Rota Vicentina stages and daily distances

On the coastal path the villages are the stages, and they sit conveniently spaced: Porto Covo, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Almograve, Zambujeira do Mar, and later Odeceixe, Aljezur, Carrapateira and Vila do Bispo, at intervals of 15 to 22 km. That is the easy part. Between them there is nothing at all, no café, no tap and no shade, for four or five hours at a stretch, and the cliff path never leaves the sun. Two litres per person is the minimum, more in September.

With 2,500 m of ascent over 230 km and a high point of 150 m, gradient is not the story here. Sand is. Long stretches of the coastal path cross soft dune, where each step gives way and your effective pace drops by a third. The 22 km from Almograve to Zambujeira do Mar is the standard illustration: modest climbs, dozens of small descents into and out of cliff-top gullies, and enough loose sand that walkers arrive two hours later than their usual speed predicts.

The route falls into three coastal blocks. The Alentejo opening, Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes and on to Almograve, is dune and cliff at their most exposed, with the river crossing at Milfontes to plan around. The middle, through Zambujeira do Mar to Odeceixe and inland to Aljezur, mixes coast with cork and eucalyptus. The Algarve finish, past Carrapateira and Vila do Bispo towards Cape St Vincent and on to Lagos, is the wildest walking and by some way the windiest.

The most common misjudgement is applying road-walking speeds to sand. A 20 km day here can take as long as a 28 km day elsewhere. The second is walking in July or August, when the cliffs are 35°C with no shade and the villages are full. The third is planning around the coastal path alone: the inland historical route runs roughly parallel and is the better option in strong wind or heavy rain, and switching between them mid-trip is normal.