS lead us away from the main road down a track to reach the fearsome sight of a ski slope type descent to the town. Looking around we could see no other option, so very gingerly made our way down the loose shale and rock trail, inch by inch to avoid a last minute disaster.

Eventually, after much trepidation, we made it to the bottom. We crossed the bridge to see a throng of people waiting at the bus stop. Looking back at where we had come from, it's quite possible they had all witnessed our " adventure". Fortunately they were too polite to pass comment.

We continued around the corner into the charming river based Odeceixe with it's small but perfectly formed square replete with bars and restaurants (and a launderette! )

In summation; a different, but interesting day - mainly free of drama! (Also, the thundery rain ceased to materialise, so it turned out walking conditions were ideal....)

Odeceixe to Aljezur 19kms

Odeceixe was a great spot with an early morning bakery....so fuelled up on cheese sandes, pasteis de nata and espressos, we headed up the steep incline through the village to the charming windmill on our final day - and boy, did we need the fuel - a bit of a heart starter, for sure ....

We opted for the inland, historical route today and enjoyed more rural views of the region.

Some welcome wooded areas on this route afforded great shade. Pools of dark water, brief sanded areas and some very handsome trees. Great gnarly cork trees, stripped to the midpoint bore numbers (which we hope had something to do with the cork harvest, rather than destruction).

Rogil was a welcome stop after 1Okms. A scent of incense in the air put us in mind of Easter, next week. Unfortunately, the sweet potato museum (!) was closed but we managed to find some great pizza in a local bar.

Cue a final 8kms to Aljezur, setting out on a wide, straightforward track with wooded areas across some naturally verdant landscapes until we arrived at an unexpectedly steep descent which then of course required an ascent into our final destination, Aljezur.

Summary of a walk

Happy to have made it to our final destination but sad to have finished our journey, it feels like too soon....however we know we will be back again to complete this exquisitely beautiful route....

24 hours after finishing our walk, we have had some time to reflect on our experience (whilst enjoying a couple of days R&R down in one of our favourite spots, Olhao).

We have had an extremely positive experience on the Fisherman's Trail. We thought the coastal scenery was just sublime; the best we have seen on any of our walks, so far....

We walked in early April and the abundance of wildflowers and vegetation made for a glorious walk. Also the weather conditions were generally about right - apart from the first day when temperatures reached an unreasonable 28 degrees. Rain that was forecast on several days never appeared.

The stages were not overly long and our Cicerone guidebook timings for the completion of stages seemed spot on. (However, I don't really think it would be possible to split the stages as there were very few other stops/villages on the routes).

I would take some exception with some of the stage descriptions eg day 1 of our route Porto Covo to was described as 1 in terms of difficulty. We (& everyone we spoke to) found this day very challenging.

The toll that walking on soft sand is not to be underestimated - it is seriously tough. Our first stage was almost entirely sand based, meaning 22km felt more like 40! (Some people wore gaiters to stop the sand getting into shoes - which was annoying, but not too debilitating overall).

Take lots of water. These routes are without water fountains and stopping places are few and far between. Also remember there is very little (or no) shade on these routes so exposure to all weathers must be borne in mind. We found ourselves caught out in 28 degrees, on a remote clifftop with barely any water - not to be repeated.

In terms of stopping points, it is worth googling in advance to ensure they will actually be open eg the bar across the water at Vila Nova de Milfontes opens at 10am.

Our walk was mainly fuelled by espresso, cheese toasties, cheese sandes (sandwiches) and the occasional mini beer.

Our accommodation without exception was extremely good and all hosts were welcoming (I will list where we stayed & what we paid at the end). All the guesthouses/lodgings were well set up for walkers all offering fridges and facilities to make hot drinks. Some even offered full kitchens for those wishing to self cater.

Towns/villages along the route were all quiet, well maintained and welcoming.

Porto Covo had an elegant simplicity; all blue and white with some fine restaurants.We had a great meal overlooking the small harbour.

Vila Nova de Milfontes had a beautiful beach and we felt it would make a great holiday destination; just big enough with all you need. There was something a little mystical about the light on the night we visited. We also found the ferry people at Vila Nova particularly friendly and engaging.

Almograve had a stunning beach and the beach bar was an amazing place to spend an hour or two.

Zambujeira do Mar was another beautiful beach destination and we found it to be an interesting place of two halves. A step or two away from the "main" drag, we enjoyed the simple hotel Ondazul which offered a fab breakfast (the only place we stayed where we had breakfast). We also really enjoyed this neighbourhood and felt at home in the little no frills bar/restaurant we found.

We loved the convivial nature of the small town square at Odeceixe; a tiny village that seemed to have everything one could need; the first launderette we found, an excellent bakery that opened at 8am, good restaurants and again, helpful folk.

Prices for food and accommodation were reasonable across the board (the only exception was the restaurant adjoining our guest house in Almograve, where I think the prices were a little steep for what was on offer).

Bakeries open early and tend to offer coffee and sandwiches from around 8am.

(Almograve had a great mini market that opened at 6am offering, coffee, sandwiches etc).

Espresso has been universally excellent with prices from 75 cents (!!).

In terms of kit etc we took small rucksacks this time which were perfectly adequate and we still managed to have things we didn't use/need....we followed the 3 socks, 3 pants etc advice which seemed perfectly adequate.

If you take shorts, socks made of tech fabric they can soon be rinsed out and dried overnight.

A change of shoes/sandals in the evening is a lovely thing, if you have room.

I took a lightweight white cotton blouse which made an excellent cover up from the sun as did a wide brimmed hat. A fancy scarf to protect my neck area also added a bit of shzuch to the outfits and made a handy beach towel too!!!

Looking after your feet is as always paramount- addressing any hotspots as they arise.

People on the route; other walkers and local people are super friendly and keen to help. So ask for help or advice when you need it. We felt this route was particularly laid-back with a very conducive sense of camaraderie. We loved meeting great like minded people from Austria, Netherlands, Germany, USA, Canada and some whose nationalities we never knew.

As always we were heartened to learn that we have so much in common with other people living different but similar lives. We can't wait for our next walk (which may well bring us back to wonderful Portugal) to see who we meet along the road.