Stage 7: A long day

In fact, the night was quite warm, so I was able to sleep reasonably well. However, the night was also damp, so I cannot completely pack my tent. I attach the flysheet to the top of my backpack to dry while on the go. After my back was able to recover a bit over the last two days, I carry all my things again today.

Around half past nine, I set off from the campsite with Simone. We walk down a gravel path through a sparse forest area. Once we reach the bottom, we pass by an animal shelter where a staff member tells us a bit about it.

Just before the town of Aljezur, I take a breakfast break by the small river Ribeira, while Simone goes ahead. Afterwards, I walk a short distance through Aljezur and glance into a small church.
Leaving the town, a gravel path leads us on. I pass through a small settlement with red houses that seem quite new but abandoned. Now, the path ascends again, with eucalyptus trees lining the way, which you can also smell a bit.

Then the path runs for about 5 km directly along the road. At one point, I take a detour away from the road, but after a good 500 meters, I turn back because it is blocked. So, I stay on the road. It leads me to a large beach where the Ribeira river flows into the sea. Here, I take my second lunch break.

After that, I walk along the cliff. In the first cove, there are many fishermen, and I ask one what he's catching. He only speaks Portuguese, but I understand that he’s not catching cod, which is so popular in Portugal. After a few kilometers, I reach a rock formation that has shaped my previous horizon. There stands a ruin and some other remnants of walls.

From there, I walk a bit inland in drizzling rain. The last kilometers stretch out like chewing gum; to motivate myself, I listen to music until I arrive in the town of Arrifana. First, I head to the supermarket. On the way to the hostel, I get a little lost. And to top it all off, a blister bursts between my toes in the last stretch. At eight, I finally arrive at the hostel and hope that tomorrow there will be fewer kilometers.