The hiking adventure begins!

From Lisbon, I set off early at seven heading south and arrive in Sines after a nearly two-hour bus ride. There, I first walk a bit through the town, then komoot directs me to a path where a sign indicates there may be explosions. I prefer to avoid that, so I search for a path through or around the freight port, which is a bit adventurous. Instead of walking on the big road, where hardly a car passes by, I first walk on a gravel road next to the train tracks. When that suddenly stops, I cut across the fields until I find a regular path. This makes it at least a bit more exciting than just walking on the road, although I still discover things along the way: millipedes scurrying in front of me, a snake skin that seems quite large, and new plants that spark my curiosity. 🤓

By noon, I arrive at the beach where the fisherman's path starts. This means I no longer have to constantly check my phone for directions. Here, I take a lunch break and watch a few surfers as they try to get on their boards. Sometimes they succeed.

Now the path runs right along the road, but I soon search for my own route a bit closer to the sea, preferably along the beach. Soon the actual path also leads that way, and I go from one beach to the next. This reignites my collection urge. There are only sporadic shells, but beautiful slate stones abound. And trash. I start picking up at least a few things. There aren't masses lying around, but I keep wondering why someone would leave even a single wrapper behind.

With the collecting, photographing, watching the waves, and small breaks in between, it often feels more like a stroll than a hike. Only when it goes uphill does it become briefly strenuous. Because most paths are sandy, I've been walking barefoot since noon, which works really well.

Shortly after five, I arrive in Porto Covo and pitch my tent at a campsite. Now I really feel how my legs and feet hurt, and the hole in my stomach desperately needs filling. So I treat myself to a vegan lasagna, after I nearly gave up on finding anything vegetarian - almost everything here is with fish (or meat), it's the fisherman's path after all. 😆

After one last little walk to watch the sunset, I make my way exhausted but content to the campsite, where a shower and sleeping bag are already waiting for me.