I just came back from this last week, walking the Fisherman's Trail. The weather was cloudy a lot, but we only really got rained on for one day - soaked right through all our wet weather gear! We walked:
Arrifana - Aljezur: 12km (or 17km-ish with coastal loop)
Accommodation: the perfectly lovely Amazigh Hostel, right on the Rota in the old side of town.
A little bit uninspiring on the main path, but the coastal loop was beautiful and would highly recommend taking it. Ate wild medronho from the bushes! Arrifana is just gorgeous, but most accommodation is available in nearby Vale da Telha, which is a soulless development best avoided. Aljezur is full of little museums and the remains of a 1000-year-old castle fort, from where we watched the new year's fireworks.
Aljezur - Odeceixe: 18km (or up to 26km with two coastal loops)
Accommodation: spotlessly clean Casa Hospedes Celeste, run by an amazing grandmother who even feeds you breakfast.
A very quiet canal-side walk all day, flat and easy and peaceful. Watch out for a glimpse of freshwater crayfish in the canal! Odeceixe is a pretty little upriver town with a windmill and some excellent restaurants (highly recommend Chaparro - blazing fire and lovely seafood). We didn't take the coastal loops, but regretted that afterwards as the second loop goes via Odeceixe beach/lagoon, which is absolutely beautiful and has gorgeous little bars for drinking wine and watching the sea.
Odeceixe - Zambujeira do Mar: 18km
Accommodation: Hakuna Matata Hostel, the best hostel we've ever stayed in! Cheap and gorgeous!
Best day of the hike. Riverlands, then the lagoon, then coastline and small inland forest walks, all along to gorgeous Zambujeira do Mar, an extremely pretty little town perched up over a beach. Ate at Rita's, which has great, reasonable food (try the local-style pork and clams) and the best view of any restaurant we've ever been too.
Zambujeira do Mar - Almograve: 22km
Accommodation: an Airbnb house with three generations of family running it.
A relatively long day, with the first 4km on a road, and a dangerous hill-climb coming out of Porto das Barcos. Also some sand to slog through, but beautiful coastline again, and a second-to-none stop-off in Cavaleiro - Rocamar restaurant is incredible, with the meal of the day delicious and extraordinarily cheap! Almograve is tiny and a little bit back from a lovely beach.
Almograve - Vila Nova de Milefontes: 15km
Accommodation: an amazing cottage (
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14683560) with pretty courtyard
All coastline, with lots of small and beautiful plants, and then a walk along the Mira river (where we went for a swim off the jetty) and over the bridge into the very pretty town of Vila Nova de Milefontes. Some amazing restaurants here, including the extraordinary Tasca do Celso (roaring fire, excellent wines, leather chairs, booked solid every night).
Vila Nova de Milefontes - Porto Covo: 20km
This was the day it rained solidly, so I can't say much about the scenery! But I think on a better day it would have been really beautiful - stunning little beaches, especially near Porto Covo, and white stork nests right near the trail. Lots of sand to walk through, though we got lucky with low tide and so were able to walk on the packed sand on the beach.
My partner started in Lagos, and walked the first day to Sagres (35km), before joining the official route at Cabo St Vincent and walking all the way to Porto Covo. He said that coastline before Sagres was actually the most beautiful of the whole walk!
