The Fisherman’s Way is a 226.5km walking trail along the southern Portuguese coast that is part of the wider Rota Vicentia network of trails. My youngest brother, Gareth, moved down to the Algarve a few years ago and on my visits out to see him and the family we had often discussed the possibility of walking some sections of the route. With my knee on the mend we decided this visit was the time to give it a go and Gareth chose the section from Salema to Sagres which seemed, according to the websites, to be the most beautiful but also the most challenging part of the whole route. This section came in at around 19km with a fair amount of ascent and descent dropping in and out of the many beautiful bays we would find en route.
We set off under beautiful blue skies following a small group of backpackers who looked as if they may have been undertaking the whole trail. Salema has a pretty bay but we soon left it behind dropping down steep paths to Praia Santa before a very steep, scrambly climb up again. It was the first of many beautiful sandy beaches that we passed on our walk, almost all of which were empty. The local residents were clearly still feeling the winter chill but, for me, fresh out of Manchester, it felt pretty warm. The advantage of walking this section at this time of year is that the trail is pretty quiet, the disadvantage is that the couple of cafe-bars we passed en route were sadly closed. The clifftops were dotted with wild flowers and the breeze coming off the foaming sea kept us cool as we approached the ruins of Forte de Vera Cruz de Figueira, a seventeenth century fort perched high on the headland. As previously mentioned the cafe at Zavial Beach was closed but the climb up from the beach was yet another steep one. By now the whole coastal vista had opened up and we were watching some big waves rolling in across the bays before smashing on the cliffs causing huge sprays of spume below us. Every now and then we’d see a brave surfer or two out amongst the waves, the area being home to some top level surf pros. Our last big beach was Barranco Beach, a huge sweep of sand and home to a year round hippie-vanlife camp from which the sound of guitars could be heard drifting.
Leaving Barranco behind we found a stunning spot for lunch before realising we had wandered off the actual path a little but by keeping the sea on our left and with a little bit of help from the old GPS we managed to relocate the official path as it passed by a very impressive farm ruin perched atop the brow of a low hill. From the farm it was downhill to Praia do Martinhal, the last beach before reaching the town of Sagres. We spent a great evening in Sagres at the Bossa Brew House and The Hangout, a cool, surfy bar with huge portions of excellent pasta.
This section of the Fisherman’s Trail has really whetted my appetite for giving the whole route a go and it is now definitely on my “to do” list. I think walking it at this time of year would be a great option as the temperatures are lower and the accommodation is cheaper and more readily available. Fisherman’s Trail……I’ll be back !
