Fishermen’s trail: Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes
It was quiet in the hostel in Porto Covo. There was a good reason to stay in bed: it was raining… but I was getting ready for my walk, as well as two other hikers. When the rain stopped for a while, we decided to leave. It was so gray outside! It was a stark contrast to the sunny day I had the day before. Outside it was as quiet as in the hostel. Only a garbage truck passed us as we walked to the harbour and continued along the coast on our way to Vila Nova de Milfontes.
I was now following the green and blue markers of the fishermen’s trail. They were hidden on rocks along the path. It was hard to get lost though. As long as you’re following the coast and don’t stray too far, you are going in the right direction! About 15 minutes in it started raining again, but it was just a constant drizzle. The landscape was still incredible, regardless of the clouds and rain. The path became more and more sandy and for most of the day I was walking through loose sand, as if you are walking on the beach. I was happy that we could actually walk on a real beach at Praia da ilha do Pesseguiero, since we could go close to the water on the firm part of the sand! I realised that we weren’t even halfway yet, but I was already feeling that this walk was way more intense than the days before.
We’d come across two more hikers and for a while we were a group of five, chatting and thereby distracting ourselves from the rain. At the end of the beach we passed Forte de Nossa Senhora do Queimado where a crazy amount of birds flew above the fortress like some sort of omen. For us it marked the moment we got back into the loose sand. With every step your feet sink into the sand, making it twice as strenuous as a regular walk. You couldn’t stop the sand seeping into your shoes, through your socks and in between your toes.
Although we were on small paths that followed the cliffs, there were also some access roads for vehicles along the way. One place was filled with large motorhomes. A sign warned ‘bury your shit, use the shovel’. On the beach lots of dogs were running around, their owners behind them in wind breakers. A whole series of connected beaches began here. At low tide you can walk on the beach, which is much more pleasant, but we didn’t know the tides and didn’t want to risk getting stuck. If you start, you really have to stay on the beach for several hours and there is no way out. I didn’t want it to turn into a swimming expedition.
And so we dragged our feet through the sand until we saw a big parking lot. There were big viewing platforms and there was access to the beaches. I sat on a bench to empty my shoe. My right shoe produced a big pile of sand. Just as I got my cookies out of my backpack to offer everyone a snack, it started to rain again. This time a bit more than before. The group sort of naturally fell apart since we all started to feel the exhaustion. Besides the rain, the wind got much stronger. At times I was afraid it would blow me over. I was just happy it came from the ocean and blew me in the direction of land and not the other way around. I heard the constant rustling of my raincoat. My glasses got completely wet and slightly foggy and I barely saw anything.
Suddenly the sun came through and it warmed up significantly. To my left I saw dark blue and grey clouds, to my right bright sunshine. It was mother nature’s time to play her greatest hits. So I took my backpack off, put my rain gear away and took out my sunglasses. Of course the weather changed again within half an hour. Optimistically I kept my sunglasses on. The scenery was amazing. The path led me over the high cliffs, sometimes right by the ocean. There were wild looking rock formations and small beaches that you could only climb down to over dangerous paths.
On the very edge of Milfontes the path changed. No more loose sand! Hallelujah! From here it was an easy walk to the center of town, where I sat down in a nice café with one of the other hikers. It was so good to take off the rain gear and enjoy a hot drink. This day was classified as a hard day and with the addition of rain and wind it certainly was. Still the rain couldn’t spoil the fun. I was so happy to be out here, so happy to be walking and so happy to be on this adventure!
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