Trilho dos Pescadores
This was a Plan B journey. I had initially planned to fly to Doha, Qatar, but realized my visit would coincide with Ramadan, which might not be the ideal time to visit. So, I bought a ticket to Lisbon and purchased a map of the Rota Vicentina, a network of walking paths in the southwest of Portugal. I was particularly interested in the Trilho dos Pescadores, or Fisherman’s Trail, a long-distance path stretching 226 kilometers. Due to work commitments, I hardly planned my trip beyond my plane ticket and only had the vague idea of walking as much of the Fisherman’s Trail as I could in a week.
I decided to start in Lagos, so I booked a last-minute train from Lisbon to Lagos via Tunes. I arrived in Lagos just as the sun was setting.
Lagos » Luz 10.9 km, ascent 214 m, descent 217 m
I woke up early in the morning and realised I couldn’t buy breakfast because it was Sunday morning. I started my hike on an empty stomach. At least the weather was beyond my expectations: a dry, sunny day of 23 degrees Celsius. The blue-green signs were easy to find and I soon realised I didn’t need my map.
After two and a half hours of walking I found a place, which served breakfast. It became clear that I was in the territory of British immigrants: the place served a full English breakfast and on the terrace a high percentage of pro-Brexit voters, considering the average age of the people around me (sixty percent of people aged 65 and over voted for Brexit). I chose the ‘vegan English breakfast’, which was a combination of avocado toast, mushrooms, hash browns and beans.
Breakfast in Luz.
Luz » Salema 11.5 km, ascent 217 m, descent 217 m
Burgau
Burgau
After breakfast the day began in earnest. My spirits were high, the landscape impressive, and the path remained quite easy to walk. It wasn’t too busy. At one point the route would lead me right through the narrow paths of the tiny village called Burgau. It was almost 2 pm when I arrived in Salema, or around lunch time.
When I think of Portugal, I think of sardines. The six grilled sardines in Salema were served with boiled potatoes and a salad. I ordered a glass of white Vinho Verde, which is a Denominação de Origem Controlada, not a grape variety.
Lunch in Salema.
I had to decide where to sleep that day and based on my progress so far, I booked a hotel in Sagres. That turned out to be a mistake.
Salema » Sagres 19.5 km, ascent 343 m, descent 368 m
It was 2:30 pm when I continued my walk and suddenly time flew by much faster. The path became more challenging and my progress slowed down. Two hours later I was looking at Google Maps and realised I probably wouldn’t reach Sagres before dark. I chatted with two Dutch women, trying to asses the walking time to Sagres, when they asked me where I started in the morning. “Lagos? You are walking three sections in one day!”.
Then I realised the Fisherman’s Trail was divided in day sections. Two sections a day is entirely possible when you start early, but three sections was a bit too much, especially since I hadn’t walked long distance in years. By then my big toe felt as if I was developing a blister under my toe nail.
I was able to make it to Sagres and walk the last hour in the dark, but I also had to save my toe nail for the rest of the week. I left the trail and walked to a road, from where I could summon a Bolt taxi. Later I noticed that the section between Salema and Sagres is marked as ‘difficult’, because of the distance and ascent and decent.
End of day one in Sagres.
In Sagres I settled for tapas instead of diner: ‘caldo verde’ cabbage soup, bacalhau com grão (chickpeas and cod), feijoada de buzios (whelk and bean stew) and azeitonas.
