4. Etappe Von Zambujeira do Mar nach Odeceixe

At the Herdado do Sardanito the shower wasn't really hot, but they served a really good breakfast - everything was homemade: bread, cake, scrambled eggs, jams, and there was also a huge selection of fruit, such as medlars - I hadn't heard of them before - incredibly juicy and delicious. This meant that we didn't start our hike until 10:30. Luckily, a nice guest from the hotel was kind enough to drive us to Zambujeira, where we stocked up on water for the hot day.

The route today was extremely beautiful, but also extremely strenuous. On the one hand, there were many climbs, and on the other, the temperature rose to 30 degrees. This lifted my mood at first and I got into the flow at a good pace, so much so that I missed the trail markings several times, completely lost in thought, and even covered extra kilometers. But I only regretted that at the end of the day, because despite the high demands, this section of the route is once again stunningly beautiful. The storks seem to notice this too, because today I saw an incredible number of them again.

The alternation between cliffs, rocks, dunes and bays is simply an endlessly beautiful panorama, which is only occasionally interrupted by less attractive paths inland past fields, greenhouses or simply through undergrowth.

It was only the last stretch of the route that became torture today. From above you can see the beautiful bay of Odeceixe, where the surfers wait for their waves and the locals take a cool dip. But the hikers come from the wrong side and have to walk for miles above the Rio de Seixe before they reach the town over a bridge. The beautiful bay seems inaccessible from here. I have rarely been as exhausted as I was today when I arrived here in town - my calf muscles were completely stiff and my legs were quite red. I had drunk all the water, so I was delighted to find the first little shop right near our accommodation.

The town offers many small restaurants, most of which offer delicious fish dishes, so that this evening it was once again easy to reward ourselves for our efforts.