Flexible Camino 2 Fisherman's trail

[Antonius Vaessen]

In an earlier thread I asked for suggestions for s "flexible" Camino, meaning that there should be enough accomodations to be be able to adjust my walking distance to my fysical condition ( I had some kneeproblems in my April Camino) and that there would be a possibility for luggage transfer. The combination of these two criteria suggest that that is only possible in a crowded Camino like the Frances or the Portugues from Porto. Although I like some company, mainly in the albergue/ hostel I am not fond of the crowds on these two caminos. So it seems that I am confronted with a "catch 22" situation. ( Like someone said in reaction to my earlier thread)
When reading about the different caminos I came upon the Fisherman's trail. From the description I concluded a few things : it is very beautifull, it is not a crowded Camino; there is enough accomodation and there is the possibility of luggage transfer. I have got a few questions:
Can anybody who did walk this route confirm that this is the case?
How are the prices of accomodations?
I have read that this routes involves much walking in loose sand. How hard is this and can you avoid these stretches?
Thanks beforehand

 

[jungleboy]

From the description I concluded a few things : it is very beautifull, it is not a crowded Camino; there is enough accomodation and there is the possibility of luggage transfer. I have got a few questions:
Can anybody who did walk this route confirm that this is the case?

The first three, I confirm. About luggage transfer, I don’t know. Also, be aware that this is not a Camino de Santiago, but a long-distance coastal walk.

How are the prices of accomodations?

Depends on your budget but quite reasonable I think. In April this year we paid an average of about €40 for a double room.

I have read that this routes involves much walking in loose sand. How hard is this and can you avoid these stretches?

Yes it does. It takes a bit of getting used to but I prefer it to asphalt! The loose sand is on the dunes on the cliffs above the ocean (particularly the first four days south of Porto Covo). You can avoid it at times by going down to the beach and walking on harder sand, but this is not always possible and sometimes the beach ‘exits’ can be a bit difficult.

Good luck and enjoy. The coastal scenery really is spectacular.

 

[edandjoan]

It is a beautiful route. The sand cannot be avoided. It didn't bother us, but it did make our feet very dirty everyday. Most accommodations are small boutique hotels. There is very good information on a website...serach rota vicentina, I can't recall the web address.
In 2017, we paid about $50 euro for a room with breakfast. Meals were very inexpensive, and there were few people walking. It has been one our favorite walks. Here is our journal: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/flexible-camino-2-fishermans-trail.77292/

 

[travelinglightCO]

We did the walk in November of 2021 and loved it! There is definitely loose sand on some stretches. Loose enough to make my legs sore! There were really only two days of the super loose sand though. There were less than 20 people that we saw everyday. We were spaced out, so it was nice and quiet.

We paid about 40 to 50 euros per night for lodging and had no problems booking places the night before. Food was delicious!
There were options for luggage transfer. I didn't use it, but saw flyers for it.

 

[LTfit]

I walked north-south starting in Santiago do Cacem and crossed over to the coast to follow the Fisherman's Trail till Cabo San Vicente.

I stayed in surf hostels for €15 a night including towel and sheets! This was in 2016 and it was in March so there was no problem.

No idea about luggage travel. And as far as sand is concerned, it was only on three days (for me as of day 2). I walk on the beach and in the dunes every Sunday so it didn't bother me but I've heard others complain.

The route is breathtakingly beautiful! Zero culture but if you love seascapes it's the route to take.

 

[Cynistra]

I did this in March this year and if budget is a concern you can definitely do it for less than the 40-50 euro suggested here by staying in hostels (although prices definitely do go up in high season) .
Fisherman's trail is part of the larger Rota Vicentina and if you're planning to do some of the inland stretch of that accommodation can be a bit pricier.
I'm walking a camino right now so don't have access to all my planning for that but if you're interested in those details send me a pm and I can pop it over to you once I'm back home in a week or so.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I walked the Fisherman's Trail in mid-April 2019. I loved it, but those first 3-4 days in deep sand out of Porto Covo had me concerned and wondering what I'd gotten myself in for. Thankfully it smoothed out after that as I was starting to get a bit discouraged. I'd booked all my accomodation ahead of time on booking.com, so am not sure about winging hostels or luggage transfers.

 

[andycohn]

In an earlier thread I asked for suggestions for s "flexible" Camino, meaning that there should be enough accomodations to be be able to adjust my walking distance to my fysical condition ( I had some kneeproblems in my April Camino) and that there would be a possibility for luggage transfer. The combination of these two criteria suggest that that is only possible in a crowded Camino like the Frances or the Portugues from Porto. Although I like some company, mainly in the albergue/ hostel I am not fond of the crowds on these two caminos. So it seems that I am confronted with a "catch 22" situation. ( Like someone said in reaction to my earlier thread)
When reading about the different caminos I came upon the Fisherman's trail. From the description I concluded a few things : it is very beautifull, it is not a crowded Camino; there is enough accomodation and there is the possibility of luggage transfer. I have got a few questions:
Can anybody who did walk this route confirm that this is the case?
How are the prices of accomodations?
I have read that this routes involves much walking in loose sand. How hard is this and can you avoid these stretches?
Thanks beforehand

Yes, there is efficient baggage transport. Will send details later. Just taking off on a plane flight.

 

[andycohn]

In an earlier thread I asked for suggestions for s "flexible" Camino, meaning that there should be enough accomodations to be be able to adjust my walking distance to my fysical condition ( I had some kneeproblems in my April Camino) and that there would be a possibility for luggage transfer. The combination of these two criteria suggest that that is only possible in a crowded Camino like the Frances or the Portugues from Porto. Although I like some company, mainly in the albergue/ hostel I am not fond of the crowds on these two caminos. So it seems that I am confronted with a "catch 22" situation. ( Like someone said in reaction to my earlier thread)
When reading about the different caminos I came upon the Fisherman's trail. From the description I concluded a few things : it is very beautifull, it is not a crowded Camino; there is enough accomodation and there is the possibility of luggage transfer. I have got a few questions:
Can anybody who did walk this route confirm that this is the case?
How are the prices of accomodations?
I have read that this routes involves much walking in loose sand. How hard is this and can you avoid these stretches?
Thanks beforehand

Following up my previous post, my wife hurt her back on Day 1, so we were obliged to use baggage transfer. Vicentina Transfer is the company. https://rotavicentina.com/en/transports/vicentina-transfers/
They were very responsive, and you can arrange it on a day to day basis, or for your whole itinerary. They cover the entire RV, that is, both the Fisherman's Trail on the coast and the Historical Way a bit inland. They speak fluent English. Transfers are more expensive than in Spain, around 15 euros per transfer.

 

[Antonius Vaessen]

Following up my previous post, my wife hurt her back on Day 1, so we were obliged to use baggage transfer. Vicentina Transfer is the company. https://rotavicentina.com/en/transports/vicentina-transfers/
They were very responsive, and you can arrange it on a day to day basis, or for your whole itinerary. They cover the entire RV, that is, both the Fisherman's Trail on the coast and the Historical Way a bit inland. They speak fluent English. Transfers are more expensive than in Spain, around 15 euros per transfer.

Following up my previous post, my wife hurt her back on Day 1, so we were obliged to use baggage transfer. Vicentina Transfer is the company. https://rotavicentina.com/en/transports/vicentina-transfers/
They were very responsive, and you can arrange it on a day to day basis, or for your whole itinerary. They cover the entire RV, that is, both the Fisherman's Trail on the coast and the Historical Way a bit inland. They speak fluent English. Transfers are more expensive than in Spain, around 15 euros per transfer.

Everybody many thanks for the information. It was very useful in the sense that it now certainly is a realistic option than before. Videos and photos I have watched also confirm that this is a terrific route. When I decide to walk the trail these sources of information will be very helpfull

 

[dbier]

Just a cautionary note...depending upon the nature of your knee problems and your experience with walking on sand, ask your doctor first. Hard sand can be difficult with knee problems; loose sand much more so.

 

[Antonius Vaessen]

Just a cautionary note...depending upon the nature of your knee problems and your experience with walking on sand, ask your doctor first. Hard sand can be difficult with knee problems; loose sand much more so.

Thanks, that will be a point to consider seriously. Perhaps it is possible to walk ultrashort distances on the stretches that involve much sandwalking

 

[andycohn]

Thanks, that will be a point to consider seriously. Perhaps it is possible to walk ultrashort distances on the stretches that involve much sandwalking

Unfortunately, it's not that easy to break up the stages because there really is very little between the stage towns. Occasionally, there is a lone b&b or guest house of some sort in the outlying areas, or another small village, but that's not true for the majority of the cases. We tried once, for example, to "even up" one long stage followed by a shorter stage, and there was actually a convenient place to stay, but found out that it was booked up when we called a few days in advance. To get you started in your planning, there's a good "official "website Here's the link to the Fisherman's Trail section: https://rotavicentina.com/en/walking/fishermens-trail/ You can also search on
Google Maps, which will show all the accomodations, typically with links to booking.com, which is almost universally used by the guesthouses. Jungle boy (Nick) also has a good descriptive thread, which was very helpful to us: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/rota-vicentina-april-2022.73995/ It's a great route, though, so don't want to rain on your parade.

 

[Mercian Pro]

We had a great experience walking the Fisherman's Trail from Porto Covo to Odeceixe in September 2017. Our overnights were in Vila Nova de Milfontes (24km); Almograve (+13km with ferry); Zambujeira do Mar (+24km) and Odeceixe (+21km). We stayed on in Odeceixe for an extra night and did a 16km circuit further south on tn the coast and back inland. Accommodation and meal costs were reasonable and bag transfers ranged from €20 (arranged by hotel) to €10 by Vincentina Transfers.
The scenery was stunning and the waymarking generally very good but we reckoned walking on sand the first few days took about 20% more effort and time than typical Camino walking conditions. As mentioned above, there weren't a whole lot of accommodation options outside of the main towns listed above so shortening the days could be problematic unless you resort to taxis. Enjoy.