Sharing our Roto Vicentina - blog

[shefollowsshells]

I gained so much help from this forum as we prepared for our Roto Vicentina. It is a breathtaking feast of a hike!
We walked South to North and while I have never been one to write well I hope my pictures can give someone a glimpse of all it has to offer.

Shefollowsshells.blogspot.com

is my blog.

We are currently on the Portuguese route from Lisbon, having just left Fatima.
The Roto Vicentina will forever be in my heart.

I hiked with five of my six children from Le Puy to the Atlantic about a year and a half ago. This trip was “ just the girls”, my 11 and 13 year old daughters are with me. Three nights were spent camping out under the stars.

We remain in Europe “ on Camino”, but once home in June will share anything I can to help others plan this route.

hugs!
Neve

 

[Jotown]

Hi Neve
I’ll be following you from Fatima in a couple of weeks...
So, any further info/updates/ news would be really useful , thanks

Bon Camino !

Joe

 

[LTfit]

@shefollowsshells I'm so glad to hear that you all enjoyed the Rota Vicentina as much as I did but then again I love the sea! What a wonderful experience to chair with your girls!

I walked North to South as I have a friend living in Raposeira, a tiny town next to Vila do Bispo.

Only tiny minus point was the arrival at the lighthouse at Cabo. It was a bit anticlimactic but otherwise a wonderful walk.

 

[peregrina2000]

Just thought of some of my forum friends who have walked the Rota Vicentina. According to the New York Times, that coast is “the last unspoiled stretch of Atlantic coast in southern Europe.” Though I am not much of a beach person, I have been to this coast several times and can agree with every bit of praise this article lavishes on it.

A Portugal of Pristine Beaches, Tiny Villages and Little Else (Published 2019)

The country’s Alentejo region has the last unspoiled stretch of Atlantic coast in all of southern Europe, with 40 miles of nearly untouched beaches.

www.nytimes.com

 

[jungleboy]

I was thinking of trying to squeeze in the Rota Vicentina next year (late March / early April). I’m a bit torn between which route to choose. Like Laurie, I prefer history stuff to beaches so the Historical Way seems more up my alley. But I know how beautiful the coast is in that part of Portugal so I could be persuaded to do the Fisherman’s Trail instead...

 

[edandjoan]

I was thinking of trying to squeeze in the Rota Vicentina next year (late March / early April). I’m a bit torn between which route to choose. Like Laurie, I prefer history stuff to beaches so the Historical Way seems more up my alley. But I know how beautiful the coast is in that part of Portugal so I could be persuaded to do the Fisherman’s Trail instead...

It is at the top of our list for wonderful walks. We loved it! And It is beautiful and the people are so lovely. we have walked from eastern Switzerland to SdC. And in Italy and other places. You can find out about our journey on our blog (see below).

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I absolutely loved the Rota Vicentina Fisherman's Way! I walked it last spring and had good advice from EdandJoan, along with their guidebook passed on so graciously to me. It does not really have a "camino feel", but no matter...it was glorious!

 

[jungleboy]

I absolutely loved the Rota Vicentina Fisherman's Way!

Could you please describe it a bit (without pictures)? Is it mostly clifftop walking, is it forested at all, are there interesting towns/villages? Thanks!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Could you please describe it a bit (without pictures)? Is it mostly clifftop walking, is it forested at all, are there interesting towns/villages? Thanks!

There is a lot of cliff top walking, but the majority is not treacherous. I was apprehensive to walk this route as I have a fear of heights, but I had some reassuring comments from forum members and very few spots were actually dicey. There were a couple of short, but steep valley's to navigate up and down. The first few days was walking in a lot of 3-4" of sand, very strenuous and discouraging, but eventually there was much less, and the outstanding views made up for the difficulty. There were a few stretches in woods occasionally and it joined up farther south with the Historical Way for a period of time. We had mostly great weather with good temperatures. I planned ahead and booked all lodging ahead of time which worked out well. We never needed to take a bus or taxi. It is not really like a camino, but a great experience in its own way. It's very beautiful with lovely flowering succulents. I went in mid April. The towns and villages are totally different. Very little stone is used, unlike Spain, and is mostly white stucco with deep blue trim around the windows and doors. Hope this helps.

 

[jungleboy]

Hope this helps.

It does indeed. Thank you!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

It does indeed. Thank you!

Oh, and btw, we walked it north to south, but many also start in the south and walk northward.