Fishermen’s Trail Day 12, Last Day

So, we’ve reached the final stage of our Fishermen’s Trail hike from Lagos to Porto Covo in Portugal. This stage starts in Vila Nova de Milfontes and is just under 20 km (12.4 miles). We had heard from those hiking in the opposite direction that there was a lot of loose, deep sand on this stretch. It turned out to be true, but certainly not as bad as the worst stories we heard.

There were some small roads parallel to the cliffs a few hundred meters inland. We occasionally chose to follow these, even though they also had loose sand at times. At Praia do Malhão Norte beach, we opted to follow the waterline along it.

The trend we observed yesterday, with the cliffs getting lower as we walked northward, continued today, and just north of Porto Covo, the cliffs end.

We made the decision to take this trip in March. The hiking season runs from September to June. In the middle of summer, it’s too hot to hike. In winter, it’s cool, and there’s more rain and wind. We chose mid-May. It was a perfect hit regarding the weather.

Spring, March, and April, has been very wet this year. We’ve been following the weather forecast, and social media from those hiking then, and there was a lot of rain and wind. We were prepared for the worst and had rain gear to handle whatever came our way: jacket, pants, and poncho. It actually rained the same day we landed in Faro. The ground was wet then, but the forecast said it was the last day of rain. And it was true! We haven’t had a drop of rain. It’s mostly been sunny with clear skies. It was better than we dared to dream of.

We couldn’t avoid the wind, but it didn’t bother us much. In fact, it was pleasant when the temperature climbed well into the 20s Celsius (70s Fahrenheit). We’ve walked in t-shirts and shorts every day, just the way I like it. For the coming days, temperatures are forecast to be in the 30s Celsius (80s Fahrenheit), so it was good to end the trip now.

Aside from birds and reptiles, we haven’t seen any wild animals. However, otters, martens, badgers, and rabbits are present here, though we didn’t spot any of them. Most of these animals are nocturnal. That also applies to wild boars, whose tracks we often saw. They plow up large areas in search of roots and fungi.

Spring is a great time to hike to see the flora at its best. There have been many beautiful colors in all the flowers. In addition, there are the scents from plants like thyme, rosemary, myrtle, and especially lavender.

This has been a comfortable trip in every way, a pleasant change from the other trips we’ve had in recent years where we’ve camped and had to carry provisions for many days. On this trip, we’ve slept in beds, showered every day, and eaten good food. This is a trip that suits hikers of all categories.

Tomorrow we’re heading to Lisbon. We still have several weeks of experiences ahead on the Iberian Peninsula and in the Mediterranean.