Hiking Portugal's Atlantic Coast
- travelezeuk
- Mar 17, 2015
- 2 min read
A long distance hiking trail, the Rota Vicentina, follows the Portuguese Atlantic coast for 350km, taking in this huge swathe of the most unspoiled and wildest stretch of coastline to be found on the Iberian Peninsula, or anywhere in southern Europe. It is composed of two sections which are called the Historical Way and the Fisherman's Trail. The route takes you from the town of Santiago do Cacém to the Cape of St. Vincent which is the most south-westerly point of mainland Europe. Walking is one of the very best ways to get to know a region, and this is a wonderful region to become more familiar with. With fantastic cliff top views and rugged scenery devoid of crowds, this could be the perfect place for a hiking holiday where you can walk at your own pace and escape the crowds.
Picture courtesy - http://www.rei.com/graphics/adventures/photos/PCH_03.jpg
The twelve sections of the 230km Historical Way are composed, mainly, of rural trails. It is a classic Grand Route (GR) which links in with the wide and far-ranging network of trails that traverse the whole of Europe. It is a fascinating route that really gives a sense of rural Portuguese life, culture and history. There are stretches of cork tree woodland (cork trees cover 8% of the country and yet provide more than 50% of the world's cork), mountain ranges, valleys, waterways and nature trails which are perfect for hiking and mountain biking.
The fisherman's trail runs along the coastline for over 100km. Found in the south-west of the large Alentejo region of the country the trail runs through the Vincentina Coast Natural Park. This trail runs west of the Historical Way and links up with it at various points. Like the other trail, this is well sign-posted and it is easy to walk the trail independently in either direction with very little chance of getting lost. This trail is somewhat difficult in places and not as easy to traverse as the Historical Way, and it is not to be attempted by anyone with vertigo or a fear of heights. This narrow, sandy trail can only be travelled on foot.
If you decide to walk some or all of either of these trails, be warned that you will have to carry all food and drink with you and there are few opportunities to buy things and few facilities along the way. Locals may look at you strangely as there is no history of recreational walking in the area – many locals will associate walking with being too poor to buy a mule, let alone a motor vehicle. That said, locals are broadly speaking extremely friendly and will respond kindly if you make the attempt to speak some Portuguese. If you are respectful you will find them helpful if you have any difficulties.
Portugal is a friendly and beautiful country and there is far more to the south than the busy beaches of the Algarve. So if you want to get a good sense of what Portugal is really like then walk the Rota Vicentina trails.
Content courtesy - www.traveleze.co.uk
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