Hiking and cycling escapades Voyages inside Portugal

Five days alone hiking the Fishermen’s Trail

Posted on by Jules & Verne
Reading time 7 minutes

The old fisherman was the first person I had seen all day. He faced the ocean, but somehow sensed he was no longer alone and turned back. I ventured a head nod, to which he curtly responded before going back to his thoughts. I turned back too, but there was nothing there apart from the long winding path that had guided me down the cliffs and onto the shore. Ahead of me, the sandy beach extended as far as I could see, before disappearing behind the morning mist.

Near Porto Covo, Portugal (16mm, 1/400s, f9, ISO 200)
The old fisherman near Porto Covo, Portugal (16mm, 1/350s, f8, ISO 200)
Near Vila Nova de Milfontes, Portugal (16mm, 1/3800s, f2.8, ISO 200)

I spent five days hiking the Fishermen’s Trail, a 180km (110 miles) track that follows Portugal’s southwestern Atlantic coastline from Porto Covo to Cape St. Vincent, the end of the known world in the 15th century, before Europeans began their maritime expansion. Along the way, the trail goes by some of Portugal’s most stunning coastal towns, including Vila Nova de Milfontes, Almograve, Zambujeira do Mar, Odeceixe, Aljezur, Carrapateira and Sagres.

The 5-day itinerary: Porto Covo -> Almograve -> Odeceixe -> Aljezur -> Carrapateira -> Sagres
Verne on the Fishermen’s Trail
Verne on the Fishermen’s Trail
Verne takes a selfie near Odeceixe, Portugal (16mm, 1/180s, f5.6, ISO 200)

The trail is mostly made up of narrow and winding paths used by local fishermen to access the ocean cliffs. The number of fishermen has slowly dwindled but the paths are still there. In some places, where the coastline is too jagged to access even on foot, the trail dives deeper into mainland, snaking through hills and valleys. There is less sand and wind to fight through, but the steep ascents and rocky descents make these sections no less of a challenge.

Trail markings near Almograve, Portugal (18mm, 1/950s, f3.5, ISO 200)
Trail markings near Vila do Bispo (16mm, 1/14400s, f2.2, ISO 200)
Trail markings near Rogil, Portugal (16mm, 1/12800s, f1.4, ISO 200)
Near Odeceixe, Portugal (2-picture panorama, 16mm, 1/420s, f7.1, ISO 200)

Apart from the raw beauty of these landscapes, sometimes difficult to capture in pictures, there was one other common theme for these 180km: seclusion. In the eight or nine hours I spent walking each day, I rarely crossed paths with more than four or five other human beings.

After: Sunset at Arrifana beach, Portugal (16mm, 1/150s, f5, ISO 200, PPL1-Corrected)
Odeceixe Beach at sunset (16mm, 1/140s, f2, ISO 200)
Sunset at Carrapateira, Portugal (composite image, 16mm, 1/110s & 1/150s, f1.4 & f2.5, ISO 200)
Sunset at Porto Covo’s beach, Portugal (16mm, 1/420s, f7.1, ISO 200)
Sunset at Carrapateira, Portugal (2-picture panorama, 35mm, 1/125s, f3.2, ISO 200)

Some of you will surely cringe at the idea of spending so much time in isolation, no matter how astonishing the scenery is. Others will be drawn to the idea that there are still such faraway places in Europe. I write this for all of you: to the former, hoping that I can transmit some of the beauty I’ve witnessed; to the latter, as an invitation to do the same.

Pessegueiro Fort near Porto Covo, Portugal (16mm, 1/400s, f6.4, ISO 200)
Fishing boats on a cove near Almograve, Portugal (composite image, 16mm, 1/125s & 1/400s, f5.6 & f6.4, ISO 200)
Amália beach, hidden halfway between Zambujeira do Mar and Odeceixe, Portugal (3-picture panorama, 16mm, 1/420s, f8, ISO 200)

But let me first manage your expectations: I exited the trail no wiser than I entered it. As Jules and I had already realised when we did our round-the-world trip, plucking yourself from a daily routine is no sure recipe for spiritual enlightenment, intellectual Eureka or physical atonement.

Irrigation canal near Rogil, Portugal (16mm, 1/400s, f7.1, ISO 200)
Irrigation canal near Maria Vinagre, Portugal (16mm, 1/450s, f5.6, ISO 200)
The Seixe river, near Odeceixe, Portugal (2-picture panorama, 16mm, 1/420s, f6.4, ISO 200)

I did however learn something very useful. As most introverts, I enjoy being alone. More than a pleasure, moments of solitude have evolved into a necessity as I grow older. Apparently though there’s a time limit for these moments. You know that feeling of waking up in the middle of the night, troubled by some mundane problem blown out of proportion? After walking for several hours without seeing anybody, I would sometimes find myself in a similar state. Without human interaction to snatch me back from my thoughts, my subconscious would take over.

Porto Covo’s beach, Portugal (4-picture panorama, 16mm, 1/160s, f5.6, ISO 200)
Watery trail, Almograve, Portugal (16mm, 1/240s, f5.6, ISO 200)
Beach access near Zambujeira do Mar, Portugal (18mm, 1/400s, f9, ISO 200)
Bordeira beach, Carrapateira, Portugal (2-picture panorama, 16mm, 1/250s, f5.6, ISO 200)

So, against all my expectations, those four or five daily fleeting moments of interaction with others became something to look forward to. We would rarely exchange more than a couple of words, but those were enough for me to imagine an intricate character. Mr. Alberts, a British retired clerk following the same sandy path he and his wife – just recently passed away – took many years ago. João, a young fisherman with fear still darkening his expression after barely making it back to the shore when large waves got hold of his tiny boat. Anja and Stefan, a German couple that left everything behind to live from a small patch of land, now struggling with the hardships of farming. Cristina and Manuel, two friends hiking through Portugal, feet resting on top of the heavy backpacks, weary from the month long voyage.

Endless trail near Bordeira, Portugal (16mm, 1/350s, f7.1, ISO 200)
Ruins near Aljezur, Portugal (composite image, 16mm, 1/105s & 1/120s, f16, ISO 200)
A pair of agave trees tilted by years of wind, Sagres, Portugal (16mm, 1/400s, f7.1, ISO 200)
Pebble beach near Porto Covo, Portugal (16mm, 1/420s, f7.1, ISO 200)
Bee hives near Monte da Vinha, Portugal (2-picture panorama, 16mm, 1/350s, f10, ISO 200)

Animal encounters were more frequent but no less memorable. Unaccustomed to humans, many would come closer, eyes hinting at a mixture of fear and curiosity. A trio of goats that sprang from the side of the road, its boldest member holding its nose against my leg. A snake crossing the sandy trail, briefly stopping halfway to stare at me fumbling to get my camera out. A young horse, curious to get closer but aware that its elders were keeping afar. A large dog, half domesticated and half wild, uneasy with me passing next to its litter of puppies.

After: Young horse at Almograve, Portugal (16mm, 1/140s, f5.6, ISO 200, PPL3-Altered)
Cows near Odeceixe, Portugal (16mm, 1/420s, f6.4, ISO 200)
Curious goats near Monte da Vinha, Portugal (16mm, 1/420s, f6.4, ISO 200)

Reaching Cape Saint Vincent was a rude awakening. Big crowds chatted alongside food stands and street vendors, waiting for the sunset. A mass of cars and caravans scrambled for a place to park, filling the air with dust and engine noise. It didn’t matter though: the journey is often more important than the destination, and those five days have been unforgettable.

Town square, Porto Covo, Portugal (16mm, 1/350s, f8, ISO 200)
The lighthouse at Cape St. Vincent, Sagres, Portugal (composite image, 16mm, 1/320s & 1/1250s, f16, ISO 200)
Pedralva village, Portugal (16mm, 1/350s, f16, ISO 200)
Pedralva village, Portugal (16mm, 1/400s, f9, ISO 200)
Old house at Monte da Vinha, Portugal (16mm, 1/420s, f7.1, ISO 200)

A big thank you to Rota Vicentina, the group that maintains these trails. They also run an impeccably organized website with everything you need to know to do it yourself. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the Fishermen’s Trail in 90 seconds:

 

Verne*

246 thoughts on “Five days alone hiking the Fishermen’s Trail”

  2. Pingback: Five days alone hiking the Fishermen’s Trail — Jules Verne Times Two | Trevor Burton, Author.

  3. What amazing writing and photography and what a journey. I envy you your talent to write so well. I can only think this must be your profession, maybe you are a writer or a journalist. I am in awe of your talent and with your simple but outstanding photos, your blog is a treat to view. Thank you for allowing me this pleasure.

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    1. Thank you Sandra, for reading and for your extraordinarily kind words! Receiving such feedback makes me want to drop what I’m doing and think about what to write next. My profession is a technical one, so I use this blog to satisfy my growing interest for writing and photography. Maybe one day I’ll swap the calculator for a pen and a viewfinder 🙂

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  6. gosh and wow!!! what stunning images!!! I hope you’ve got a site set up to resell them, they are stunning…worthy of any travel brochure. I loved reading this….I had planned to walk the Portuguese Coastal route of the Camino in September last, but due to finances etc I didn’t. But I’m so planning on doing it in 2017. This also looks like an amazing walk….I shall save this link and the link you inserted. And how about that amazing weather!!! OhMyGosh!!!

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    1. Thank you! The Camino AND the Fishermen’s Trail would be quite the treat: give us a shout if you have any questions 🙂 In the meantime, feel free to use any of our pictures: in the spirit of keeping this blog strictly non-commercial, all our photographs are licensed under Creative Commons, meaning they can be used freely as long as we are credited as the authors.

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      1. Glad that our bilingual blog is helpful to you. We truly had no choice but to run our blog bilingual as it was created to keep in touch with friends and family while we lived in Paris for 2 1/2 years. As we have some who only speak one of the languages we had no choice but to do it in both languages…It is a bit more work but it is worth it.

        By the way, we visited Portugal in 2011 and absolutely loved it!

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  11. Wonderful post! What a beautiful and unique hiking trail. I’m an introvert, too. So, it sounds like a perfect hike. I’ll remember this if I ever visit Portugal.

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    1. Obrigado Dulce! Acho que foi a altura ideal para o fazer: o tempo estava perfeito – nem muito quente nem muito frio, um céu ideal para fotografia – e não havia quase ninguém.

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    1. Thank you Tanja! What I couldn’t quite capture in these photos was the feeling of being in places without any evidence of human presence, no matter which direction I faced. I’ll have to buy one of those 360º cameras 🙂

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  17. Absolutely marvelous. And super photos as well.

    I have ran a great many marathons but never hiked.
    Your wonderful narrative has convinced me that I’ll stick to running and any distance greater than a marathon take the car! My legs would never stand it.

    🙂

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  19. Não sei se passaram pelo Cabo Sardão, Cavaleiro. No mapa não aparece mas vale a pena a visita nem que seja para fotografar os ninhos das cegonhas nas rochas.

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  20. Beautiful pictures…I hope that we will be able to do that next summer !
    Is it necessary to book the accommodation in advance ?

    Thankx Grts Leen

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    1. Dank je! I booked accommodation on the day before, but it was October… during the summer months it’s probably safer to book it a bit more in advance, as some of the passing towns are quite small. Hope you can make it!

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  22. Muito fixe!! Eu como introvertido fiquei com inveja saudável! 🙂 E se calhar isso fazia-se melhor a correr! 🙂

    Abraço!

    On Wed, Nov 2, 2016 at 7:04 PM, Jules Verne Times Two wrote:

    > Jules & Verne posted: “The old fisherman was the first person I had seen > all day. He faced the ocean, but somehow sensed he was no longer alone and > turned back. I ventured a head nod, to which he curtly responded before > going back to his thoughts. I turned back too, but there w” >

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  23. Hi Guys, I absolutely adored reading your notes from walking Rota Vicentina! It has been fascinating to view the scenery through your eyes and to hear of your experiences!

    It’s incredible how the same path was so different in comparison to our own journey. We encountered more people and the weather was by far more temperamental. Where are you off to next? 🙂

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Kylie! I imagine that temperamental weather can make such an exposed trek that much harder. It is also challenging to photograph. We’re big fans of your photography style and the way you turn cloudy skies to your advantage. We’ll try to apply what we’re learning on our next trip (no firm plans yet) 🙂

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    1. Thank you William! We used to include more images in our posts, but found that these would drown the text. Now we only include our absolute favorites and group them in small galleries around a common theme.

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  26. To echo what everyone has already said: what a brilliant piece. Like you say, it is fascinating to know that isolated trails like this still exist in Europe. Thanks for the follow too and look forward to reading more from you in the future!

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    1. Thank you! It’s a pleasure to follow your blog: hiking is a very recent passion, but one that’s growing very rapidly. Like you , I find it be an extraordinary mixture of exercise, discovery and reflection!

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  29. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : The Masmorra Trail | restlessjo

  34. Thank you for sharing your adventure and stunning pics – looks like another tantalizing destination to add to my list.
    Appreciate your wandering by my site and liking a couple of my recent posts, including Avalanche Creek Trail to the Lake, Glacier National Park.
    Cheers to your next excursion.

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  36. Que belo (e longo) percurso, de Porto Covo até Sagres, em “sagrado” isolamento… As fotos fazem jus à beleza que o nosso país tem para oferecer, o texto faz jus a essa experiência inolvidável.

    Acredito – mesmo que não se apercebam disso de imediato – que uma viagem desta natureza de alguma forma traga mudanças na maneira de estar, de pensar, de sentir… O esforço físico que ela implicou, o isolamento, a beleza do local – tudo contribui para uma experiência única de transformação interior. E isso é muito bom! 🙂

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  38. What a great post. I love your writing, photography and introvert’s perspective of Portugal. It’s early morning here in Portland, Oregon, your post was a great way to start the day. We need this other side of the world perspective in our country right now. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Thank you for reading and for your kind words. I spent three months in the US earlier this year and still the results from last Thursday blew my mind. Hang in there Portland! Oh, and by the way: Eugene Levy (the early 20th century businessman, not the Canadian actor) was a big promoter of tourism at Praia das Maçãs, hence the avenue name 🙂

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      1. Thank you so much for that explanation of Eugene Levy. I was so confused by that when we were there. And yes we have a long road ahead of us here in the US. Please know that many of us are deeply saddened by how this represents our country to the world.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for reading Meghan! The trail was indeed everything I hoped for: peace, quietness and a chance to practice photography. Hiking is a very recent passion, but it is here to stay. There is hardly a better way to enjoy the outdoors!

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  40. Jules and Verne,

    Thank you for a virtual return trip to Portugal! Visited Jules’ hometown, revisited Lisbon and ah, the Fisherman’s Trail. It’s so nice to see and read what you see as you re-discover your country through your blog. I hope to check out your round-the-world trip on another Sunday. 🙂 Laurie

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    1. Thank you for reading, Laurie! You hit the nail in the head, this blog is indeed about rediscoveries. The first one when we collect our thoughts and pictures for a post, the second one when someone is kind enough to leave us a comment, and the third one will likely come with our old age, when we’ll need to refresh our memories 🙂

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  41. Hi, I just found your blog and love it. My friends and I hiked Rota Vicentina in September and can’t wait to go back. Portugal is such a beautiful and friendly country. I love your writing and pictures. I’m looking forward to reading some of your other posts.

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    1. Thank you for reading! I too found your blog when after hiking Rota Vicentina. It’s funny how so many pictures resonate, from landscapes to socks filled with sand 🙂 Hope you can make it back to Portugal soon, let us know if have any questions!

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    1. Thank you James! This blog is a recent but passionate affair, and we find ourselves investing more and more of our free time on it. By the way, big fan of science fiction, looking forward to reading more!

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    1. Thank you Caroline! Hope you can make it to the Fishermen’s Trail, let me know if you need any tips. My pleasure to follow your blog, always on the lookout for new places to visit 🙂

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      1. I love being surprised about places, and for some reason I would not have guessed this trail to be in Portugal. I look forward to reading about more places on your wonderful blog.

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      2. It’s funny that you mention that: several people have told us that these landscapes would be right at home in Northern California. Looking forward to reading your new posts as well!

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  46. Loved your photos and, having visited Sagres many times during high and low season, I can imagine how disoriented you must have felt upon encountering so many people after your days of solitude. Since we live in nearby Lagos, one of my favorite things to do is walk the cliff path along the sea near our apartment between Porto de Mos and Praia de Luz. It seems the views looking down into the water and at the cliffs before me and behind me change with each hike as does the color of the water. And running into the herds of cows or goats grazing alongside the path never fails to delight me! Anita

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    1. I’m hardly impartial on this matter, but you’ve chosen a fantastic place to set up home (wish I was close to those cliffs to photograph today’s moon). As I read your comment I was drawn to the ‘About’ page on your blog, curious to find out more. You have a fantastic story that deeply resonates with our own, and it will be a delight to flick through your posts and discover more. Anita, thanks for reaching out, send our best to Richard!

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  47. Ah- MAZING!! I’ve been to Portugal once and I did visit Cape St. Vincent :).
    I am about to do the Inca Trail soon- it’s 4 days but nowhere near as many miles …it’s more of an altitude challenge. thanks for sharing!

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    1. Ah, the Inca Trail! We went to Machu Picchu last year but couldn’t book the Inca Trail (sometimes our loose planning style backfires :)) We did hike up the Machu Picchu Mountain and the elevation change is indeed a challenge. Have fun and thanks for stopping by!

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