6th stage: coast, meadows and forests

Tonight I sleep better than ever on the hike. I wake up just a bit earlier than intended. I have breakfast together with Simone and her parents and then ride with them all the way to Odeceixe, saving myself a tight 3 kilometers along the road. They take a part of my luggage further to the next campground.

In Odeceixe, I stroll a bit through the streets and around 11 am, I set off for the next stage. Initially, it goes about 3 kilometers through the valley of the Rio Seixe, past meadows with storks and cattle. A large part of this is on the road. This leads to a beach, from where it goes back up to the cliffs.

Today is gray and muggy; sometimes the sun peeks through a little. At a bay with a great view of a stork nest, I take a short break. It's the first nest I've seen here with a stork in it. 

Soon after, I come to a gorge. One path leads around, another goes through. After a brief deliberation, I decide on the shorter, but steeper path through the bay. Once at the bottom, the ascent looks slightly steeper than from the other side. I briefly consider turning back, but I just saw two hikers going up, so it must be doable. The ascent goes well, but my adrenaline shoots up a bit - I wouldn't do that again (at least alone), even though there's a fisherman down below who could get help in case of emergency. 

After this little adventure, I continue along the cliffs for a while. I take my lunch break on a platform. The second half of the stage leads away from the coast, along fields and through small forests. In between, I pass through a village, where I catch a small view of the hills further inland and buy something to eat for later. From there, it’s still about four kilometers along a gravel road. It passes through meadows, fields, forests, and a heathland. Since it's not as spectacular as the coastal scenery and the reception is quite good, I use the time to make calls.

Shortly after 6, I reach the next campground, where I first receive an apple pancake from a camper who wants to get rid of some ingredients. Eating that feels really good! Then I set up my tent. Tonight, it shouldn't get too cold, so I'm optimistic about my sleep. 

Today I'm also not as exhausted as in the past few days. However, my feet hurt with every further step; the popped blisters have just filled up again. But I think to myself: Somewhere on this stage lay the midpoint of my journey; I have made it this far despite one or two challenges. Therefore, I am quite sure that I will also manage the second half.