This long walk will be different
That much I "think" I know 🤔. Having joined a Facebook group on the Rota Vincentina - Fisherman's Trail expectations are:
- For Camino walkers this is more of a spectacular nature walk than what the Camino is. The Camino is a pilgrimage where one meets people from all walks of life coming from many different countries with umpteen different reasons to walk. As such you meet people and for many a Camino "Family" is created. Comments on the Fisherman's Trail generally refer to this as a more solitary walk where interactions with others, which certainly happen, are less than on a well traveled Camino route.
Definitely the opportunity to walk one of the great Coastal Walks appeals! Of my 12 longs walks 6 are Camino walks and 6 are other well known walks. Mixing various types has been really special.
- Difficulty? When Leonard first mentioned his interest in a long walk he had criteria (he is an Actuary) in mind.
- roughly 20 kms a day
- no more than than 2 weeks
- modest elevation gains/losses
A number of potential walks were tossed around ...in the end I suggested the Rota Vincentina Fisherman's Trail was a good fit.
A few graphs show how this walk compares to other walks over the past 12 years.
By the numbers it looks much like the 2018 Camino Portuguese...however numbers can be deceiving as the Camino Portuguese was an incredibly challenging and painful walk due to significant blister problems, torrential rains and my own stupidity.
A number of unknowns come to mind sand, weather, cliff walking, tides and sunrise/sunsets. Any or all of these could move the Fisherman's Walk into a more difficult than expected walk.
A few Facebook comments (more on Facebook later)
Comment 1 -"1️⃣Day (Porto Covo - Milfontes, 21km)
First step, first sand in my shoes, first “wow, this is really happening.” I left Porto Covo towards Milfontes and quickly realized that 20 km of sand isn’t a nightmare — it’s a beautiful way to start an adventure. Cliffs, ocean, calm mind and that strong feeling of being exactly where I’m meant to be."
Comment 2 -"Some sections are completely fine-almost no sand or just a few short sections, while others are more sandy.
As far as I remember
1/ Porto Covo - Vila Nova de Milfontes - almost the entire route is sand, slow and strenuous walking
2/ Vila Nova - Almograve - about half of the route is sand, otherwise fine
3/ Almograve - Zambujeira - ditto, about 50 percent
Otherwise, it was more or less sand-free or just a few short sections."
Comment 3 -"If you go outside the sand, you'll miss the best parts...🤷 Only few short parts are really hard. There is often a chance to walk on the beach, that's much better than in sand on the marked trail."
Comment 4 -"For a lot (not all) of the very sandy paths there are old tiny trails alongside the main path that are more compacted and easy to walk on. Having said that the views are just incredible and I have yet to meet a person that regretted taking the coastal path.”
We had a "bit" of a snowfall in Toronto recently resulting in my walking/stumbling in snow of various depths for many days...sometimes it felt like walking in soft mud. I figure that's my training for walking on sand ☺️
 |
| Estimated snowfall 60cm or so |
 |
| Get's a mite tiring after a while |
Weather
Weather is always a critical factor on a long walk. However due to exposure to the ocean winds while walking along cliff tops weather will play a major role on this walk. Hopefully nothing like the 2023 UK Wainwright Coast to Coast where torrential rain through the Lake District threatened to kibosh the walk.
Sooo...I did a little digging and found a weather app which I understand is broadly used in Portugal named Meteored. A little creative finagling...
- I recorded for each walking day the 14 day Forecast projections
- High temperature for the Start point; Low temperature for End point
- Average Rainfall for the Start and End points
- Average High and Low wind speeds for the Start and End points
I specifically focused on Wind as the coastal walking and time of year generate some pretty ferocious winds. Had we started our walk on January 19, 2026 in Porto Covo here is what the wind outlook was. Walking on Days 5 & 6...might be a wee bit challenging… maybe next to impossible in 100+ km winds!!!
Wind Ranges and Rainfall
I gasped at the wind speeds in the chart and realized I was missing something important. Wind direction!!!
For the first 9 days we are walking North to South and the Atlantic ocean is to our right. For the last 2 days we are walking West to East and the Mediterranean Sea is to our right. I created a table of Best to Worst wind directions with rankings 1 - Easiest to 8 - Hardest for each day of walking. Note on Cliff Impact - best to stay away from the edge.
I had fun with the analysis part...now comes the hard part...walking in these strong winds.
 |
| Alentejo region (brown) - First 7 days of the Fisherman's Trail! Algarve region (yellow) last 4 days |
Temperature ranges and Rainfall
Other than following a few friends and a couple of groups ie Fisherman's Trail, Via Francigena I simply have little interest or use for Facebook.
A Facebook group I previously following consistently generated AI generated fakes. Here is one where the person posting must have done so simply to generate laughs. Admittedly it is pretty funny! 🤣
 |
| Typical Bear meeting on highway! |
A not so fine fellow posted the following on the Fisherman's Trail Facebook page with NO explanation whatsover. Clearly this picture was meant to scare the living 💩💩 out of everyone. 😱 The angle of the picture is deceptive. The author's explanation below is not impressive.
 |
| Not going to happen |
My immediate reaction "if this is the official trail I had better get on the blower now to Leonard and give him my regrets. NO WAY HOSAY!"
I read the comments...not surprisingly panic was the main reaction to the photo.
Reader 1 - "Looks like it would be a nightmare for me. I suffer from vertigo. is it possible to use alternate paths when the route goes this close to the cliff edge"
Picture Poster - "This is a nice shortcut. Original trail goes around" 😡
Reader 2 - "Alena no worries, the path is not dangerous, you don't have to go this close to the edge of the cliffs like on the picture. The trail is really great and there are alternatives, don't worry"
NOT impressed with Picture Poster...on a Forum dedicated to helping walkers this fine fellow has done absolutely zippo in this regard.
Remember this Fisherman's Trail has been consistently touted as an excellent long distance route for first time walkers.
Ok this reinforces the need to tick to the trail when walking along cliffs...that was always the plan.
Tides
I have never concerned myself with tides on a long walk...first time for everything. Tides are pretty fascinating in that most locations have 2 sets of High/Low tides each day with tide times change consistently and by a fair time difference each day.
The table below highlights tide times to consider early in the day starting our walk (usually 7:30 to 8:30) and as we nearat our daily destination (usually 2:00 to 3:30).
A few examples of tide impacts
Day 8 March 1, 2026 - Carrapateira to Vila do Bispo
Important warnings:
"Pay attention the sea conditions at Amado and Murracao beaches. In case you cannot cross Murracao beach, take the Circular Route through the interior."
Day 10 March 2, 2026 - Sagres to Salema
Tips:
"During low tide, it is easy to cross the road between Furnas and Figueira beaches. 200m west of the parking lot of Salema beach, look out for the beautiful footprints or the dinosaurs that crossed the Fisherman's Trail 250 million years ago!"
Sunrise & Sunset
These are always important considerations especially when walking long days. Looking at the sunrise and sunset times we should have plenty of daylight for our daily walks. The trick will be to consider tide times on beach walks and ensure we are NOT on cliff walks either too early or late in the day. Full daylight required for these walks!
What's in the backpack
I am breaking with tradition as no detailed listing is provided. A few exceptions however.
 |
| HOKA Speedgoat V6 |
Compared to other choices on recent walks with John and Paulo a very subdued colour choice. A positive Facebook Fisherman's Trail comment...made me smile...
"I don't think road running shoes are suitable for FT. I wore Hoka Speedgoats with gaiters and was super happy with my choice. There are some rocky patches on the trail and you want a good grip."
For the first time I have an extra pair of HOKA Speedgoats in the bag due to recent photos of walkers fording stream runoff due to heavy rains.
I have added a few pairs of extra clothes ie t-shirts, underwear and socks.
Raingear is always something I fuss over. This time it's an easy choice given the recent Wind/Rain conditions. My Patagonia Torrentshell and North Face pants are in. Both have gone through a prescribed wash/dry/treatment for enhanced rain protection.
My Tilley hat has been successfully washed with the help of my good friend Ken. Remains to be seen how well I can strap it on my head in the winds. It it topples over a cliff goodbye...on the UK Coast to Coast I managed to catch it running along before it made the suicide jump off the cliff into the Irish Sea. On the PEI Island Walk I managed to spear the Tilley hat as it careened off to the Atlantic ocean graveyard.
 |
| Ok will have to curve the brim somewhat to get the "look" |
Leonard questioned eating while walking...he seems concerned about our ability to find food. As always I expect we will do just fine...we won't starve. However given the baggage carry option I will pack a few extras for daily snacks. Leonard mentioned something about going to Costco as well...we may well be overstocked 😂 I am somehow fitting the following in my bags:
- 22 Kirkland Trail Mix or one for each day. Total weight 1.4 kg
- 22 Daryl's Bars, Canadian Maple Walnut. Hey an opportunity to support a Canadian business trying to gain a foothold in this tough marketplace. Bars are smaller than most however still deliver 20 grams of protein. Total weight 1.2 kg
The final view of all my gear/stuff is shown below. One new piece of equipment is the Osprey packing cubes 2 sets of 3. They are extremely light and I live in hope they will help me keep track of where things are!!! How will they fare in any future walks where everything goes in the backpack? That's for another day.
 |
| NOTE the small pillow shown "Home is where Dad can say anything he likes 'cause nobody listens" isn't going to Portugal |
Tada...it all fits...sort of 🤣. I have a 30L Gregory backpack in there which I expect to load up on a daily basis...as I will not be able to fit what's in the small daypack (for plane) in the blue baggage carry bag or will want to carry something for old times sake. 😉
If anyone is wondering about the mantra "weight kills when walking"... remember we have baggage service on this walk!
FlixBus booked from Lagos to Lisbon at walks conclusion for a 3h 50m trip...snagged the 2 best seats called Panorama in row 1 for an extra 5 Euros. Seems appropriate to travel in luxury after a long walk!
That's it...time to stop planning...enjoy.. and set off on a long walk!
__________________________________________________________________________
Camino stats update
This has nothing to do with walking the Fisherman’s Trail however 2025 ended and previously created graphs were begging to be updated. I could not resist ☺️ ... a little background first.
Who tracks these numbers?
The Oficina del Peregino (their summary)
"At the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrim’s Reception Office we welcome pilgrims who come to the city on foot, by bicycle or on horseback to the tomb of St. James.
The Pilgrim’s Reception Office is run by the Cathedral of Santiago, in the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, and this is where we place the final stamp of the Cathedral of Santiago on the “credenciales de peregrino” (pilgrim’s credentials) and where the traditional pilgrimage certificate is issued, called the “Compostela”.
How do you qualify for a Compostela?
“To get the Camino Compostela, you must walk at least 100km (or 200km by bike) on an official route, for spiritual reasons, collecting at least two stamps daily in your Credential (pilgrim’s passport for the qualifying distance, and walk the final stage to Santiago Cathedral), proving your journey with stamps.”
Does everyone who qualifies get a Compostela?
No, a number of pilgrim walkers simply bypass getting a Compostela for many different reasons. Various estimates are bandied without any solid facts however an estimate of 30% +/- 10% is often seen. So...500,000 pilgrims might actually mean 625,000 to 835,000 individuals. Some believe the actual % who skip getting a Compostela is well above 30%!
Where do these Pilgrims come from?
In 2025 209 different countries are listed by the Oficina del Peregrino. Generally there are thought to be 195 countries in the world (United Nations); ISO Country Codes number 249. Either way you look at this a staggeringly high % of the World is represented by pilgrims on the Camino paths.
Graphs
 |
| Incredibly consistent growth over the past 40 years - red dotted line equates to 18.1% compounded yearly since 1985. |
 |
| Females now outnumber Males by a wide margin - anomaly COVID Year 2020...hmmm |
 |
| Significant growth in Pilgrims walking the minimum 100 kms distance to obtain Compostela. Sarria/Tui/Ferro/Lugo are common 100 km starting points. |
 |
| Very strong growth in the Camino Portuguese which appears likely to overtake the Camino Frances in a few years |