Fishermen’s Trail Day 6

The 6th stage of the Fishermen’s Trail goes from Carrapateira to Arrifana, a total of 21 km (13 miles). We started hiking at 9:15 AM after stopping by the small local shop to buy some baked goods for our trail lunch.

We have a relatively good amount of time for the stages on the Fishermen’s Trail, so we don’t need to start as early as we have on previous hikes.

The first few kilometers descended to Praia da Bordeira beach. The path down there was loose, fine sand, which is very tiring and boring to walk in. It immediately got better when we reached the beach, where we could walk where the largest waves had made the sand wet and firm. On the beach, there were beginner surfing lessons. Some experienced surfers were trying the waves further out on the beach without much success.

After one kilometer, we reached cliffs, and the path ascended along them, about 50 meters (164 feet) above sea level. This involved walking in loose sand, and our progress didn’t match the effort. After two kilometers along the cliffs, the trail turned inland, and our coastal walk was over for today.

We struggled our way inland through loose sand until we reached a gravel road, where we finally found firm ground under our shoes. It was a liberation. The gravel road followed rolling hills and passed a few agricultural areas. Halfway through today’s stage, we passed the only restaurant on this section, and we took a good break there. The gravel road then continued all the way to Arrifana, interrupted only by a quick detour down to the rocky Praia do Canal beach.

Most people hiking the Fishermen’s Trail walk from north to south, for reasons unknown. We encounter these hikers for about an hour in the middle of the day’s stage. Aside from that hour, we see very few hikers. In total, there are about 100 hikers going southbound, and I would guess about 20 going northbound.

In Arrifana, we had booked into Hotel Vale da Telha. We arrived at 3:15 PM and checked in. The hotel has a nice outdoor area with a pool, which we made good use of. The weather was splendid today as well.

This is a different type of hiking than what we’re used to. One thing is for sure: there’s no danger of me losing weight on this trip, as I usually do. And we’ve only had chocolate once!