Time: 3 days |
Distance: 57km |
This is our first journal entry from walking the Rota Vicentina, a 250km walk to the end of Portugal.
Read our full guide to walking the Rota Vicentina here
You can find a map of this journal entry here.
The beginning of our Rota Vicentina was a bus from Lisbon. From a smooth empty road we watched the capital slip away, replaced by dark green fields and the white and blue cottages of the Alentejo; heading to places we’d never been before, never even seen in photos before.
Our destination, Santiago do Cacém, we suppose is a normal Portuguese town. Working rural but pretty, the streets lined with orange trees and the hills dotted with windmils. We stayed at the type of hotel you might’ve booked for a business meeting in 1991, but to us everything was golden-hued, new, exciting. Our starting point to walk was at the top of Santiago’s hill, in the old town. We dropped our bags and wandered up to explore.
We found a map of the Rota Vicentina up the hill, a little red flag marking where we were. As Luke really can’t help himself with maps we stared at it for ages, tracing it down to the end. From there on the hill beyond the old walls, we could see the sea. That moment is one of the reasons we do this: the map of the route ahead, the far-off Atlantic and the tingle of new adventure excitement – that’s enough for us.
For some reason the next day we set off supremely late, not used to walking probably. But we found the world quiet, like everyone was still sleeping. We were walking the Historical Way, the first part of the Rota Vicentina, and we followed it up bits of hill into wild nothingness, full of cork forests and eucalyptus. We’d never seen a ‘cork oak’ tree before, and it’s kinda cool.
There was nobody anywhere; not even on the farms we walked through, squat white buildings seeming hundreds of years old. Sheep grazed, and their guard dogs eyed us warily (but nowhere near as warily as we eyed them). The only sound was the crunch-crunch of our feet on eucalyptus leaves.
We stayed at a couple of different places, one of them a rural Turismo with its own stone windmill. Two women were there with us, an American and Canadian from Mexico, in Portugal to see the famous horses. ‘We’ve got horse ranches back home,’ they explained over Portuguese breakfast of tosta, queijo (cheese) and black coffee. ‘But now we’re thinking of selling, moving out here. It’s the life isn’t it?’
All four of us were a bit in love with the place I think. The slow pace of living, the quiet of it all – like the slow movement of the windmill wings.
When Luke and I find ourselves walking in quiet like this, we end up either getting into long spiralling conversations or just wrap up in our own minds. I probably shouldn’t say this as we’re supposed to be showing you the Rota Vicentina but sometimes we just blank out the route, hypnotised by the left-right-left-right of our legs. Though we think that’s the beauty of walking too, just dreaming along the way.
After the serenity of the forests and the farms, we came to some of our favourite places on the Historical Way: the blue painted villages. Maybe because we hit them late in the day but they seemed to us always sleepy, only ever the odd person sitting around. We liked Cercal the best, just for its soft, gentle atmosphere.
It was three days before we ended up at the coast. That’s three days of getting used to our bags, of getting used to eating on the road (ugh), of getting used to the tranquillity of the Portuguese countryside. Yeah, after Lisbon and London life tranquillity does take a bit of getting used to.
And then we met the Atlantic Ocean.
Another walk logged!! Great read amazing photos yet again. Keep them coming.x
Thanks very much Trish! It was a great walk, we really loved it.
The light, tranquility and sheer lack of people on this route shines out . It does appear that this is something of a gem for walking folk who love peace, sunshine and the magnificent ocean. Keep going – you are in the only corner of Europe not encased in ice!
The only corner it seems! It really was a gem of a walk, John. We said to each other at the end that we would like to just go and walk it again! It was pretty easy as well, so we’d recommend it to anyone for a walking adventure.
Another big adventure by the nicest young people that I met on my long way from Cologne to Santiago de Compostella last summer. Always feel the wind in your hair and always feel the love that is between you.
We met very short last year – in Clairvaux, maybe you remember?
Hallo Antonius!
Great to hear from you. And that’s very nice of you to say that.
We have often thought about our meet in Clairvaux last summer, and wondered how you and the young man you were walking with got on with your respective journeys. How was the walk the Santiago? When did you arrive? Did you enjoy the experience?
Luke & Nell
Hi Luke & Nell,
Nikolaj and I walked together for just 3 days. Well – he had not the time that I had to walk the way. So he had to walk faster and longer distances. I had to pause for 5 days because of a bad stomach infection. But then I continued the way. Nikolaj and I were in contact by WhatsApp, and when he had to return home he left a souvenir for me at the city sign of Saint-Armand-Montrond: a yellow ribbon that I brought to Santiago.
For the next 30 days I had to walk alone again. But then – in the SW of France – I found pilgrim friends. And though nobody of them wanted to walk the complete way I never was alone then Whenever one of them left I found another. The last 600 km in Spain I walked with a young girl from Germany.
We arrived in Santiago in 16th of September, and we continued the way to Fisterra.
It surely was the greatest experience of my life, and I am thinking of going to Rome this year. So maybe I will follow your tracks 🙂
My best wishes for the two of you! May your love last forever,
Antonius
Nice to walk with you guys. 🙂 🙂 I’m a bit like that with maps too, though I’m not so great at following them. I’m more familiar with the southern part of your route. Looking forward to it.
Ha ha! Thanks very much Johanna 🙂
Fisherman’s trail link seems to not work… 🙁 goes to 404 not found
Hey there, thank you for pointing that out – fixed now!
I have 7 days…which part of your adventure would you suggest I focus on! Love your blog…thank you for posting!
Thanks very much – you wouldn’t go wrong if you just walked the Fishermen’s Way from Porto Covo to Odeceixe. You could do that in less than 7 days though, so afterwards hop on a bus south to either Arrifana for a great little walk south on the trail, or go to Bordeira beach and dunes and then onto Pedralva village also via the trail. Hope that helps. Enjoy, it’s a fantastic walking trail! 🙂