Rota Vicentina

The route

The Rota Vicentina is a waymarked network on the south-west coast of Portugal, inside the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park. Its coastal strand, the Fishermen’s Trail, runs about 230 km from Porto Covo in the Alentejo down to Lagos in the Algarve, following the clifftop tracks that fishermen use to reach their fishing ledges. The inland Historical Way runs roughly parallel through cork oak and eucalyptus. Most walkers take the Fishermen’s Trail, or a hybrid: coast where the coast is good, inland when the wind or the sand becomes tiresome.

The numbers understate the effort. Total ascent is only about 2,500 m and the highest point around 150 m, but a large share of the walking is on loose sand — dune paths, beach and soft cliff track — which is slow and works the calves in a way flat ground does not. Expect roughly a third more time than the distance suggests. Cliff edges are unfenced and undercut in places, and the path runs close to them. In the afternoon the north-westerly picks up and drives sand and salt straight into your face if you are walking north.

Twelve days is the typical figure for the full 230 km, averaging under 20 km a day. Six days covers the classic original section from Porto Covo to Odeceixe, which is what many people actually walk. Sample stages run Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes at 20 km, Milfontes to Almograve at 15 km, Almograve to Zambujeira do Mar at 22 km, Odeceixe to Aljezur at 18 km, and Carrapateira to Vila do Bispo at 20 km. Villages are conveniently spaced, so the route breaks naturally and shortening a day is usually possible.

March to October is the walking season, and the shoulder months are clearly the better half of it. April and May bring wildflowers on the cliffs, moderate temperatures and reliable light. September and October are warm, calmer and quiet, with the sea at its warmest. July and August are hot, fully exposed and busy with Portuguese and Spanish holidaymakers, and the villages fill up. Winter is mild and walkable but wetter and windier, with some guesthouses and restaurants closed. Atlantic fog is common on early summer mornings and usually burns off by mid-morning.

You sleep in village guesthouses, small hotels, hostels and campsites in places such as Vila Nova de Milfontes, Zambujeira do Mar, Odeceixe, Aljezur, Carrapateira and Sagres. Supply is decent by long-trail standards, but these are small seaside villages that also serve summer holidaymakers, so August is genuinely tight and Easter weekends fill early. The trail association publishes a list of accommodation that has signed up to serve walkers, including places that will collect you from the path. A month or two ahead is usually enough outside high summer.

The Fishermen’s Trail suits walkers who want a coast rather than a mountain: no altitude, no navigation problem, a café most days, and swimming at the end of many stages. It is a good early-season or late-season option when Alpine routes are shut. It suits less well anyone who dislikes sand, wind or heat exposure, since there is almost no shade for hours at a time, and anyone who needs firm, predictable footing, because the cliff paths are uneven and the drops beside them are unprotected.