After hearing so many great stories about the magical Fishermen’s Trail, part of the beautiful Rota Vicentina, we decided it was finally time to get ourselves some hiking shoes and find out what makes this coastal route so special. After all, one of the reasons we love Casa Tarapoto and Aljezur so much is having all this beautiful nature right on our doorstep.

With our youngest away on school camp, we suddenly had three days with zero obligations. Perfect timing! We had already walked parts of the trail from Odeceixe to Aljezur and Aljezur to Arrifana, so this time we headed north: Porto Covo to Zambujeira do Mar in three days.

We took the Rede Expressos bus to Porto Covo: cheap, easy and very convenient. Porto Covo itself is a lovely little town with a pretty square, restaurants, shops and, of course, a small Portuguese igreja right in the middle of it all.

Day 1: Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes

Since we don’t often get the chance to travel without the kids, we spoiled ourselves with a night at Porto Covo Praia Hotel & Spa. After a very good hotel breakfast, we started walking at 8 AM.

I was slightly nervous about what to expect, but starting early was perfect. The morning light was beautiful and, more importantly, the sun wasn’t high above our heads yet.

Our first planned coffee stop (A Ilha) after about 3 km looked extremely promising... but unfortunately: fechado. So onwards we went.

The trail is generally well marked with its green and blue signs, although we did manage to lose it a couple of times. An offline map is definitely useful…and judging by the other hikers staring at their phones, we weren’t the only ones lacking a little sense of direction.

What we definitely weren’t prepared for was the sand. Miles and miles of soft sand. Beautiful? Absolutely. Easy? Definitely not.

Luckily, there’s no need to rush. We stopped constantly to take photos, rest our legs and stare at another ridiculously beautiful bay.

Half way (at about 10 km) we found a little place selling cold drinks…and there was even a toilet! Happiness comes in simple forms when you’re hiking.

One small request here: we saw quite a lot of toilet paper left behind along the trail. Of course, nature sometimes calls, but please take a small bag with you and carry your rubbish out. This landscape is way too beautiful to leave anything behind.

After our pitstop, the soft sand continued, but somehow you forget about your tired legs. Every corner reveals another bay, enormous cliffs and rock formations shaped by wind and ocean over thousands of years. I took more than 100 photos on the first day alone. No joke.

And when you hike with the husband, statistics matter: 22.5 km | 7 hours | average speed: 2.9 km/h

Yes, we were VERY slow. But it's okay, we absolutely loved it.

At around 18 km, Bar do Canal appeared like a small miracle: a stylish beach bar, cold beer for the husband and finally coffee for me.

From Bar do Canal it was only a few more kilometres to Vila Nova de Milfontes, where we stayed at the lovely Milfontes Inn, run by Ricardo and his mum. Such a warm little place, full of personal touches. Definitely recommended.

One important hiking tip: bring flip-flops. Taking off your hiking shoes at the end of the day and putting on flip-flops might be one of life’s greatest pleasures.

That evening we had dinner at Stress Free, another Rota Vicentina recommendation and it definitely lived up to expectations.

Day 2: Vila Nova de Milfontes to Almograve

After breakfast at Milfontes Inn and a caffeine shot at Café com Crema, we were ready for day two.

Well... almost.

Instead of making the detour over the busy road bridge, we took the tiny ferry across the river and skipped the first couple of kilometres. €5 and a much nicer experience. Were we cheating? Maybe. But surely the fishermen would have done exactly the same.

Today was our “easy” day: around 14.5 km.

The first part was much easier than day one and we started noticing something else: familiar faces.

People we had passed yesterday appeared again. Young French hikers, Swiss ladies, couples, solo walkers; everyone walking at their own pace but sharing the same experience. There is something very communal about the Fishermen’s Trail, regardless of your age, nationality or background.

We even thought we might arrive in Almograve too early.

Obviously, that was the moment we jinxed it.

The last few kilometres brought back our old friend: soft sand.

Almograve is tiny but charming and we entered the village along a little farm road with the sweetest horses. At the local bar we met two Scottish ladies again, aged 82 and 79, friends for more than 50 years and hiking the trail together.

Absolute legends.

After a shower, we headed to Bar da Praia for a sundowner and bumped into Beatrice and Sabine, two Swiss ladies we had met earlier on the trail. Drinks, stories and lots of laughs followed.

Maybe this is what Camino life feels like.

Day 3: Almograve to Zambujeira do Mar

Our final day was another long one (21,5 km), so at 8 AM sharp we were caffeinated and back on the trail.

The route started with more sandy paths, while dark clouds gathered above us. For a while it looked as though we were going to get absolutely soaked.

After about 8 km we reached Cavaleiro, where we found a café full of familiar hiking faces (including our Scottish and Swiss friends).

After coffee, the trail became much easier and we suddenly managed almost 6 km/h. A statistic that made the husband very happy.

The landscape felt different today: darker, rougher and more dramatic, perhaps helped by the threatening skies above us. Standing on those enormous cliffs really makes you realise how small you are.

Closer to Zambujeira, we passed the famous cliffs where storks nest right above the ocean. We saw the nests, but unfortunately no storks…wrong season, apparently.

At Porto das Barcas, around 17 km in, we celebrated too early.

“We’re here!”

Nope.

There was still a long stretch into Zambujeira ahead of us. Not the most exciting part of the trail, especially when your legs already think they’ve finished for the day.

Eventually we made it: around 21.5 km on day three.

Instead of staying in Zambujeira, we headed straight back to our beloved Aljezur.

Would we do it again?

100%.

The endless soft sand was harder than expected, our legs were definitely tired and we probably took far too many photos. But the scenery, the people you meet along the way and that wonderful feeling of having nothing to do except walk made these three days very special.

The Fishermen’s Trail attracts people of all ages and from all over the world…and after walking it ourselves, we completely understand why.

This definitely won’t be our last stretch.

A few tips before you go

A few things we learned along the way:

• Wear good shoes. I walked in trail-running shoes, which worked perfectly. My husband has hiking boots. I brought hiking poles because I was a little worried about my knees, but honestly, I hardly needed them.

• Bring flip-flops! Your feet will thank you at the end of the day. Possibly my most important tip. 😉

• Consider gaiters. We saw lots of hikers wearing them to keep the sand out of their shoes. After walking through kilometres of soft sand, I understood why.

• Book your accommodation ahead. Especially Almograve is tiny and places fill up quickly. We walked at the end of September and quite a few places were already fully booked.

• Download an offline map. The trail is well marked, but not perfectly. We lost it a couple of times.

• Bring enough food and water. Don’t count on finding a café or shop along the way. We carried around 3 litres of water between the two of us each day, plus plenty of snacks.

• Protect yourself from the sun. There is very little shade on large parts of the trail, so bring a cap and plenty of sunscreen.

• Leave nothing behind. Please take all your rubbish (including toilet paper) with you. This coastline is far too beautiful not to take care of it.

• Backpack or luggage transfer? We carried our own luggage because we were only hiking for three days and we actually loved the feeling of having everything we needed on our backs. But if you prefer to walk lighter, luggage transfer services such as Vicentina Transfers or HikeEasy can move your bags between accommodations.

And maybe the most important tip: don’t rush it. Stop for the views, take too many photos, have that coffee or cold beer when you find one and talk to the people you meet along the way. For us, that was a big part of what made the Fishermen’s Trail so special.

Next up: Luz to Lagos. We’ve walked that one too and compared to Porto Covo, it felt almost easy. But more about that in the next blog 😉