After yesterday’s hike through the countryside to Aljezur, we woke early today, keen to get on with the walk to our next stop at Arrifana.
It was a beautiful sunrise and we set off, as the church bell tolled 8am, keen to enjoy walking in the fresh, early-morning air.
We’re definitely morning people, and also it’s been getting hot by lunchtime, so we wanted to have broken the back of today’s stage by then.
We started, by climbing up through the cobbled streets of the old town, before dropping into a little peaceful valley, behind., where the only sound we could hear was the gentle clanging of cow bells
The morning light was gloriously soft, and tinted everything with shades of gold….
The view back up to the castle, on too of the hill was stunning; the fortress silhouetted against the morning sky.
We passed an old well, which apparently dates back to the 10th century, and is the aource of local legends too (although I haven’t managed to find out what they are (yet!)
Then, we started to climb again, a steep gravel path that took us high above the valley, with incredible views into the diatant hills, on one side…
And along the river, to the sea on the other…
It was a wonderful start to what turned out to be a superb day’s walk.
We followed the path, above the river, where there seemed to be old salt pans, all along the valley floor.
Before we followed the quiet road, along to the coast, where we turned off the tarmac, onto our old friend, sand, again.
The track took us through dunes, down to the beach at the end of the estuary. It was a stunning spot, and was busy with surfers, who had obviously been out for some time, enjoying the clean, rolling waves.
We stopped to put on our sand gaiters, before heading on, following the little blue and green markers, which showed us the way.
It took us across a rocky landscape, so different to the sand dunes that we had walked through, moments before
And we caught our first sight of the views along the section of the coast, we would be walking along today..
We followed the path into a small fishing village, which like so many, hasn’t been over-developed. A pretty little place, with another stunning stretch of golden sand, backed by colourful houses.
We took the opportunity to stop here for a coffee and orange juice, which has become our go-to mid-morning snack.
And once refreshed, pottered on again, climbing steeply, through the village and back onto the cliffs, where we found ourselves walking high above stunning beaches
The sandy path snaked through the low-growing scrub, crossing boardwalks that had been built above freshwater springs. It’s amazing that springs are still running after this summer, and on top if the cliffs too
We stopped after a while, in what must be one of the most perfect picnic spots, we’ve found so far.
The view back up the coast was breathtaking, and we sat for an hour just watching the waves, and the seagulls playing in the wind.
It was just delightful
After lunch, we ambled on, passing what appeared to be the remains of a clifftop village
Before we followed the path through woodland, enjoying the shade.
Then, we took a decision to turn tight rather than left, leaving the marked trail to follow a route I’d spotted that would take us over the cliffs to Arrifana, passing a beach bar, where we could stop for a drink.
What I hadn’t appreciated was just how steep that cliff path would be. It was an amazing route, which saw us climbing steep, rocky paths that actually got to 52% gradient, in some places.
It made us puff a bit, and my knees wobbled a bit too, but it was worth it for the views.
And as we emerged into the top of the last cliff, we were welcomed by some rather laid back goats and a short walk to the bar, where we stopped for the Portuguese equivalent of an Orangina
It was just what we needed.
We’ve had a gentle evening, and ended the day, sitting on the wall of the accommodation we’re staying in tonight, watching the sun set into the sea. What a wonderful end to the day
It was another 20km walk today, and it was delightful to be back on the coast again.
During the day, we caught a sight of the headland at end of the Atlantic coast, which is where we’re heading, although we still have a few days walking ahead.
We’re enjoying this far too much and can’t even start to think about it coming to an end.
