Here is my short summary of the small hike in Portugal (it turned out to be bigger :D). I also linked the latest videos to you below. Have fun watching and have a nice weekend 😉
Actually, I just wanted to start a little tour between my Patagonia trip and my upcoming PCT adventure. To get in my new hiking boots, I looked for a smaller tour in Europe, where I could relax a bit in addition to hiking. Since I’ve been keeping an eye on the fishing path in Portugal for a long time, I wanted to tackle it.
The Fishermen’s Trail (English: ‘Fishermen’s Trail’) is a 120 km long hiking trail on the west coast of Portugal. It starts in Porto Covo and runs to Odeceixe. The historical variant goes a little further to Sagres and covers around 230 km. Meanwhile, the road markings are even available as far as Lagos.
Since I had almost 4 weeks time and was therefore 230 km too few, I started my journey further in the east.
Ecovia
So I set off from Vila Real de Santo Antonio, on the border with Spain. I first hiked a few days on the south coast along the bike and hiking trail Ecovia. This tour takes me through the beautiful landscapes of the Algarve and I kept walking along beautiful sandy beaches and rugged rock formations.
After about a week I reached Lagos. Here I switched to the above-mentioned fishing path. Just a few meters outside of Lagos, I was able to see a beautiful cliff, which unfortunately was also overrun by tourists.
Fischermen’s trail
I followed the path first west to Sagres and from there to the Cabo de St. Vicente, the south-eastern point of Europe.
From here the path led me further and further north. In addition to the fantastic cliffs right on the Atlantic, I was always able to descend to smaller beaches, which I often had completely to myself.
Since I was walking this long-distance hike from south to north and thus in the other direction than most other hikers, I was alone most of the time and was able to listen to the calming sound of the waves and relax.
Arrival in Lisbon
In Sares, my hike on the Fischerweg ended. But since I still had a few days, I made my way to Lisbon. Instead of following the coast, I walked a few kilometers further inland to get further north from there. After a short detour to the Arrabida nature reserve, I already reached Lisbon.
There I rested for a few days after the 22-day hike, during which I had completed a little more than 640 km. Since I had already visited the city a few years ago, I gave up the typical tourist stuff and enjoyed the city in a more relaxed way.
Since I got the videos ready quite quickly, I still have 2 days left to prepare for the PCT. Maybe I should start packing my things 😉
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