PORTUGAL! – The Fisherman’s Trail

Why Portugal. I’ve been hearing for years how special and wonderful Portugal is. I’d never been to Portugal, and when I saw that the National Outdoor Leadership School offered an alumni hike on the Fisherman’s trail along the SW coastline of Portugal,  I saw this as a great opportunity to see for myself. (picture of me with Hal on my left, with whom I started BUD/S 50 yrs ago, & Dave, with whom I started HS  60 yrs ago.)

The Beginning – I flew into Lisbon from Boston with two other friends who were joining us on the hike.  We landed early, took an Uber to our hotel, and linked up with others in the group who got there early, and we spent the next 3 days exploring some of the great sites and museums in and around Lisbon –  we visited Sintra – an amazing castle about half hour train ride from Lisbon, and St Paddy’s day happened to be in that 3 day window, so most of us met at a great pub in old town and celebrated w the locals. 

Lisbon (Lisboa to the Portuguese)  is  the second oldest capital city in Europe(after Athens) and we got a great half day tour of the city’s main square and the old city.  It is not huge by modern standards, with only a bit more than half a million inhabitants.  Most of the old city of Lisboa and most of the inhabitants were lost in a massive earthquake, follow-on fires and a follow-on tsunami in 1755.   We walked through the current main plaza and down town,  built on the ruins of what was left after the earthquake/tsunami, and also through the couple of sections of the city which were not destroyed in the earthquake.

Portugal in general, and Lisbon in particular reflect the half a millennium when they were ruled by the Moors – one sees it in the place names and the architecture and the many tiled buildings. But it is also very Catholic and contains the birthplace of St Anthony of Padua.  Lisbon has lots of hills, narrow cobble stone streets – small shops and restaurants – a charming and beautiful city.

An extreme example of tiled walls.                 The Cathedral built on St Anthony’s birthplace

Weather During the whole hike temps were similar to San Diego. During the hike we dodged some rain storms, while temps started in the high 40s/low 50s and got into the 60s and even 70s.  Last couple of days were very windy (30+kts) and we had a lot of dust from a storm in the Sahara that blew fine sand and dust our way.  

The Fisherman’s Trail begins in Porto Covo on the coast south of Lisbon and continues south around the southwestern most point of Portugal and the European continent, and ends in the city of Lagos.  The full trail is close to 140 miles long, but we section hiked it, for a total of about 70 miles 

The Hike Our hike was led by NOLS Instructors Susan Brame (wife of Rich Brame who led my Scotland Hike 2 yrs ago) and Murilo Bellese from Brazil.  We began with a drive from Lisbon to Porto Covo where we spent the night and began our hike the next morning. Over the next 7 days we hiked 10-13 miles per day along the most spectacular coastline I’d ever seen.  It was also a geology lesson as well, in that the wavy striations and layers went horizontal,  then vertical –  Portugal clearly sits on the edge of tectonic plate.

We only carried light packs with snacks and layers in case of weather changes .   We left about 9am each morning on our hike and usually arrived about 3 or 4 in the afternoon at our target village, checked into our family-run guest house,  where our bags had already been delivered by vehicle.   We then usually gathered to drink beer for an hour or so, then rested before going out to eat at a fabulous local restaurant with great food and 1980s prices.  Then back to the guest house and to bed.  Next day,  after breakfast we were back on the trail by 9AM. 

We got a ride at one point to skip about 23 miles, so that we could finish our hike rounding Cabo São Vicente and Punto de Sagres, at the southwest corner of Portugal (and the European Continent),  and we finished in the beautiful resort town of Sagres.  We visited the Sagres Fortaleza museum on Cabo Sagres,  in the building where Henry the Navigator trained some of the most prominent European explorers (Magellan, Vasco de Gama, and others) during Portugal’s golden age of exploration in the 16th century.   The last day, we were then driven back to Lisboa, where we again enjoyed a great farewell meal before on the final morning, flying back to the USA.

Highlights: 

• As with every NOLS adventure I’ve been on, the settings are spectacular, but what stays with me are the friendships and the opportunity to share something challenging and beautiful with other adventurous people.
• As the pictures show, the spectacular coastline, and being able to hike through it, pause , enjoy,  and be awed.
• Drinking beer with Hal,  Jonathan and others  who joined us when they felt like it, at the end of each hike.
• After each day’s hike, one of us shared the “roots and shoots” of our lives.  This group opened up; we heard stories and life trajectories which don’t come up in casual conversation,  but served to bring us even closer together.   
• Old town Lisbon and the small coastal villages where we stayed in family-run guest houses, and ate in family-run restaurants.
• The very friendly and hospitable people of Portugal and their beautiful country. 

Things that surpised me about Portugal

• Coffee Seems always dispensed from big machines that offer many options (latte, cappuccino, etc) and they drink it in teeny-little espresso cups.  I had to buy a mug to take two (or 3) hits! 
• Uber is widely used in Lisbon – the US app works well, but like in the US,  it is not as available in small towns. 
• WiFi and Data –  We always had good coverage. I even had a Facetime call with my wife Mary Anne from out in the boonies on the edge of cliff overlooking the Atlantic.
• English – Was never was a problem.  Portuguese grow up learning English in school and watching TV in English with subtitles.  They do appreciate an effort to speak some phrases in Portuguese.
• Storks – Storks are masters at building nests that serve a pair for many years, in spots inaccessible to predators.  They were all along the coastline and I took so many pictures of huge stork nests out on rocky promontories, accessible only by winged flight or extremely competent rock climbers.
• Remaining Moorish influence I was surprised at how evident the Moorish influence remains after nearly a millennium, in the architecture, buildings,  place names of Portugal.
• Wine and beer – Plentiful and inexpensive. Our favorite beer was Sagres.  Wine was either very good or excellent.  About 8 Euros for a carafe of excellent wine. 
• Lot’s of Europeans, few Americans on the Fisherman’s Trail 

Want to Hike the FIsherman’s trail?   If you are a NOLS graduate or have a friend who is a NOLS graduate to host you, go to NOLS alumni Trips.  If not, I and Susan suggest going to: https://rotavicentina.com/en/fishermens-trail/ and you’ll find information about the trail and a number of tour operators that offer guides, or if you’d prefer “self- guided,” they can simply coordinate accommodations and transportation of luggage from one town to the next – and all you have to do is hike, enjoy, and be awed by where you are.

How cool is that? Very cool. That’s what we did.