Most people begin or end the Fisherman’s Trail in Porto Covo, however technically there is one remaining section when heading north. We decided we are here and might as well bang out the last 10 km. It was an easy hike that combined short walks along the cliffs and beach, with the final 3km walking along the road. The temperatures had also dropped down into the 60s so it was a very pleasant hike
Sao Torpes is directly south of Sines, a major port area, and as we approached, it was a far different environment than any other section of the trail — the trail itself was fine, but as you looked ahead you saw a lot of industry and you realized you were no longer in the midst of pure nature. We also noticed there was a lot less foot traffic on this section; most hikers skip this section. So if you ever decide to hike all or parts of the Fisherman’s Trail, you could also skip this section and not miss a thing.
That said, we officially completed the entire Fisherman’s Trail, which is 224 km. Now to be fully honest, we crossed two rivers (one by foot, one by ferry) instead of walking along a road (no fun) and that cut off about 8km. We also took an Uber to cut out an inland section along a road that we knew would not be very exciting, and that cut off another 6km. Of course we walked everywhere for food, drinks, beach days, etc. so if anyone is keeping score we did just fine :).
We are spending one more day in Porto Covo and then head to Lisbon on June 3rd for three nights before beginning our next adventure.
No shame in a quick Uber. Congrats you guys – can’t wait to see the next part of the adventure!
The Camino guide book we are using provides recommended sections, many of which are 30+km in length. Fortunately, there appear to be enough hotel/B&B options on the route for us to stay around 20km per day, but we will never shy away from public transport or an uber if our feet tell us to stop!!
Understood