Day hiking areas in Southern Portugal

[Canucks]

I realize this is off topic but I know that there are knowledgeable Portugal hikers here. We will do the Portuguese Camino in the future but wanted to know if there is a small city or village that would be super cool to go to at the end of September for a couple of weeks on the ocean with day hikes that would be strenuous.
We have done the le puy and frances caminos but this fall we want to end up somewhere (after hiking in Italy) to spend a couple of weeks doing good day hikes but basing ourselves in one location. Any comments on Madeira?
We have not been to Portugal so this would be our introduction to the country. We’ve spent lots of time in Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland etc.

Sorry for the off topic non-Camino thread but this is a great resource.

 

[NovaSofi]

Go spend time in benagil on the algarve without a car. Walk the bluffs above the sea to all the amazing beaches...I lost more weight in 5 days doing that, then I did on the whole Camino

 

[jsalt]

Hi, I love the south west tip of Portugal, around Sagres and Lagos, in the Algarve. You could do some day hikes on the Rota Vicentina. Lots of info here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/from-cabo-de-s%C3%A3o-vicente-using-rota-de-vicentina-facilities.36220/

Jill

 

[Canucks]

Thanks, nova and jsalt!

The Algarve was definitely an area that jumped out.

 

[islandwalker]

Have you seen the trails on Wikiloc? It has hundreds of tracks you can download for Portugal. If you go to the world map (https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/map.do) on their website, you can zoom in on the areas you are interested in. If you are out too far, no symbols will show up, but if you zoom in as far as you can go, you can get all the trails that start at a certain point to show up. Have fun!

 

[LTfit]

I second Jill's suggestion about the Rota Vicentina. Look around in the thread, I know I posted quite a bit of pictures. If you love a rugged coastline, you can't beat this area (and I have done the Norte).

 

[edandjoan]

https://rotavicentinablog.wordpress.com

Loved southern Portugal. We walked this fall the Fisherman's trial. I think there are several small towns you could spend a few days in and just relax and hike along the cliffs on the coast and some great descends to the beautiful beaches.

 

[Anna Machial]

If you have a car central Portugal has some very interesting hikes. http://www.aldeiashistoricasdeportugal.com/en/
http://www.aldeiashistoricasdeportugal.com/media/documentos/en/AF_GR-AHP_folheto_EN_DE_web.pdf
https://www.naturtejo.com/en/conteudo.php?opt=o-que-fazer&id=84

I had planned on walking a caminho last spring but had surgery last fall so settled for some sight seeing and shorter hikes in central Portugal using the two above websites and Lonely Planet for my planning. We stayed in a small mining town called Cabeco do Piao, in the district of Fundao, in an apartment which was part of a youth hostel called Casas da Mina or Mina Youth Hostel. I highly recommend it though its a bit out of the way. Hikes in Monteigas are also within a 2 hour drive from there though you could always stay in Monteigas. There is also hiking in Sintra if you stay there. Portugal actually has tons of hiking trails they just are not well advertised. They also have trails that are part of the International Appalachian Trail.
https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=15156537

 

[rvv]

Rota Vincentiva - Fishermans Trail option

I realize this is off topic but I know that there are knowledgeable Portugal hikers here. We will do the Portuguese Camino in the future but wanted to know if there is a small city or village that would be super cool to go to at the end of September for a couple of weeks on the ocean with day hikes that would be strenuous.
We have done the le puy and frances caminos but this fall we want to end up somewhere (after hiking in Italy) to spend a couple of weeks doing good day hikes but basing ourselves in one location. Any comments on Madeira?
We have not been to Portugal so this would be our introduction to the country. We’ve spent lots of time in Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland etc.

Sorry for the off topic non-Camino thread but this is a great resource.

Check-out this website: http://www.wiportugal.org/WanderAlgarveAlleEN.html it has lots of walks in the Algarve/Southern Portugal

 

[PilgrimPillar]

Drop Algarve in favour of epic coastline south of Porto Covo down against St Vincente.....I'm going back....(FB link for 360 option).....

 

[Ray J]

We enjoyed Sagres as our starting point for our Portuguese Camino, heading north up the Rota Vicentina. Warning: Once you start on the RV, you may not want to stop!

But to go off-topic on your off-topic, where are you hiking in Italy? We're going to be there in late May and are looking into what routes to take, so any info you could provide would be much appreciated!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi Ray,
My son and I are planning to walk the Fisherman's Trail in early April, starting in Sagres. How many days did you walk and if you recall the towns you stayed in overnight I'd appreciste your list. When finished we will head up to Porto to begin the Portuguese camino.
Thanks and I hope to hear from you.
Chris

 

[Ray J]

Chris, here are the towns/places we hit on the Rota (2016 prices). I had to consult my logbooks, and now I'm super jealous that you're going on this trip - We loved it! If you haven't already, you should get the official guidebook. Hopefully, by now, they have a south to north version (they didn't when we went), but if not it's still a very good guide.

Sagres - Hotel Memmo Baleeira 90€ Very nice; we needed it after a long plane trip. Great breakfast.

Vila do Bispo - Flor de Esteva 50€ Nice, basic accommodation with friendly owners.

Carrapateira – Had a reservation, couldn’t find it, wound up staying in a place a woman we passed in the street had available.

Arrifana - Arrifana Retreat 40€ Definitely recommended. Super hosts (Hi, Kate and Stimpy!). Bonus: You can do laundry here (for 3€, but worth it.) Great places to eat in town.

Aljezur - Jo House 45€ Nothing special. Probably better places that are cheaper.

Odeceixe - Casa Morais 33.60€ It’s like staying at Grandma’s! Literally run by a grandmother, it’s as neat as a pin, and she served up a great breakfast.

Zambujeira do Mar - Camping Villa Park 35€ On the outskirts, but nice. As I recall, not many places to choose from. New swimming pool – I know because they started demoing the old one the morning we left.

Almograve - Pousadas de Juventude 28€ Doesn’t get more basic than this.

Vila Nova de Milfontes - Apartamentos Atlantico 22€ Not sure why we chose this one. It’s nice and was near the water, though, and the price was right. They do laundry.

Porto Covo – Ahoy Porto Covo Hostel 34.50€ Nice enough, although pretty basic.

We skipped the final two legs of the Rota because it headed inland and we felt we’d already seen enough of that. Besides, we needed to save a couple of days so we could spend some time in Lisbon, which I highly recommend.

We took a train to Cascais, then hiked to Sintra (well worth seeing), Silveira, Areia Branca, and Peniche. We took a bus to Obidos, then hiked to Nazare, Sao Pedro de Moel, Coimbra (recommend spending at least two days there), Mealhada, Agueda, and Albergaria-a-Velho.

We caught another bus to Porto (the guidebook made walking into Porto sound less than optimal), then hiked to the Portuguese to Santiago. Porto is another town I recommend spending several days in. Also highly recommend taking the coastal route out of Porto – it’s very different from the Rota, but we liked it a lot.

If you’re interested, I can provide additional information on any of these places/routes.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Hi Ray, Yippee! Thanks so much for taking the time to put your stages together!
I just booked airfare TODAY, leaving April 15th from Chicago. We plan to spend two days in Lisbon before starting. Not sure yet if we're going N to S or S to N.
I have the guidebook from March 2017, given and mailed to me by a generous forum member. Your stages will help as I've been a little confused by the corcular routes to add in. Also walking on sand will be new and I'm sure harder.
I may PM you later on if I have other questions as I pour over information.
Thanks again, Chris