Five sections of the Rota Vicentina, the coastal route Portugal, part 2
Five sections of this famous trail along the (west) coast of Portugal: the fishermen's trail. In the Alentejo and Algarve region. A track along the cliffs in a wild and powerful landscape. Following the trails used by locals to get to the beaches or their spots for fishing. Breathtaking views in delicious spring temperatures.
Getting there: a flight to Faro. From the airport bij taxi-bus - rented in advance - to Odeceixe. About 125 km., 1,5 hrs.Here we started our trail.
Maps: mapa Rota Vicentina, Scale 1:55.000, Centro de informacäo Geospacial do Exército. The trail is very well marked (green-blue).
Accommodation: We made use of the services of Pelgrimsroute.nl (only in Dutch). Spending the nights in hotels and/or old country houses.
In the villages you also can book rooms, hotels, or "B&B's".
Indication of height: the GR runs through a hilly landscape, easy. The trail along the coast is rather heavy sometimes, because of the sandy trails in the dunes....
The height differences are small.
April 2018: Five sections of the Rota Vincentina, Portugal, along the coast. Click here for part 1 of this trail
Day 1: Odeceixe - Aljezur....................25 km.
Day 2: Aljezur - Arrifana......................18 km.
Day 3: Arrifana - Carrapateira............18 km.
Day 4: Carrapateira - Vale do Bispo...22 km.
Day 5: Vale do Bispo - Sagres........ ...20 km. (via Cabo de Sao Vicente)
On trail: a beautiful walk along the coast, in spring an explosion of flowers, with in the background the deep blue ocean. The diversity of the beaches, magnificent rocks, overwhelming views.....the swifts....
Small streams springs fed from the hilly interior through a network of underground channels.
Villages in the colors white and blue where you can eat excellent fresh seafood and fish.
The sandy trail sections can be heavy to walk.
Sections through the "inland" with green hills, fields of the farmers, irrigation chanels, plantings of the cork oak and citrus, sometimes dense forests, streams and pools.
And, on the last day, you can see the lighthouse of Cabo de San Vicente, the most westerly point of Europe.
This wind blasted and storm pounded headland is just what visitors expect. it was considered, up until the 14th century, the end of the known world.
This point is also the finish of the Via Algarviana.
Read more about the Rota Vincentina Portugal
Below a cinematic impression of this dramatic trail:
