1/9 Rota Vicentina – Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes (Fishermen’s Trail)

Finally, the big day arrived. It was the last day of September of 2015. We began our walk along the Vicentina Coast.
We walked about 20 Km from Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes, the first section of Fishermen’s Trail. Most of the route is on sand tracks. JB, who has a knee problem, ended up with pain in the knees due to the effort of walking on sand.

Ilha do Pessegueiro

We left Porto Covo Camping at about 9 o’clock and we walked towards the fishing port. We crossed the stream and then we saw the Ilha do Pessegueiro (Peachtree Island). Althought the island was at our sign for only a few kilometers, it kind of accompanied us during the whole walk.

There’s a song named Porto Covo from the Portuguese singer Rui Veloso that says “There was a peachtree on the island planted by a Vizier of Odemira…“. I just learned about that song at the time when JB started asking questions related to the song, such as “what did exist in the island?” and “who did plant the peachtree?”. He asked these questions during the 9 days of our walk!

We arrived at Forte do Pessegueiro (Fort of Pessegueiro), where we stopped to have a snack. We also did a detour to look for a geocache. It was in that moment that we saw for the first time the two women who also walked the fishermen’s trail. Although we had spoken with them only once, when we met at a place where the trail marks were not visible, we saw them everyday until we arrived to Odeceixe.

Porto das Barcas

At about 11:30, we stopped on the beach to have lunch. In addition to the pleasant environment, our lunch also included dessert – a pastry bought in Porto Covo.

Due to the extensive dune zone of Aivados and Malhão beaches, we walked away from the sea for about 2 km. Then, beaches give place to cliffs and we enjoyed astonishing views!
I believe this is not a trail for those who have vertigo. We walked very near the edge in some sections of the path.

Camping Milfontes – teepee

We stopped to have a snack at a viewpoint next to Porto das Barcas (Port of the boats).

A wide dirt path led us to Vila Nova de Milfontes. The two women who we had seen earlier and who had been left behind were now walking ahead of us.

We spent the night at Camping Milfontes, in a teepee. This wasn’t the most comfortable option to sleep, but it was a cool one. The space was limited and, as we transformed the two single beds in a double bed, it required some ability to go in and out of the teepee.

We had dinner at Pátio Alentejano Restaurant. I ordered Bacalhau à Lagareiro (roasted cod with potatoes and olive oil) and it was served a huge, very huge, slice of cod! I ate, JB also ate a bit of it, the leftovers were our lunch on the next day and we still did not eat the whole slice. It was too much codfish!

Gallery

: Porto Covo – fishing port

: Porto Covo

: Ilha do Pessegueiro

: Forte do Pessegueiro

: Geocache

: Mariolas

: Mariolas

: Viewpoint

: Vila Nova de Milfontes

: Bacalhau à Lagareiro

DAY 1: Journey to Porto Covo (29/09/2015)

Transports:
– Intercity train Aveiro – Lisboa Oriente (7:31 – 9:50): 12.50€
– Urban train Lisboa Oriente – Sete Rios (13 minutes): 0.8€ (special discount)
– Bus (Rede Expressos) Sete Rios – Sines (12:00 – 14:35): 13.05€
– Bus (Rodoviária Alentejo) Sines – Porto Covo (16:30 – 17:00): 3.20€

Accommodation:
– Camping Porto Covo: 40€/2 pax (T0 apartment)

DAY 2: Porto Covo – Vila Nova de Milfontes (30/09/2015)

Trail: 20 Km / 8 hours Trail on Wikiloc

Accommodation:
– Camping Milfontes: 22€/2 pax (Teepee)

Restaurants:
– Pátio Alentejano: 14.50€/pax
– Mabi: 2 balls ice cream (1.45€)

DAY 3: Vila Nova de Milfontes – Almograve (01/10/2015)

Trail: 15 Km / 6 hours Trail on Wikiloc

Accommodation:
– Pousada da Juventude de Almograve: 24€/2 pax (Double room without WC)

DAY 4: Almograve – Zambujeira do Mar (02/10/2015)

Trail: 22 Km / 8 hours Trail on Wikiloc

Accommodation:
– Casa da Praia: 27€/2 pax

Restaurant:
– O Martinho: 13.20€/pax