Rota Vicentina – day 5

Arrifana – before Vila do Bispo

Tuesday, 26th December 2023

32,01 km – total 155,12 km

I was quite warm at night and didn’t sleep very well. After three nights in a tent, sleeping in a bed felt unfamiliar. We pack up and start hiking at 8 AM.

After about 3 kilometers, we stop for breakfast, enjoying a nice view. Since we showered yesterday, we take a photo together—probably the best we’ll look on this trip.

The next 10 kilometers are pretty boring. We walk inland with no views, and the pace is slower than we’d like. But eventually, we make it back to the cliffs, though the landscape is desolate. It looks like this area was hit by fires last year.

We continue along Brodeira Beach, which is a much more fun.

There are these funny little birds running around, moving their legs super fast to escape the waves. We have to run ourselves when a wave suddenly appear.

Carrapateira is only a kilometer away, but walking through the sand while hungry makes it feel much longer. When we reach the town, there’s just one restaurant open, and we manage to grab one of the last tables. I order a London Burger, and Jozef goes for the ‘Micro Bar’ burger. The place is busy, so it takes a while, but the food is great, and the portions are big.

After lunch, we have a coffee, and then it’s time to pick up the pace. We want to get as close to Vila do Bispo as possible before sunset. On the way back toward the ocean, we pass a lot of agave plants with large, spiky leaves. The plant will die after blooming.

We descend to Praia do Amado, which is busy because of the nearby parking and bar. We want to fill up our water bottles, but the restrooms are closed, so we keep going. We figure that either we’ll find water along the way or push on until we reach the town. But then the terrain starts to get pretty challenging with lots of climbs. It feels like we’re constantly hiking up to a hill and then down to a beach.

At one abandoned house, we get water from a tap outside, so we don’t have to rush anymore and just keep going until sunset.

The last kilometers are easy, just following the road. We start looking for a good spot to pitch the tent. We find one, but it’s too exposed. So, we keep walking toward a forest turnoff that we see on the map. At the end of the path, we find the perfect spot under a tree, on soft pine needles, nicely hidden. Jozef sets up the tent while I write.

Just as we’re lying down, a car approaches. I panic for a second, thinking someone is coming to kick us out, but it’s just a someone in a van, also looking for a place to camp. They park nearby and start playing loud techno music. We both roll our eyes at that. Thankfully, they turn it off after a few minutes.

Jozef cooks a big pot of pasta with tuna, but I’m not very hungry—still full from lunch. In the end, I force myself to eat some, knowing I’ll be starving by morning if I don’t. After that, I post the blog and read a bit about the Vale da Telha, estate we passed earlier. Jozef is already asleep, and I doze off too, but we get up to brush our teeth before finally going to bed.