After watching the sunset, at Almograve, last night, we slept heavily, waking early, with anticipation of today’s stage, which would take us to Zambujeira do Mar.
It’s one of the longest stages of the walk, about 22km, and we were hoping that perhaps some of the storks that nest on the sea-stacks there, may not have migrated yet.
The cafés opened early for breakfast, so by 7am, we were sitting with fresh orange juice and Tosta Mista ( ham & cheese toasties ), setting ourselves up for the day ahead.
We weren’t alone and had 3 beautiful little kittens for company. They were enchanting, playing with the toggle on my jacket, and of course happy to receive cuddles and tit-bits … and of course, we indulged them.
Breakfast was perfect & we picked up freshly made sandwiches and pastel da natas for lunch, before heading off for the day’s hike.
We were determined to get going early. Not just because it was a longer day’s walk, but also because we would be able to cover a few kilometres, before the sun started to get too hot.
I must admit, we hadn’t anticipated walking in temperatures, in the high 20’s.. normally it is about 8 degrees cooler at this time of year, so we were keen to make the most of the early-morning freshness.
We walked out to the beach, along the boardwalk, with the low morning sun making our shadows stretch away, in front of us. It was peaceful, beautiful and gentle too.
To begin with, we followed a gravelly road, above the beach, with signs every so often, encouraging you to do specific exercises… very lovely, but not when we’re carrying backpacks!
It was a beautiful start to the day, with a gentle breeze, glorious views and a freshness in the air too.
Before long though, we turned off and were back to walking on deep sand, although it really didn’t seem as bad today. We followed the trail, which led us up sand dunes…
.. and across a ridge, where the view opened up in front of us.
It was going to be another spectacular day’s walking.
The cliffs along this stretch of the coast are amazing, huge slabs of rock that have been folded in half, over millions of years, by the forces of nature.
It’s hard to imagine the way the Earth must have been ripped apart to create this dramatic coastline. We found ourselves stopping, at almost every turn, just to take it all in.
After a while, the path took us slightly inland and through a pine forest, which offered us a delightful canopy of shade, although how it actually grew, in the sand, we couldn’t really imagine.
Then we were back above the sea, and joy of joys, we were walking on a more solid, almost gravelly path, with views along the coast to the lighthouse, where we knew the stork nests would be.
Before reaching there, the path cut inland, to the small village of Cavaleiro, where the little bar was filled with walkers, surrounded by discarded backpacks, whist they were drinking coffee, eating toasties and enjoying a little rest.
We found a table and eased our packs off, enjoying another glass of orange juice, and a coffee to help us on our way. We’re already rather addicted to the freshly-squeezed orange juice here, it’s divine.
We couldn’t rest too long though, and carried on, following the marker posts, back towards the coast, where we spotted our first nests.
They literally are built on the rocks in the sea, offshore from the cliffs. They seem to be balanced precariously, on edges, yet appear to have been there for years.
They are beautifully constructed, and although the storks had clearly already left for the winter, it was a joy to see them, and we started chatting about when we might have to return to walk the route again, to see them nesting, and also to see the cliffs carpeted with colour from the Hottentot Figs, in full flower.
There aren’t just a couple of nests, there are quite a number along this stretch of coast, and some seem to almost hang off the front of the rocks, above the waves. I’m sure that in estate agents terms these are highly desirable penthouses with an uninterrupted sea view. I just wouldn’t want to be in one in a storm!
Even though today’s walk was longer, the kilometres slipped past incredibly easily, thanks (in no small part) to our constant chatter, the wild landscape and incredible views.
We sat above a stunning cove, eating our sandwiches, whilst we were serenaded by the calls of Sardinian Warblers that were darting in and out of nearby bushes ( thank you Merlin for the identification!)
Over an hour slipped easily past, and we almost had to remind ourselves that we still had another 8km to walk, before arriving at tonight’s stop.
We dragged ourselves away from the view and carried on, enjoying glimpses of views into little bays, only accessible by steep paths that seemed a bit too steep for us, with our backpacks on…
Stopping to take in the sight of the slabs of rock, running into the sea from the cliffs. They were almost black, but with a hard cream-coloured stone, running through it. The erosion by the waves made it look as if someone had edged them with a highlighter that caught the light, in the afternoon sun.
Shortly after, we dropped down steep steps, into a picturesque fishing harbour, with lobster pots lined up against the quay..
Before following the road into tonight’s stop at Zambujeira Do Mar.
After walking almost 67km, over the last 4 days (a significant part of it through deep sand), we are looking forward to having a day off tomorrow.
From what we have seen this evening, we have chosen a rather beautiful place for it.
In fact, you may even find me having a paddle!
