The Fishermen’s Trail: Backpacking Adventure Across Southern Portugal

I’ll be heading to Portugal’s best coastal hike.

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Filmed & Edited by Liam.

the fisherman’s Trail backpack an 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 Mi long stretching from a busy town called lagosh in the South to a port town called SS further north on the Atlantic coast it’s being described as one of the best coastal walks in Europe so I’ve got to try it with its 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 leam by the way are was sampling the local Bears some baving 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’ eventually come out of the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean I made sure to take it all in before set setting off right now I am in the south of Portugal in the alov region full of holiday makers well it should be but it’s the offseason so 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 signs and that’s about 140 M 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 water proof it’s going to be all good it’s going to be all good so let’s set off um I’m not carrying much at all to be honest just my 10 you know the basics just to survive I’ve got about a day and a half worth of food and I’ll pass through the towns and Villages so don’t need to carry much got about a liter and a half of water so yeah very very excited be a nice change of pace so goodbye Lagos the trail was great under the foot 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 like down like in lots of scree on your hands and knees just try not to fall and I found out I took the wrong route there actually a route that comes down like a nice easy path took the wrong route but markers like this it’s really easy apart from that little bit but uh yeah that woke me up I’ll definitely be looking for the trail markers now instead of just winging it so apparently this is called the prior Delo or delou nice holiday Resort oh this is so relaxing I think I’m going to stop for a coffee taking the world for a little bit and then get going again I met a dog that was super chill with the orals 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 5 minutes to myself so these right here are apparently dinosaur footprints so to think maybe 60 odd million years ago maybe 100 dinosaur well a dinosaur was walking along here the prince that’s how big they are that is actually crazy just on a beach exposed just like this huh you would have fought I left Jurassic part 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 fresen your mouth up tastes great you can even put a few sprigs in your water bottle for Rosemary tasting [Applause] 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 uh I think you call it Salma it’s pronounced Salma and weather’s been great I’m just happy to to get the miles in I’ve just 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 the fresh air the seab breeze what more can I say so nice to rest my legs uh 2 and 1 half hours left of sunlight going to keep walking eventually find a spot set up camp and watch the sunset so tomorrow I should pass through a town called sagras sagras I’m not sure about these pronunciations but it’s a famous beer in Portugal a well-known bear and while in sagras I’ve got to have one so uh 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 [Music] beach I made sure to soak up all the sun I could I climbed slightly higher along the hills there’s actually a nice breeze up here the dry orange dirt stay in 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 the bush cuscus was on the menu tonight with a heaping of extra virgin olive oil I atat 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 there is my favorite thing to wake up to with everything packed up I Look to where I’ll 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 [Applause] by it was midm morning and the beach was empty The Perks of Being winter I [Applause] suppose I walked across a vibrant cream Plateau it went on as far as the eyes could [Applause] see dirt trails would make way for gravel tracks along the cliffs eventually dropping down onto the beach the town were bright and the locals friendly I was following the road for a while I’d passed 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 will 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 go to show you can’t really trust the forecast from any website just got to look at the sky yourself and judge it like that so I’ve just got to the top of a hill 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 I’m Che himself to this so here we go cheers nothing beats a cold there 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 [Music] cows I’d also see lots of sheep too just leaving behind a town called via do bispo got myself another B so going to treat myself again once I finished there was about an hour an hour and a half left of sunlight done some miles my feet are aching but that feeling is so nice even though it’s awful I’m just grateful to to be able to do all these miles I love it 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 won’t experience it so 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 5 minutes I am very satisfied today has been great really really great weather’s been good unexpected what more what more can 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 uh just to get out oh I love it love it especially back in the sun again I’d never seen see in 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 300 p.m. all through the night but it started started sooner than I expected so yeah lots of wind the water the ocean is whipping so it’s going to be eventful just making my way over the mountains towards a a town so yep bring on the weather an Atlantic storm was heading Inland right towards where I was I snaked along the sand Junes 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 and I really couldn’t see it I was looking for about 5 minutes and it’s there’s a can right there didn’t even spot that well 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 [Applause] around I got myself a coffee and watched the world go by for a [Music] 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 forest fire has whipped through this area wow you wouldn’t think now would you with this weather you just look at 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 [Applause] 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 yeah the green just comes through at least I wasn’t the only one getting rained done 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 on Star pie I’m 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 uh this honestly see I’m really limited with the uh options I’ve got I don’t know where I’m going to come 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 fstar hotel I 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 so it has been miserable this is 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 wor wor than the UK that was just Madness but I’m making the most of it right now it’s finally stopped sun is trying to come out please um at least all my stuff’s dry how long I don’t know but we will see but uh 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 winds seem 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 weever 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 would deceive me but they actually weren’t just casually free 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 I’ve never seen the sea like this well 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 done just sitting and I need to find a place to sleep it’s so windy I need to get out of this wind of wise 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 the beach front and this is way there I can come there yes oh wow okay let me set up tent is up so I want to try sneak on the beach front just to see what we’re dealing with hopefully nobody sees me uh it’s so windy you might not be able to hear me in a minute okay so that’s the opening there some uh bamboo and then over it is the beach okay I’m going to get in I don’t be spotted so I saw a really good spot I can’t believe it I got so lucky with this so best thing to do keep my head down off put the last night perfect very happy with [Applause] 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 save her the next few miles in the distant 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 shelter 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 in sight so I’ve just arrived outside the port town of signs and this is the end of the journey the sun’s come out for it beautiful you can see just come from that direction Port lots of building what the Portuguese are known for there a nice little Harbor out of the wind it’s so windy so so windy so I want like this hill I’ll show you I’ll show you and just over there it’s the beach and signs itself so 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 man I’ve enjoyed it the first couple days it was absolutely beautiful hot sunny just great terrain and then we got hit with a rain and wow drenched for the past few days it’s been really windy but enjoy enable really enjoyable yeah it’s going to be nice to give my legs of rest but Portugal is I’ve always loved Portugal it’s always so green and Lush of the Sun and rain it gets the coast the Atlantic is just beautiful but scary at the same time and then signs itself think the historic town There’s a castle right at the top over there so been here for for some time but I’ve enjoyed this one portug Go’s being great I’m sure I’ll be back [Applause]