If you want to see spectacular cliffs above the wild Atlantic Ocean and sandy beaches hidden in protective coves, you will love the views on the northern section of Fishermen’s Trail (Rota Vicentina). After exploring the southern portion of this multi-day hike, we didn’t think the views could get any better. What we found further north was a more rugged, untamed coast with equally stunning views.
The 230 km (143 miles) long trail follows the Atlantic Ocean between Porto Covo and Lagos. The original trail was 60 km (37 miles) long and ended in Odeceixe. It was revised a few times, making it longer each time, until it finally achieved the length it is today. On this northern section of the trail, we travelled parts of that original 60 km-long route.
If you walk the entire trail it takes 11-13 days. Most people walk north to south, from Porto Covo to Lagos, because they are coming from Lisbon. We went the opposite direction, beginning in Lagos. We wanted to see as much of the trail as possible but were unable to hike for 11 days. Our solution was to hike some sections of the trail and drive in other areas. Since we didn’t have enough time to walk, we’re glad we did it this way so that we could see the wide variety of views this coast has to offer.
Click on the map for an expanded view.
Click on the link to go directly to our Tips for Hiking The Fishermen’s Trail
There are so many wonderful scenes on this route that we split it into two posts. Below we’ll show you the highlights of this coastal walk’s northern half, between Carrapateira and Porto Covo.
To read Days 1 – 4, from Lagos to Carrapateira on southern section, click here.
We’ve separated our descriptions into the recommended walking segments.
Northern Section – Carrapateira to Porto Covo
Day 5 – Carrapateira to Arrifana
After enjoying the views on Pontal da Carrapateira (you can read that story here), we drove toward the remote Canal Beach. The backroad to reach it was filled with so many potholes that we were only able to reach a viewpoint above the beach. This glimpse gave us a hint of the darker cliffs we’d see on the coastline from now on.
Next, we headed to the town of Arrifana and hiked up to a point on the ridge above. From there we looked down upon the curvy beach (Praia de Arrifana) and white-washed homes of Arrifana as they scaled the dark cliffs.
You can park in Arrifana.
At the end of the point, we found Arrifana Fort. Built in 1635, the fortress was badly damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, but not in the way you would expect. A tidal wave almost completely razzed the battery to the ground. The remarkable detail is that the fort is 70 m (230 ft) above the water. It’s almost unthinkable that a tidal wave was able to tear apart a stone fortress located this high.
The view from the fortress showed us yet another incredibly picturesque, weather-beaten coastline.
A popular city in this area is Aljezur. It’s a cute spot with whitewashed homes and an old Moorish castle. Many hikers were calling it a day here instead of going further to Arrifana. Aljezur is almost 10 km from the coast, though, so Arrifana seemed like a better option to us.
Days 6 & 7 – Arrifana to Odeceixe
A little north of Arrifana is Monte Clérigo Beach (Praia de Monte Clérigo). It is a large beach, broken up by a rocky shelf that allows you to find a secluded spot in the sand.
There is small town just above the beach where you can park.
It’s a nice walk between Monte Clérigo and Amoreira Beach, but we found the views elsewhere on the trail to be more spectacular. Amoreira Beach though, is quite pretty with black rocky pyramids projecting out into the water.
Odeceixe Mar Beach is approximately 20 km up the coast but surprisingly, it looks very similar to Amoreira. Both have black cliffs above golden sand and similar rock features in the water. They are also both located at the mouths of rivers which can alter their look and access.
There is a lot of parking at both of these beaches.
Days 8 & 9 – Odeceixe to Almograve
Our favourite section of this northern half of the route was the scenery around Ponta do Cavaleiro. This point marked the end, or start, of the original 60 km trail.
We parked our car near Cabo Sardão Lighthouse where the icy plants were showing us their gorgeous fall colours. Remarkably, some were still in bloom.
This point has an exceptionally wild look. Its rocks showed the effects of being beaten by the harsh waves and formed many interesting shapes. One appeared to be spikes of a dragon’s back swimming into the rough water.
Often, the waves were so high, they went overtop of the rocks to create waterfalls on the other side.
Even in the harsh landscape, there is a lot of beauty. We were often left speechless by the contrast of the black rocks against the azure-coloured water.
As we walked on, we thought we saw a large crocodile in the water. It turned out to be a long, rocky shelf.
Tucked into the cove beside the crocodile is Cavaleiro Beach. There was no one on the beach on the windy September day when we were there. During the summer though, it’s likely quite busy. It looks unreachable, but a rickety staircase takes you over the cliffs to the sand at the bottom.
The further we walked beyond Cavaleiro Beach, the more vegetation we saw covering the sandy ground. Icy plants and other bushes looked like they were glistening with morning dew. In reality, they were coated in a layer of honey-scented resin.
We couldn’t believe our eyes at the scenery. The bright turquoise water below long, black walls topped with colourful sand and plants was prettier than anything our minds could create.
Note – there is no car access for this section of the trail. You must part at either the lighthouse or Cavaleiro Beach in São Teotónio.
North of Ponta do Cavaleiro, the cliffs were a little less wild, so we skipped ahead to Almograve. The small town has a nice beach, but a little further south, we found a tight fishing cove that was even more photogenic.
Day 10 – Almograve to Vila Nova de Milfontes
The cliffs seemed to peter out between Almograve and Vila Nova de Milfontes, so we weren’t very interested in hiking this section. We picked up our trail again in Novo Vila de Milfontes, a cute city at the mouth of Mira River. There are a few sandy beaches along both the river and the ocean. They were all pretty quiet in mid September.
From a distance, its 16th century Fort of São Clemente has a commanding presence. From the other side though, it is covered in vines, making it look like an old mansion rather than a fort.
The few streets that make up Nova Vila de Milfontes’ heritage centre have welcoming, maritime-looking homes. There are several small, locally run hotels in town for an overnight stay.
Day 11 – Nova Vila de Milfontes to Porto Covo
The only notable spot on this section of the trail is the historic site of Ilha do Pessegueiro. The island’s name translates to Peach Tree Island, but there are no trees on the island and definitely not any peach trees. The name was likely originally a Latin word for salt fish, but eventually transformed into the Portuguese word for peach tree.
The main site on the island is an old Roman wall. It’s visible from shore, but there are also boat tours that will take you out to the island for a closer look.
The city of Porto Covo is a common starting point when you hike the Fishermen’s Trail from north to south. It has a rocky shore, but the cliffs are not nearly as dramatic as they are further south. Instead they are small cliff bands above surfing beaches.
Another place that is sometimes used as a starting point for Rota Vicentina is Praia da Samoqueira. While it’s very pretty, it’s a further 2 kilometres north of Porto Covo, so not very convenient.
Sines
The city of Sines is often used to access the region from Lisbon. It’s a typical fishing town with a few interesting sites, but most people move on quickly because the beaches are not very inviting. One of the most interesting places is Sines Castle. Its position on a hill above the fishing harbour allows you to have great views from its tower.
Fishermen were cleaning their morning’s catch when we visited. We watched as a convention of seagulls, impatiently waited to steal their next meal.
Tips for hiking the Fishermen’s Trail
- When to do the Fishermen’s Trail – The hike can be done all year long, but the best seasons are spring or fall. In spring, the flowers are in bloom, but in the fall we also had nice colours from the plants. Both keep you away from the busy summer tourist season. We visited in September. Temperatures for us were mid 20s so very pleasant for walking.
- Route Markers – The trail is well marked with blue & green stripes.
- What if I don’t have time to hike the entire length? – You can easily hike one or two sections of this trail since they all begin and end in small towns We did a combination of hiking and driving and it worked well for us. There are several sections where the trail is on a road/highway and are not even close to the coast, so we weren’t interested in walking these parts. We think the best parts to walk are between:
– Lagos and Ponta da Piedade
– Praia do Amad and Carrapateira
– Ponta do Cavaleiro and Almograve - Where to stay and eat – There is an official guide that lists accommodations along the route. It will give you different options for length of travel each day. There are a few formal campgrounds listed in the guide as well. Most of the towns you will pass have restaurants, but remember, especially in the small towns, restaurants will not serve meals between approximately 2:30pm and 7:30pm. You may be able get sandwiches and soup during this time, but don’t depend on that.
- Luggage transfer – There are several companies that will transfer your luggage. They can also arrange your accommodations on the trail.
- There is also an inland trail called the Historical Way, if that interests you more.
- To help plan ahead and navigate when on the trail, we found this great app. It’s free on the Apple Store and includes downloadable maps, trail descriptions as well as recommended hotels and restaurants along the entire Fishermen’s Trail. You can find more information on Fishermen’s Trail App.
We’ll link this post to our friend Jo’s blog, Restless Jo. She has a weekly post entitled Jo’s Monday Walks.
To read about another fabulous hike in the area, you can read our post Hiking The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail.
To read more of our adventures in Portugal, click here.
To read more of our treks from around the world go to Treks.
Coming Next – Parque Natural da Arrábida
For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
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