The Fishermen's Trail: Backpacking Adventure Across Southern Portugal

The Fisherman's Trail, backpacking adventure across southern Portugal. The southern coast of Portugal is well known as a holiday destination for people all across the world, yet there's a hidden gem of a hiking trail that not many have heard of. I'm talking about the Fisherman's Trail, 140 miles long stretching from a busy town called Lagos in the south, to a port town called Sainz further north on the Atlantic coast. It's been described as one of the With it's super cheap flights, nice people and great winter weather, Portugal is almost perfect for an adventure. I'll be wild camping in my tent wherever possible, carrying everything I need to survive in my pack. Oh, I'm Liam by the way. I'll be sampling the local bears, sunbathing on the beach and putting in some good miles along the way. The urge just to get out there and walk is strong on this one. The fresh ocean breeze and the aching of the feet are exactly what I'm after. From now on then, no place is out of bounds. I'm feeling fit and strong, so while I'm young, it's time to see the world. So grab some popcorn, put your feet up and enjoy the journey. I'd make my way through the quiet streets of Lagos towards my start point on the coast. Following the coastal trail, I'd eventually come out of the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. I made sure to take it all in before setting off. Right now, I am in the south of Portugal, in the Algarve region, full of holidaymakers. Well, it should be, but it's the off-season so it's super relaxed and there's nobody here really. So I've just left a town called Lagos and this is where I'll be starting. I'll be heading along the coast towards another town called Sainz and that's about 140 miles away. It's going to be great. It's going to be relaxing. Portugal, the people, it's just such a chilled vibe. I love it. And the first couple days, the weather's going to be great. It's going to be a bit of rain, but don't worry, I've got my waterproofs. It's going to be all good. It's going to be all good. So let's set off. I'm not carrying much at all, to be honest. Just my tent, you know, the basics just to survive. I've got about a day and a half worth of food and I'll pass through a lot of towns and villages. I don't need to carry much. I've got about a litre and a half of water. So yeah, very, very excited. It'll be a nice change of pace. So goodbye Lagos. The trail was great underfoot. It felt good to finally get walking. I've just come down that hill there. It doesn't look a lot, but it was just constant down, like lots of scurry on your hands and knees. Just try not to fall. And I found out I took the wrong route. There's actually a route that comes down like a nice easy path. I took the wrong route. There are markers like this. It's really easy, apart from that little bit. Yeah, that's woke me up. I'll definitely be looking for the trail markers now, instead of just winging it. So apparently this is called the Praia de Luz, or De Luz. Nice holiday resort. Oh, it's just so relaxing. I think I'm going to stop for a coffee, take in the world for a little bit and then get going again. I met a dog that was super chill. With the Euros ready, I got myself a nice coffee. I stopped outside a church and enjoyed the taste of a Portuguese espresso. The sun was high in the sky and the birds were singing. That is a weird plant. Even the cherry blossom was out early. The water was clear blue and the cliffs were sheer. I'd pass through villages pretty frequently. Little fishing communities just like this one. I followed the stairs down towards the beach. The ocean scent filled my lungs. I decided to take five minutes to myself. So these right here are apparently dinosaur footprints. So to think, maybe 60 odd million years ago, maybe a hundred, dinosaur, well a dinosaur was walking along here. The prints, that's how big they are. That is actually crazy. Just on a beach, exposed just like this. Who would have thought? I left Jurassic Park behind, getting further away from Lagos. So this area smells beautiful and it's because of this plant. This is wild rosemary. So like the lamb and rosemary you get, well this is it. You can just pick it, put it in your mouth, press in your mouth up. Tastes great. You can even put a few sprigs in your water bottle for rosemary tasting water. Streams and rivers were few and far between in southern Portugal. I stumbled upon a bench so I checked it out. I've just come across this amazing beach and it's only me here. There's a picnic bench. So I'm just going to chill for a little bit. Happy about that. I've just passed through the last village until tomorrow. I think it's, I think you call it Salema. It's pronounced Salema. And the weather's been great. I'm just happy to get the miles in. I've had an urge just to walk long distance and for long hours. I'm so, I'm just satisfied right now. I'm just so grateful to be able to walk. I know it sounds so simple, but I'm content. Very content. Weather's been great. The sun's been out. I'm topped up with vitamin D, fresh air, the sea breeze. What more can I say? It's nice to rest my legs. Two and a half hours left of sunlight and keep walking. Eventually find a spot, set up camp and watch the sunset. So tomorrow I should pass through a town called Sagres. I'm not sure about these pronunciations, but it's a famous beer in Portugal, a well-known beer. And while in Sagres, I've got to have one. So tomorrow that's what I've got to look forward to. The coffee in Portugal, I've had two already and it's, it is something else. Yeah, I'm very happy. Very, very happy. What a beach, what a beach. I made sure to soak up all the sun I could. I climbed slightly higher along the hills. There was actually a nice breeze up here. The dry orange dirt stained the bottom of my shoes. There was no way I was cleaning them. With the sun inching lower and lower, it was time to look for a place to sleep. I think I found a great spot. I tucked myself in behind a bush. Couscous was on the menu tonight, with a heaping of extra virgin olive oil. I ate my food thankful to get the calories back in. It was even better with the view I was looking at. Excited to wake up in the morning, I headed to bed early. The fishermen were up before the sunrise, pulling up the catch ready to take to market. The fresh ocean air is my favourite thing to wake up to. With everything packed up, I looked to where I'd be heading that day. It was pretty cool in the morning, so I got the miles in to keep the chill off me. The sun was still on the way up, slowly getting higher as the minutes went by. It was mid-morning and the beach was empty. The perks of being winter I suppose. I walked across a vibrant green plateau. It went on as far as the eyes could see. Dirt trails would make way for gravel tracks along the cliffs, eventually dropping down onto the beach. The towns were bright and the locals friendly. I was following the road for a while. I'd pass military installations along the way, wondering what lay inside them. Eventually though, I reached a lighthouse. This was Cape Vincent, the southwesternmost point of mainland Europe. As you can imagine, it was pretty windy. Still, nice and warm though. This was due to the Gulf Stream, the warm ocean current coming all the way from the Gulf of Mexico. Warming most of the continent, Europe would be a lot cooler without this, especially the UK. This weather's amazing. If I was to go off the forecast from yesterday, I probably would have stayed in my tent. Just goes to show, you can't really trust the forecast from any website. You've just got to look at the sky yourself and judge it like that. So I've just got to the top of a hill. I've put in some work. I'm going to treat myself to a beer. Sagres. It's pronounced, I'm pretty sure. And I've just passed through the town. This is where I bought it from. The town of Sagres, right on the southwestern tip of Portugal. It's not actually made there, but I see, you know, same name. So I'm going to go along with it and treat myself to this. So here we go. Cheers. Nothing beats a cold beer after putting some hard miles in, in the heat. In the distance, I could hear bells. I wasn't sure what it was. It turned out to be some very loud cows. I'd also see lots of sheep too. Just leaving behind a town called Via do Bispo. I've got myself another beer, so I'm going to treat myself again once I've finished. There's about an hour, an hour and a half left of sunlight. I've done some miles. My feet are aching, but that feeling is so nice, even though it's awful. I'm just grateful to be able to do all these miles. I love it. I absolutely love it. I always think to myself, one day I'm not going to be able to do this, to get all these miles in. And I want to experience it. So I'm just trying to do as much as I possibly can while I'm young and fit. Camp for the night was on the edge of a forest. I unpacked my gear and got everything ready for bed. Being so close to nature, I noticed the little things. I watched the bee flying from flower to flower for what seemed like five minutes. I am very satisfied. Today has been great. Really, really great. Weather's been good. Unexpected. What more? What more could I wish for? So the sun has just gone down. It's starting to get dark now, but everything's out. I can't wait to get into that and just sleep, rest, be ready for tomorrow. Apparently, there are thunderstorms, rain and wind forecast. So we'll see what happens. It may pass. I don't know. I don't know. But I'm ready for whatever it throws at me. I am. I'm feeling strong and I'm just looking forward to tomorrow, actually. I wish I could just sleep like that and get back on the trail and keep walking. I just had this urge recently just to just to get out. I love it. I love it, especially back in the sun again. I'd never seen a night sky like this. I was so lucky. The next morning, cloud had rolled in. I looked back at camp one last time. The wind was whipping across the hills. At times like this, the weather forecast goes out of the window. You have to use your own eyes. Sometimes you can even sense it. And this weather didn't look promising. Waterproofs are on. It's just gone 10 a.m. and I can feel the rain already. It was only supposed to rain at about 3 p.m. or through the night. But it started sooner than expected. So lots of wind. The water, the ocean is whipping up. So it's going to be eventful. Just making my way over the mountains towards a town. So, yep. An Atlantic storm was heading inland right towards where I was. I snaked along the sand dunes to get a better look for myself. I feel you get a better appreciation for something when you're closer to it. So the path actually goes up up on this cliff here. I really couldn't see it. I was looking for about five minutes and it's, there's a cairn right there. I didn't even spot that. There we go. My shoes were heavy from all the wet sand clinging to them. The waves were getting bigger and bigger. The beach car park was almost empty. It seemed like it was just me around. I got myself a coffee and watched the world go by for a bit. Just walking through some farmland and I've noticed that all of these trees around me are black and it looks like they've been burned. So I'm guessing quite recently a forest fire has whipped through this area. Wow. You wouldn't think now would you with this weather? He's smuggled it all. Unless it was like purposely done but I doubt it. There's a huge forest over these hills. One thing I say to myself when it rains is skin is waterproof. This would be important later down the line. I decided to jump on a cycle route for a change of terrain. I was actually starting to regret it because the hills were looking very bleak. The Portuguese countryside is so green and vibrant because of the amount of sun and rain it gets. Just have a look. It just pops out. You know it's overcast. Lots of clouds. The green just comes through. At least I wasn't the only one getting rained on. I'd find refuge in bush shelters every now and then. Man I was so grateful for them. So there's about half an hour left of sunlight and it's been raining non-stop. I am absolutely drenched. I am wet and cold to the bone right now. There's a road right next to me. It's been quite miserable past couple hours. Honestly I'm really limited with the options I've got. I don't know where I'm going to camp. I don't have a clue. It's a tough one. It's a tough one. I'm just going to keep going. Within the next 15 minutes, any piece of flat ground, it'll have to do. I was in luck. A cheap hotel was just up the road. During that moment, it really did feel like a five-star hotel. I'd tried to dry all my gear out. A hot shower warmed my bones up. It felt great. I watched the rain from my window. It seemed to pour down all night. Luckily, the rain had stopped in the morning. I left the hotel pretty rested so I was able to get some quick miles in. You don't understand how happy I am right now. Son, it has been miserable. That was by far the worst rain I've ever experienced. Not because of how much there is or how strong it was coming down. It was just constant, constant. It was worse than the UK. That was just madness. I'm making the most of it right now. It's finally stopped. The sun is trying to come out, please. At least all my stuff's dry. How long, I don't know, but we will see. But I'm just grateful. Grateful for this moment. So beautiful. Beautiful and green. This would be the most rugged part of the trail. There weren't many villages and the cliffs were huge. The Atlantic wind seemed to pummel the coast. I'd have to be careful not to fall into the huge swell below. It was so good to get into the forest away from the wind. I'd never really got the phrase weather beaten until now. I'm just glad I wasn't a sailor in these waters. It would have been a nightmare. I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but they actually weren't. Just casually three zebra eating away. I was kind of mind blown. For a while, I took the road just to get out of the wind. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. That is crazy. Just have a look at this. You've never seen the sea like this, or the ocean. It's the Atlantic Ocean. That is so scary. I'm glad I'm not a sailor or anything like that because, wow, I'll stick to dry land. Just sitting and I need to find a place to sleep. It's so windy. I need to get out of this wind, otherwise my tent will be gone. Yes. Wow. Look at this spot. I am so lucky. The wind is whipping in this way. The ocean's right there, beachfront, and this is way better. I can camp there. Yes. Oh, wow. Okay. Let me set up. So, I want to try to sneak on the beachfront just to see what we're dealing with. Hopefully, nobody sees me. It's so windy. You might not be able to hear me in a minute. Okay. So, that's the opening. There's some bamboo and then over it is the beach. Okay. I'm going to get in. I don't want to be spotted, so I found a really good spot. I can't believe it. I got so lucky with this. So, best thing to do, keep my head down for the last night. Perfect. Very happy with that. The next morning, I could see the sun shining through the canopy. It was a beautiful sight. There wasn't long left, so I made sure to savor the next few miles. In the distance was the port, and just after that, the end point of this adventure. Dodging puddles from the previous night's rain, I edged closer and closer. A quick coffee stop next to a sheltered bay was a must. There was a final bit of walking right next to a busy road. I didn't mind, though. The end was The sun's come out for it. It's beautiful. You can see, I've just come from that direction. Port. Lots of shipbuilding. What the Portuguese are known for. There's a nice little harbour. Out of the wind, it's so windy. So, so windy. So, I'm on like this hill. I'll show you. I'll show you. I'll go in there, explore it, but I'm going to end it here because it's going to be way too windy over there. I might not have enjoyed it. The first couple of days, it was absolutely beautiful. Hot, sunny, just great terrain, and then we got hit with the rain and, wow, drenched. For the past few days, it's been really windy, but enjoyable. Really enjoyable. Yeah, it's going to be nice to give my legs a rest, but Portugal is... I've always loved Portugal. It's always so green and lush for the sun and the rain it gets. The coast, the Atlantic is just beautiful, but scary at the same time, and then Signs itself. I think it's a historic town. There's a castle right at the top over there. So, been here for some time. I've enjoyed this one. Portugal's been great. I'm sure I'll be back.