Fishermen's Trail

The trail begins on the wide beach of S. Torpes, where dunes and pine forest meet the ocean. The path follows the clifftop south past quiet coves, with the port of Sines visible behind you, and descends into the whitewashed lanes of Porto Covo, a fishing village around a sheltered bay.

A day of wild beaches and cliff views. The path crosses the dunes past Praia da Ilha do Pessegueiro, with its ruined fort on a rocky islet, then runs along the coast to the Mira estuary, where Vila Nova de Milfontes greets you with its small fortress above the river.

The route leaves the Mira river and follows low cliffs above hidden coves. At Praia dos Alteirinhos a short detour leads down to a beach enclosed by rock walls, and the day ends in Almograve, a quiet village on the edge of dunes and pine woods.

The longest stretch along the open cliffs. The path passes the lighthouse of Cabo Sardão, where white storks nest on the sea stacks directly above the ocean, an unusual sight anywhere in the world. The day finishes in Zambujeira do Mar, a village perched above a sweeping sandy bay.

A day of beaches: Praia da Carvalhal, the sheltered Praia de Odeceixe and the wide crescent where the Seixe river meets the ocean on the Alentejo-Algarve border. The village of Odeceixe sits on its hill inland from the sea, surrounded by cultivated fields.

The trail turns away from the shore and follows the Seixe valley through farmland and eucalyptus. After crossing into the Algarve the path climbs over the hills above the Alfambres stream and descends to Aljezur, a hilltop village crowned by a ruined Moorish castle.

Back to the coast through the valley of the Alfambres, with windmills on the ridges. The path reaches the sea at Praia do Monte Clérigo and rounds the headland to Arrifana, a former fishing hamlet clinging to the cliffs above a narrow bay with a wrecked fort at its entrance.

One of the wildest days, along high cliffs with the swell breaking far below. The path passes Praia do Canal and the Sculpture of the Fisherman of Aljezur above the beach of Vale Figueiras, then climbs over the dune ridge to the surf village of Carrapateira, beside its vast dune plain.

The route crosses the great dune field of Carrapateira, a protected landscape of shifting sand between two headlands, then follows the cliffs of Ponta do Castelo with views to Praia do Amado. Inland lanes and old mule tracks bring the day to a close in Vila do Bispo.

The trail crosses open scrubland where the wind shapes the vegetation, passing windmills and the quiet valley of Vale Santo. The morning ends at the fortress of Sagres on its massive headland, the place Henry the Navigator once planned the Portuguese voyages of discovery.

The route rounds the base of the great headland below the cliffs of Ponta da Atalaia, with the fort of Beliche above a sheltered cove along the way. The path undulates above small beaches before descending into Salema, a fishing village still devoted to its boats.

A shorter day along golden limestone cliffs, whose layered bands glow in the low sun. The path passes the Figueira valley and the beach of Burgau, a tumble of white houses around a slipway, before reaching the broad bay of Praia da Luz.

The final stage follows the golden cliffs east of Luz, past the wave-cut arches of Ponta da Piedade, one of the most photographed coastlines in Portugal. Boardwalks and cliff stairs descend to the harbour, and the trail finishes among the cobbled streets and city walls of Lagos.