Sines to Santiago de Cacem (31 km) – Thursday 04.04.2024
After I finished the fishing trail yesterday, I will now continue my journey towards Lisbon to hopefully reach the city in the next few days.
In the morning I still have breakfast in the hostel and then set off. First I follow the promenade out of town. In the morning sun, the Laguna is beautifully illuminated and the birthplace of Vasco da Gama, the first European to reach India by sea, seemed even more impressive to me.
After a short detour through the industrial area, which is quite characterized by gas, I continue to the coast.
There I follow smaller paths for the last time right along the coast. I enjoy the last few minutes by the water.
In front of another and beautiful sandy beach, I turn right and follow the path further inland.
Here for me it will soon be on country roads through the hilly landscape. For a long time I walk through forests that had obviously been planted for cork mining. On the harder paths, running was much easier for me than on sand and so I made quick progress.
I continue on small paths to Santiago de Cacem, which should be my current stage.
There I walk up the city’s hill and marvel at the church first and then the fortress next to it, which is already threatening at the summit.
From up here I have a good view of the path covered today and can take a last look at the sea.
After enjoying the view for a while, I keep walking. But since I don’t really know which path to follow and can’t find anything suitable quickly, I’m still booking a room in an accommodation today to plan the next few days.
Arrived at the accommodation, I use the WLAN and look for a possible route for the next few days. After some research, I decide to go further through the interior of the country and look for the right routes. Equipped with a new plan, I should be well prepared for the next few days.
In the evening I go out to eat in the accompanying restaurant. Although I’m not quite sure whether the restaurant is really open or I just get some of the family’s dinner, because apart from me there is no guest and the men who had just eaten next to me are suddenly starting to put together at the tablecloths. Even if the nice woman doesn’t speak English, she tries to convey to me that I can choose between a pig and a rabbit. I choose the latter and will soon be served a lot of food.
Fully eaten, I return to my room and go to sleep.
Santiago de Cacem to Grandola (41.4 km) – Friday 05.04.2024
As plentiful as the dinner was, the more economical the breakfast. I get a good coffee from which the portafilter machine serves, but otherwise there is not very much.
A little later I’m on the road again and walk around again on country roads. Even if cars keep coming towards me, running is really fun here. The weather is good, I keep passing old ruins and getting off and seeing animals too. In between, I meet a fox who only notices me late, but then disappears into the bushes all the faster.
Even today I walk quickly through the area on the festival paths and thus cover a lot of distances in a short time. The further I walk, the quieter the environment becomes. At lunchtime I lie down on the grass next to the path and take a short nap. Nevertheless, after 28 km I reach the planned milestone at half past four.
But since it’s still that early, I’ll cover myself with water again in a supermarket and go a little further.
I get to another small place on a railway track, where I find pretty cute baby goats.
After the place I start looking for a suitable place for my tent. Unfortunately, since everything around me is fenced in over long distances, I’m still covering a lot of distance.
Only after more than 40 km I find a suitable place. I turn a little off the path and quickly disappear behind a few bushes. There I set up my tent and cook something to eat. After that, it’s almost time to sleep.
Grandola to Alcacer de Sal (25.1 km) – Saturday 06.04.2024
The night in the tent was really good. I get up early to get my tent down in the morning. Then I walk straight away and follow a sandy road through cork trees. Between the trees there are always fields of yellow flowers that look really beautiful.
In a small town I walk to a bar and order a coffee. Since it seems to be a power failure right now, I have to wait a few minutes before I finally get the black drink. Actually, I wanted to translate here by boat over a small river. Unfortunately, the lady in the cafe explains to me that the boat is currently not driving and that I have to run an alternative route. So I follow a road for a long time through a very monotonous landscape that offers little variety or highlights, which gives me plenty of time to think.
Around 3 p.m. I can already see Alcacer de Sal, where I would like to stay at a campsite today. Just as I enter the city, it starts to rain again and so I quickly sit down in an ice cream parlor and eat an ice cream while I’m waiting for the rain to subside.
After that I make my way to the campsite. When I get there, a group of Boy Scouts is currently decreasing their tents, so the place will be empty pretty quickly. I, on the other hand, set up my tent. After that, the typical tasks are coming up again. First I go shopping, then shower, wash clothes and dinner.
In a small restaurant around the corner, I have burgers today and I’m actually served by a 12-year-old woman who, in addition to drinking, also brings me the food, which did really well.
Alcacer Do Sal to Marateca (36.2 km) – Sunday 07.04.2024
I slept well again today. Unfortunately, it rained quite a bit during the night and so I pack a wet tent. I still have breakfast at the campsite and only really get away around 9 a.m.
For the first few meters I follow markings of a hiking route through the landscape and soon arrive in a nature reserve. Unfortunately, the markings suddenly stop and I have to see how I can proceed.
For a long time I walk along a canal, which has very little water. It continues along a railway line until the path ends at some point in front of a locked gate and I have to install another detour.
The path is not very varied today either. For a long time I walk past cork oaks and later it goes through fields where I’m not quite sure whether they had been flooded on purpose or not.
After all, I always see storks and even see a kind of stork high.
After that, it goes through cork plantations again for a long time, although I don’t meet any people here either.
Unfortunately, the quality of the hiking trail decreases quickly afterwards. In a small town, I fill up my water again in a bar and ask if there might be an alternative route to the next town. But since this is not the case, I now have 14 km on a busy road in front of me.
So the next kilometers will be really ugly and the only rays of hope will be when nice people wave or horn to me from the cars. Otherwise, running on the asphalt is a real agony and the lots of traffic doesn’t exactly make it any better. But I have to go through that now and so I follow the road for almost two hours. Unfortunately, all fields next to me are well fenced in and so I can’t just spend the night there either.
At some point I find a meadow on a small mountain next to the road and pull the ripcord there. I decide to stay here and cover the remaining kilometers tomorrow. I quickly climb over a small gate onto the fenced meadow, walk a little further up and set up my tent there. While my tent is still drying in the evening sun, I cook something to eat. After that I withdraw into my tent and read a few more minutes before I fall asleep after a rather unpleasant 38km hike.
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