Hiking Dude Blog

September 8 - Can't really expect each day to be a thriller. Today was mostly just a day of hiking and camping. But, no rain!

We had a little breakfast sitting at the end of the road watching the ocean before starting our hike. That was a nice way to begin.

Much of the trail today was deep sand, overgrown Hobbit tunnels through thick brush, or dry country road walking. There was just a lot that wasn't much fun.

For a few very long sections, we battled our way through brush, hunching over and twisting around. A couple times, I had to actually crawl to get through.

At one point, we encountered a six foot high wire fence and the trail followed alongside it. On the other side of the fence, all vegetation had been grazed away by cattle or something. On our side, the manzanita grew right right up to the fence. We had to squeeze along. A few times, when there was an opening, we turned away from the fence hoping to find a parallel way but each time we ran into thick brush and had to turn back.

So, if you hike this trail just follow the fence on this part - or consider just skipping this part since there were few views for the amount of effort.

We took a lunch break on a bench overlooking a small port. An English couple stopped and we chatted with them about a half hour. They're hiking the opposite direction.

We had many views down to the ocean, some with beaches and others with crashing waves on rock faces. But, the trail stayed up on the cliff all day.

The day ended with a very long road walk to our campground by Odeceixe. Since it's far from town, we just showered, rest by the pool, and had a basic pizza for dinner at the campground restaurant. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon and evening.

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September 9 - We had a long road walk, a little bit sketchy in spots, before we reached the ocean this morning. Along the way, we stopped at a supermercado for fruit and a fig nut treat for breakfast.

Once we were on the trail by the ocean, we were on the typical cliffs looking down at the water. But, today there was very little of the sea to see because of thick fog rolling in. It was nice and cool with a great sound track of breaking waves, but few views.

We took a snack break on a bench on a cliff which probably had a great view. Later, we took a detour to scramble/hike down a steep rock slope to the beach where we explored a little. That was our one time today at sea level.

After a few miles along the cliffs on the usual deep sand trail, we turned inland and had about eight miles of gravel road walking. With the fog keeping the sun away it was a pleasant walk.

We saw lots of various small fruit trees like oranges, limes, apples, pears, and a few new ones that I couldn't recognize. We tried one small fruit and it tasted great but we're not sure what it was.

We stopped in a supermarcado in Rogil which was very nice and got sardines, crackers, plums, and Coke for lunch. We sat on a bench on the main street enjoying our meal before walking the last few miles to our campground for the night out on old backcountry roads.

In the open field section of trail after Rogil, there are no blue and green Fisherman's Trail markers. Instead the markers are white, red, and yellow but they follow the same path.

Along this part, we caught up to a solo Austrian hiker out on her first long walk. We enjoyed chatting with her until we reached our campsite. It looks like we might be staying in the same place as her tomorrow night, so we'll look for her.

Our campground is 2 miles before the next town, so we couldn't do any exploring. We tried the restaurant but it looked pretty dismal so we're finally cooking one of our own camp meals that I've been carrying since Sweden.

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September 10 - We had a 6 mile walk before reaching the coast this morning. Quite a bit of it was along a fast, sketchy paved road, but we did pass through a couple neighborhoods where we could see development going on. It also included a very steep, long climb up a hill and down the other side.

Once at the ocean, we stopped on a cliff above a large beach to have breakfast and watch surfing classes.

A bit farther along, we stopped again to watch a few fishermen trying their luck while perched on the very edge of a very high cliff. They caught nothing while we were there.

The fog let up some today so we could see the water but we were up high for the few miles along the coast. Much of the trail was the typical deep sand.

We did get to walk through the foundations of the Ribat of Arrifana which was pretty cool.

After the Ribat, we turned inland through a sparce forest, but still hiking through deep sand, and then across barren fields to the small village of Arrifana where we're staying in a hostel private room.

There's not much here, or for the next couple days, so we bought some food yesterday for our lunch tomorrow. We enjoyed a tasty dinner at the one restaurant around - cuttlefish stew, and clams in creamy rice.

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September 11 -

We hiked dirt roads out of town for quite a while and lots of cars passed us both ways. About a quarter mile after stopping to put on sunscreen, I noticed my glasses with clip on sunglasses were not hanging on my pocket. A quick, frantic search did not find them, so I hiked back the way we had come. I found them, but one car had found them first. Now, I have flat glasses with one lens, but the sunglasses still work. It's ok, because I needed to get an eye checkup anyway.

With all the traffic, we figured the road was leading to a great surfing spot. Turns out we were right. We got to a beach and watched surfers for a while and then climbed a very long hill back up to the plateau again.

We hiked along a very nice dirt road that was comfortable to walk on and it was in trees that we weren't sure what they were but they had long leaves and several thin trunks that came together at the bottom. They had been planted.

Then we walked through farmland for a while and got to a stop where we could get a snack and a Coke. It was a very pretty bed and breakfast place and we had tapas, some meat and cheese and bread and olives. Then we hiked on dirt roads again and hiked through a herd of cattle coming up the road being herded by their dogs but no people and we got petting close to the cows. We saw wind turbines in the distance.

This was a bright sunny day with pretty blue sky and a nice cool breeze blowing on us most of the day. It's been a very pleasant walk. More sand dunes again with the ocean off to our right but not super close to the cliffs. Almost every hiker we meet is from Germany.

About one and a half miles before Carrapateira, the trail drops down to a huge long Bordeira Beach that's very beautiful. This is a great spot to stop and enjoy the beach for a couple hours before reaching your destination. The trail from there to town goes to the south of the beach but we stayed on the beach and walked to the parking lot it was easier and nicer.

Our night will be in another very nice hostel after a dinner of presto pasta and pizza.

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September 12 - This was definitely a day of ups and downs.

We slept in and then had some plums, cocoa, and bread for breakfast at the hostel, so we didn't get out of town until almost 9:00, but the dirt roadwalk was pleasant to the coast.

The official Fisherman's Trail route had us drop down to three separate beaches today. That also means three climbs back up to the plateau! Each climb was about 400 feet and some were steeper than others.

Since the hike today was only about 10 miles, we decided to divert off the official trail which went inland, and stay on the coast another couple miles before heading inland to Vila do Bispo. This meant adding two more of those climbs, but we got to spend some time walking along almost a mile of nice beach.

I'd really recommend doing this, but with one change. At a four-way intersection about 6.5 miles south on trail from Carrapateira, stay on the yellow/red marked trail rather than the green/blue Fisherman's Trail so you tend west to the coast instead of straight south to Vila do Bispo.

When you drop down to the first beach, which is Prais de Barriga, just walk out onto the beach and follow it to the left/South for at least 2 miles to Beach Castelejo where you can follow the road, then trail, Southwest to Vila do Bispo.

This gets you on the beach for a long, pleasant walk with only one additional climb.

We met a few more German hikers - surprise! But, the trail was not very busy today. We did see a trail friend from Austria named Katie so we're looking forward to maybe running into her again.

We stopped on one beach for a sardine and crackers picnic and on another for a snack while we watched waves crash onto the rocks.

The hike ended with the typical roadwalk into town where we are staying in someone's apartment that has been changed to a lodging similar to AirBnB.

The wind was very strong today and the sun bright. It was a great day for walking.

With a little effort looking for a place that would take more than just cash, we enjoyed a dinner of sea bass and grilled shrimp in a tiny restaurant that was full.

Vila do Bispo is the first town on this trek that has had a 'real' grocery store, AND it has an Aldi store that we might visit on our way out of town tomorrow.

Excitement for today: my floppy sun hat got whipped off my head by the strong wind and almost down a steep hillside, but we retrieved it before it got away.

Check out my current location on the map.

September 12 - This was definitely a day of ups and downs.

We slept in and then had some plums, cocoa, and bread for breakfast at the hostel, so we didn't get out of town until almost 9:00, but the dirt roadwalk was pleasant to the coast.

The official Fisherman's Trail route had us drop down to three separate beaches today. That also means three climbs back up to the plateau! Each climb was about 400 feet and some were steeper than others.

Since the hike today was only about 10 miles, we decided to divert off the official trail which went inland, and stay on the coast another couple miles before heading inland to Vila do Bispo. This meant adding two more of those climbs, but we got to spend some time walking along almost a mile of nice beach.

I'd really recommend doing this, but with one change. At a four-way intersection about 6.5 miles south on trail from Carrapateira, stay on the yellow/red marked trail rather than the green/blue Fisherman's Trail so you tend west to the coast instead of straight south to Vila do Bispo.

When you drop down to the first beach, which is Prais de Barriga, just walk out onto the beach and follow it to the left/South for at least 2 miles to Beach Castelejo where you can follow the road, then trail, Southwest to Vila do Bispo.

This gets you on the beach for a long, pleasant walk with only one additional climb.

We met a few more German hikers - surprise! But, the trail was not very busy today. We did see a trail friend from Austria named Katie so we're looking forward to maybe running into her again.

We stopped on one beach for a sardine and crackers picnic and on another for a snack while we watched waves crash onto the rocks.

The hike ended with the typical roadwalk into town where we are staying in someone's apartment that has been changed to a lodging similar to AirBnB.

The wind was very strong today and the sun bright. It was a great day for walking.

With a little effort looking for a place that would take more than just cash, we enjoyed a dinner of sea bass and grilled shrimp in a tiny restaurant that was full.

Vila do Bispo is the first town on this trek that has had a 'real' grocery store, AND it has an Aldi store that we might visit on our way out of town tomorrow.

Excitement for today: my floppy sun hat got whipped off my head by the strong wind and almost down a steep hillside, but we retrieved it before it got away.

Check out my current location on the map.

September 13 - Friday, the 13th, what could go wrong? Well, nothing actually. Today was a very pleasant uneventful day in which we reached the 'Edge of the World'.

After what is becoming our typical breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and granola, we walked out of Vila do Bispo on our last southbound hike in Portugal. Our 13 mile hike was all on dirt road except for about 3 miles.

Once we left town, we could see forever in all directions since the plateau here is so flat. Water towers that we had passed days ago were still visible on the horizon and the edge of land where Portugal dropped to the sea was ahead of us.

Surfing is big business around here and we've become used to surf school vans flying past on roadwalks. This morning was the same, but that was the only traffic on this fairly peaceful hike.

We reached the western cliffs as we've done for the past week and followed them south to Cabo de Sao Vicente lighthouse where we could go south no more. This is known as the Edge of the World because it is the most southwest spot in Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula and Europe. It's the last but of land sailors would see when seeing off on adventures.

Today, it's more of a tourist trap with tour buses and gaggles of people stopping for selfies and then moving on. We found a sheltered spot for our sardine lunch and then hiked up the road.

From here, we take a big left hand turn and will be hiking east along Portugal's south shore for a couple days. Right away, the sea below us is a different color and is begging us to jump in. But as we're still over a hundred feet above that's not happening for awhile.

The last part of our hike into Sangres consisted of a wonderfully wide and smooth walkway along the road and some trail along the cliffs. This bit of trail, as well as a small section just north of the lighthouse, was extremely rocky rather than the sand we've become accustomed to.

Tip: If you are tempted to just walk the fast, easy road into Sangres from the lighthouse, you you will miss the first very beautiful views down into the 'new' ocean. The small extra distance and rougher trail are worth it.

Arriving in Sangres around 1:30, we found our lodging for the night and then headed to the beach which was just a 10 minute walk. It was beautiful, but the water was as cold as any mountain lake I've ever been in! Maybe as we head east it will warm, but I doubt it.

After our beach rest, we did our usual showers, groceries, and then dinner so we're ready for our penultimate day of hiking tomorrow.

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September 14 - Yet another beautiful day hiking along the coast of Portugal. Most of the day offered great views south over the Atlantic but we worked for them.

The first 6 miles of trail had only 2 climbs and the rest was mostly flat up on the cliffs. The cliffs here on the south shore are quite a bit lower than the West Coast.

The lower plateau made the 10 climbs in the second 6 miles a bit easier. They were still on very steep and rugged trail, but at least they were never more than 200 feet of elevation. A dozen of them were enough to tire us out, though.

The trail itself is much more rugged here. Straight up rock hillsides with lots of loose gravel and scree made slipping an easy activity.

At the hallway point, we stopped for a coke at yet another beach bar. It was a very nice rest break before starting all the little climbs.

We arrived in Salema around 2:30 and had 90 minutes to wait for a shuttle to take us a mile out of town to our campground. We got a coke and enjoyed some shade by the beach. Salema is definitely the most touristy/expensive town so far.

The mile of road to the campground is very narrow and windy so our plan is to delay our start tomorrow and take the first shuttle down to the town at 10am.

We found a flat area of dirt for our tent and got a simple dinner at the camp restaurant, and that was the day. Tomorrow is our last, long walk.

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September 15 - The last mile or so always seems to take so long. Winding into Lagos around 4:00pm over a massive network of boardwalks to keep the hords of tourists off the eroding cliffs, we walked the last mile to our lodging for the night. It was a great day of hiking to end on.

Our hike started at a bit after 10am since we chose to wait for a shuttle from the campground back to the trail. But, we got a nice breakfast before leaving so we started fed and hydrated.

A big climb right out of Salema, followed by a drop back down to the sea and another climb up, warmed us up quickly. We had a few more such climbs but not so many as yesterday. We still managed to sweat quite a bit today in the warmer air and steep hills.

The ocean views were many and beautiful, and there was more packed clay than sand or rocks on the trail. This, along with the long boardwalks, made the day overall a fairly easy 15 miles. I saw a couple more fishermen, but still no fish caught.

We met a nice couple from Holland at a snack break in Luz and enjoyed chatting with them awhile. We were also stopped by a young lady asking about so many people with backpacks. So, she got a Hiking Dude sticker to check out the blog.

Tonight, we had grilled sardines and grilled golden bream at a restaurant recommended by our host. Our walk through the big city of Lagos was fun. The tight old streets are packed with people. Our airbnb lodging is right in the old town and is very comfortable.

We now have a day off in Lagos tomorrow after hiking around 300 miles over the past month.

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Kelly and I decided to fly to Europe and hike for a month or so during August and September, 2024. The Tour du Mont Blanc is very popular so that was the main route we wanted to do, but it takes less than 2 weeks to hike. So, I looked around for another trail - as long as we were paying to get to Europe, we figured we should stay as long as possible.

The Plan:

I found the Kungsleden (King's Trail) in Sweden which is ~400km long, but the northern 60km or so is the most popular. It's above the Arctic Circle and gives us the opportunity to hike up Sweden's tallest mountain, the Kebnekaise. So, that was one more week taken care of.

The West Highland Way in Scotland is another very popular trail and is about 100 miles long. Coincidentally, it passes Scotland's tallest mountain, Ben Nevis. That trail would fill our time window.

So, researching and planning commenced in earnest. Which trail should we hike first? Do we camp or stay in lodging? What food do we need? How about water?

I quickly learned that backpacking in Europe is a lot different than on the long, wild trails in America. It seems there is very little area in Europe that is more than a day from a village of some kind. So, most people just walk for the day and then get a meal and stay in lodging each night. All three trails had similar infrastructure that supported that style of hiking.

Both Sweden and Scotland allow 'wild camping' along the trail, so we decided to carry all our gear as if we were in the wilderness. Unfortunately, camping along the trail is not allowed in much of mainland Europe, including the TMB route through France, Italy, and Switzerland. We decided we would camp whenever possible, and use a hostel or other lodging when required. It also became clear that restaurants and stores are abundant along the West Highland Way and TMB, but not on the Kungsleden.

Looking at the popularity of the trails, crowd size, location, and time of year, it made the most sense to start with Sweden which was the farthest north and least crowded, then Scotland, then TMB. The TMB is very crowded and we expected much of the crowd to thin out in September. Historic weather data showed that mid-August to mid-September should be nice weather in all three locations. This would also allow us to start with dehydrated meals from home and use them up in the first week, limiting the amount we needed to carry.

The Start:

Things don't always go as planned. Actually, they rarely do. The more precise and detailed a plan is, the less likely it can be followed. That's why I enjoy estimating how far I'll walk each day, where I'll stop for the night, and how many days a trail will take. Then, as soon as I start hiking, I only use that at a reference to see how well I guessed rather than as a set-in-stone schedule to follow.

Once you start reserving transport, lodging, or services, you get locked into a schedule that is much more difficult to break out of. That happened big time on this trip, so I'm glad we made a plan that was as flexible as possible.

We bought air flights for August 13 to Sweden, then to Scotland 10 days later, then to Geneva 12 days later, finally back home from Geneva on September 19. I figured that many days was plenty to cover the distances, and if we finished sooner, we could explore towns in the area. I also reserved a hotel and a hostel in Sweden for our first nights before starting the trail, as well as bus tickets to get to the trailhead. Anything else would be planned and purchased a few days before it was needed as we progressed.

Before we left home, the weather in Scotland and on the TMB was nice and sunny - the forecast for Sweden was a week of rainy weather. That turned out to be correct and our week on the Kungsleden was quite damp.

As we finished the Kungsleden, the forecast for Scotland was a week of rain while the TMB continued to have nice weather. That turned out to be correct and we hiked through many wet days on the West Highland Way.

Finishing the West Highland Way, the forecast for the TMB turned to rain for at least the next week while Scotland was clearing off. So far, we had the worst weather timing possible. If I had planned the order to hike TMB, Kungsleden, West Highland Way then we would have had good weather on each trail. Hindsight is 20/20 vision, I guess.

The Big Switch:

We decided yet another 10 days of rain was not going to be much fun. So, we searched weather forecasts for all of Europe, hoping for some other place we might hike. All of Europe had rain forecast except for the very southern coast, including southwest Portugal.

On our rest day before our evening flight to Geneva, we found the Fishermen's Trail and it sounded like the right distance, but we had no time to do much research about it. We checked into airfares and how to reach the trailhead. It was doable, but expensive. We already had flights paid to Geneva and home from there, so we would have to buy tickets from Geneva to Lisbon and back - cancelling our current flights would have been very expensive and not saved much travel time.

We took the flight to Geneva, finally reaching our hotel at about 1am. A final check of weather just to be sure still showed Portugal=SUN and France=RAIN so we bought last-minute tickets to Lisbon for the next day. It was the best spur-of-the-moment decision I've ever made. Almost two weeks of sun and sand exploring a new country was fabulous! I did check the TMB weather from Portugal a few times, just to see if it had been a good decision - we would have had at least 7 days of rain, including 3 days with some snow!

The Review:

You can read about our 3 hikes over 30 days covering 300 miles at these: Kungsleden, West Highland Way, and Fishermen's Trail report pages. I'd be happy to answer whatever questions you might have about the trails as well.

Hike On!