Rota Vicentina, Portugal - 2
The Rota Vicentina is a 239-kilometre (148-mile) walk along the lovely coastline and through the pretty countryside of Southern Portugal. This video is Part 2 of a two-part series and details the last three days of the walk. See Part 1 for the first three days.
This section of the walk led through woodlands and farmland where we saw beautiful birds including the endemic Iberian chiffchaff and cheeky red-billed chough. We also met friendly pigs, horses and donkeys, drank in coastal views and pools with bright pink waterlillies, wined and dined on delicious local produce and ventured to Cape St Vincent with its red lighthouse on the very tip of southern Portugal, formerly known as 'the end of the world'.
Why go?
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Walking distances are long but not overly arduous so you stay fit without feeling completely exhausted at the end of the day. You can also, like we did, go with a Portuguese company who arranges for your luggage to be taken from hotel to hotel each morning so you just carry your daypack. I thoroughly recommend this option.
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The walk is beautiful, with ever changing scenery: wild coastline where the sea bashes against the rocks one minute, wind farms and heath the next, and woodlands where endemic birds sing.
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Outside the main tourist season (July and August), you are likely to have the walk pretty much to yourself, meaning it's a quiet, relaxing, rejuvenating experience.
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It's a photographer's paradise, with a wealth of colourful flowers, animals and birds as well as stunning scenes.
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You get right off the beaten track and spend your nights in villages where you can sample delicious Portuguese food and wine.
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You see beautiful places not known to most tourists where you can swim, relax and eat with the locals.
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It's mega relaxing, good for you, and just wonderful.
Getting there
There are various options for walking the Rota Vicentina. You can do the entire walk from Santiago do Cacem to Sagres or vice versa, which takes 12 days or longer with rest stops, or do various sections of the walk. Northern sections of the walk are easily accessible by bus from Lisbon. It took us 3 1/2 hours to reach Zambujeiro do Mar where we began.
If you start the walk in the south, you can reach Sagres and Vila do Bispo easily from Faro, by train and bus.
Where to stay
You can book your own accommodation in advance at each stopping off point, although in some of the more remote villages people do not speak English. We went with a Portuguese tour operator who pre-booked all our accommodation which came with breakfast. The accommodation was excellent, clean and comfortable, with tasty breakfasts.
The walk
This video covers the last three days of the southern part of the Rota Vicentina, from Arrifana to Sagres.
Check out Rota Vicentina, Portugal - Part 1 for the first three days of the walk from Zambujeira do Mar to Arrifana and read our web page.
Day 4: Arrifana to Carrapateira: 23 kilometres (14.3 miles)
A long day's walk, mainly through farmland, plantation forests including cork forests and heathland. Our trip notes detailed a highlight of the day as a junkyard, which was a large rundown place packed with car carcasses and construction rubble.
The walk began by hugging the coast, providing access to some gorgeous cliffs wreathed in mist, blue water with rocky outcrops and sandy beaches backed by heathland peppered with wildflowers.
We then turned inland and saw cork trees with some of their bark removed to make (surprise surprise) cork. Unlike most trees, cork trees don't die when you ringbark them. The bark grows back and can be harvested again.
We also saw goat herders with their trusty dogs, vineyards, wind farms aplenty and farms with crowing roosters and beautiful horses.
We ended up in a lovely village with coastal views where we stayed in a delightful pension and ate in a very good pizzeria.
Day 5: Carrapateira to Vila do Bispo: 21 kilometres (13 miles)
This was my favourite day of the entire walk, along with Day 1 from Zambujeira do Mar to Odeceixe, because it was so varied and there were so many lovely birds and farm animals. Interestingly, it was the only day we didn't walk along the coast although we did have sea views.
We climbed to the top of the hill from Carrapateira after the fabulous breakfast put on for us by the pension. There were about 50 cheeses, types of bread and jam, eggs done every way and rich fresh coffee.
From the hilltop there were gorgeous coastal views and a majestic bird of prey circled on the thermals. An uplifting start to the day.
We then walked through beautiful countryside, much of it woodland with a wealth of trees ringing with birdsong. We saw many birds including the Iberian chiffchaff. We also walked through a farm with some cute, friendly pigs and passed a village where a christening was being conducted in the church.
Lunch was at a really nice pub where Paul and Caro had some fat sausages soaked in alcohol served by a lovely bloke who was very impressed with Matt's camera.
We found a pool covered in waterlilies with bright pink blooms. Frogs croaked and fish swam. A really special place.
We got to Vila do Bispo in time to wander round the town, which was picturesque with cobbled streets and a pretty church and main square. The hotel was nice too: it even had a swimming pool though we didn't get round to swimming.
Dinner was in a good restaurant. Caro and I had an excellent seafood stew with big chunks of fish, shellfish, peppers and potatoes. Yum.
Day 6: Vila do Bispo to Sagres: 21 kilometres (13 miles)
Leaving Vila do Bispo, we followed the wrong trail, going along the Via Algarvina rather than the Historical Trail. Confusingly, they had the same colour coding: red and white.
We wondered if we had gone the wrong way as we crossed a lot of burnt-looking land with wind farms that seemed to go alongside Vila do Bispo rather than away from it. We met a very nice donkey and horse and saw many red-billed chough cawing as they picked at the earth. A skylark posed in a bush and composed a lovely call.
It was only when we reached the main road and a passing motorist stopped because we were standing there looking confused that we realised we had gone in totally the wrong direction and had to walk back to Vila do Bispo. After an 11-kilometre circuit, we got back to the pretty town and collapsed in the main square where a very chatty waitor served up fresh sardines straight from the ocean: we had to wait until they were caught so lunch took over an hour!
Eventually, we were off, out of Vila do Bispo and along the coast where the mist rolled in and our coastal views were obscured or obliterated by fog. We got to Cape St Vincent and just about made out the red lighthouse. There was an outdoor bar we made a beeline for, despite the freezing temperature, and enjoyed cold alcoholic drinks while we shivered. The mist cleared and we got to see the lighthouse in all its glory and coastal views.
However, we were knackered and did not want to walk another 11 kms to Sagres. After all, we'd already walked 21 kilometres. So we contacted the lovely company we'd booked the holiday with and they obligingly arranged a taxi for us.
Getting into the taxi was wonderful. It was so warm. It was even nicer getting into our hotel room, which had pretty coastal views and was very comfortable. The hot shower was delightful. We went out for dinner and drinks, and celebrated the end of our walk.
About the birds
We saw some lovely birds on the walk, many of which we could not film (they flit around so quickly) and others we could not identify, but you may be able to.
Can you identify the bird of prey at the beginning of Day 5 at 3:42? My brother helpfully identified them as 'a kestrel, kite, osprey, buzzard, eagle or something'.
Or how about the backlit bird perched on top of the tree at 4:43?
If you can identify one or more birds, please leave a comment under the video with a link to your youtube site so we can acknowledge you.
Here's some info on the birds we could identify.
Iberian chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus
Iberian chiffchaffs are endemic to Spain, Portugal and North Africa. They live on insects and spiders and inhabit woodlands and scrub areas. They differ from common chiffchaffs due to their more yellow underparts.
Eurasian skylark Alauda arvensis
https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/787/_/Eurasian_Skylark.aspx
Eurasian skylarks were just known as 'skylarks' until 2016 when they were renamed by the American Ornithologist Union. They eat seeds, grains and insects and forage on the ground and in shrubs. They are known for their attractive song, and males and females look similar.
Red-billed chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Red-billed choughs are members of the crow family but are unique in having red bills and legs. They have a large range throughout Europe and Asia, and forage on the ground, eating insects and larvae.
Do you have questions or comments about this article? Email maddestinations@gmail.com or leave a comment under the video.
