To be fair, the section from Odeceixe to Aljezur is not the most beautiful part of the Fishermen’s Trail. Still, I’m having a good time and that’s mainly because of the people I meet.
What is the Fishermen’s Trail?
The Fishermen’s Trail (Trilho dos Pescadores in Portuguese) is a long-distance trail in the southwestern part of Portugal. The path runs from São Torpes near Sines (Alentejo) to Lagos (Algarve) and follows the coastline. It is part of Rota Vicentina, a collection of hiking and cycling trails in this region.
The Fishermen’s Trail is 226.5 kilometers long in total and includes a total of 13 sections. In this trail journal, I’ll tell you all about my hike on the sixth stage from Aljezur to Odeceixe.
Hiking from Aljezur to Odeceixe
Officially, the Fishermen’s Trail runs from north to south, but I chose to hike from south to north. This way, I’ll have the sun on my back and I expect to have better views. So I don’t walk from Odeceixe to Aljezur, but from Aljezur to Odeceixe.
Who needs sleep anyway?
I barely sleep that night. Someone in the dorm thought it was a good idea to close all the windows and turn on an electric heater. I need fresh air at night (I sleep best with a window open) and feel like I can barely breathe. It’s so hot! I toss and turn non-stop and at two o’clock I get up and go outside to cool off, which is wonderful. On the way back to my bed I lower the temperature of the heater and luckily I do fall asleep a couple of times afterwards.
Luckily, I feel ok in the morning, but I don’t feel like staying in bed for long. I quickly go to the supermarket, take some more pictures of Aljezur and at nine o’clock I’m ready to hit the trail.
Dogs along the trail
Through the narrow streets of Aljezur (it’s so beautiful here!) I walk out of the town.
I have a big climb ahead of me, after that it’s mainly flat. Before I start the climb, I pass a dog shelter. I am greeted with loud barking, but one of the dogs is quiet and looks at me with those sad dog eyes. My heart breaks, I think it’s so sad that they are in those little cages and that they don’t have a home…
For now, I can’t do much about it (although I hope to adopt a dog from such a shelter one day), so I walk on. The path goes steeply up the mountain. Fortunately, it’s not too bad, so after 20 minutes I’m on the top. Yes! From now on, the rest of the trail will be easy (I think).
I wander through a hamlet with many dogs (I really see them behind every fence) and just past a campsite a dog comes running towards me barking very loudly. To my surprise, I’m not really scared. When she is close I yell very loudly stop and she immediately keeps her distance. The owner is also there a little later and she apologizes like 20 times. Nothing to worry about.
For the first twelve kilometers, I just follow unpaved roads over the countryside. Not very inspiring (sometimes even a bit boring), but these kinds of parts during a long-distance walk are also good. Those are the moments where you start thinking about the future, whether you’re happy with your life, things like that. I kinda like these moments.
Back to the coast
Via the village of Rogil and more countryside, I finally reach the coast again. After three hours of hiking, this makes me so happy! I arrive at some large plateau and since is now half-past one, it’s a perfect place to have lunch. Soon I am joined by Andreas from Germany, Ingwild from Norway, and a couple from Los Angeles. It is great fun and nice to chat with other hikers again. That’s what makes a long-distance trailso much fun, you constantly meet people from other countries and you always have something to talk about because you have the same passion.
After a break of more than an hour, I, unfortunately, have to continue my hike, because I really have to be in Odeceixe at five o’clock to catch the bus to Lagos. At this point, I still have at least ten kilometers to go.
The trail along the coastline is as gorgeous as I’ve seen in the last couple of days. A beautiful sandy path over the cliffs with great views, wow!
It goes a bit further inland (there is a shortcut, but it goes via very steep rocks and I’m a little scared to do that), and after that, there is another part along the coast. According to Andreas, there should be a nest with storks here. I check all the cliffs, but I don’t see a single stork. Eventually, I do spot several large nests. Still cool to see, you see those huge nests in many places in the Algarve, but I’ve never seen them on these high cliffs along the sea.
Off to Odeceixe
At Praia de Odeceixe I make a short stop. The sky is starting to get cloudy (there will finally be rain tonight after all those weeks of drought, nature needs it) and it’s getting a bit cooler. Fortunately, many beaches have (clean) public bathrooms here, so I put on my long leggings. They’re nice and warm and I’m certainly going to need that later on the bus to Lagos. After a last view of the beach, the surfers in the waves, and the cute village around the beach I continue my hike.
It is only three kilometers to Odeceixe and it mainly goes along an asphalt road where you really have to watch out for the cars, because there is not a verge everywhere. The last kilometer is on a dirt road through the meadows and from here you can see Odeceixe beautifully.
This is another beautiful town in the Algarve full of colored houses. There is also a pleasant square with terraces, but I don’t have the energy to sit down and order a drink. After 24 kilometers (according to my GPS) my feet are pretty worn out, so I rest at the bus stop. Luckily I’m on time (even 45 minutes early) and I’m happy to be on the bus to Lagos.
Four days on the Fishermen’s Trail
In the past 4 days, I have hiked over 80 kilometers and I have now completed 8 of the 13 legs of the Fishermen’s Trail. I have met some really nice people and this experience has increased my love for long-distance walks even more. The Algarve coast provided daily surprises, gorgeous cliffs, hidden beaches, beautiful towns, and I absolutely loved it.
When will I complete the last five stages? I don’t know yet. I’m still in Lagos for three weeks, so in theory, it could be this winter, but maybe I’ll save them for next year. For now, I’m going to relax on the couch with my feet up. Reminiscing about these beautiful days.
Practical information
Section 6 of the Fisherman’s Trail runs from Odeceixe to Aljezur and is 22.5 kilometers long, this is the longest leg of the Fishermen’s Trail. It will take you six to seven hours. This section is classified as “average” and that’s correct. There are a few steep sections.
On this page, you can find more information about this section and download the GPX file.
Food & drinks
About eight kilometers from Aljezur you pass through the village of Rogil, here are several places where you can eat. There are also several supermarkets where you can get food. In addition, at Praia de Odeceixe (about 3 kilometers from Odeceixe) there are also several restaurants where you can sit on the terrace and enjoy the view.
Restaurant recommendations
- Aljezur – Cervejaria Mar: Nicely decorated restaurant with a sea theme. Lots of fish and refreshing beers. Check the opening hours. In Aljezur many restaurants are closed in winter.
- Rogil – Museu da Batata Doce: nice local restaurant with beautiful garden. Especially a lot of fish dishes.
- Praia da Odeceixe – Casa de Hóspedes e Restaurante Dorita: nice place for a drink. They have a raised terrace and from here you have a beatutiful view of the beach.
- Odeceixe – Taberna do Gabão: Portuguese cuisine.
Best time to hike this section
The best time to do the walk from Odeceixe to Aljezur is between September and June. In July and August, it can get very hot and there is hardly any shade on the way. I myself did this hike in November and it was perfect.
Public Transport
Both Odeceixe and Aljezur have connections with, among others, Lagos and Lisbon. However, the buses are very limited, at most they go a few times a day.
Check the Eva website for routes and times of the local buses and Busbud for the long-distance buses (to Lisbon, among others). With the local buses, you can get a bus ticket from the driver, make sure you have cash (small amounts, they have little change). You can buy a ticket online for the long-distance buses.
Where to stay
There are several nice places to spend the night in both Odeceixe and Aljezur. I mainly use Booking.com to make (last minute) reservations. These are a few recommendations:
- Odeceixe – There are several hostels and guest houses in Odeceixe, in most of them you can book a bed in a dorm or a private room. Bohemian Antique Guesthouseis one of the best options, with nicely decorated rooms. A good alternative is Horta do Vale – Nature House.
- Aljezur – Amazigh Design Hostel – is located along the route in the old part of Aljezur. Nice common areas. I didn’t really like the dorm, but private rooms are not expensive here either.
- Aljezur – Vicentina Hotel 4* – nice hotel in the newer part of Aljezur (about 5 minutes walk from the trail). Perfect if you want something a little more luxurious.
In addition, there are also several places to stay the night in Rogil. This is especially useful if, for example, you want to walk more or less than one stage.
Read more about the Fishermen’s Trail
Would you like to read more hiking journals? I also wrote a hiking report on these sections of the Fishermen’s Trail:
- Section 9: Carrapateira to Vila do Bispo
- Section 10: Vila do Bispo to Sagres
- Section 11: Sagres to Salema
Sign up for my newsletter if you’d like to stay informed about the continuation of my walk on the Fishermen’s Trail and other tips. In addition, I regularly share articles with tips about several travel destinations.
Read more about the Algarve & Portugal
Do you also feel like hiking (a section of) the Fishermen’s Trail after reading this article? Then it is useful to order this trail guide:
Portugal’s Rota Vicentina: Alentejo and Algarve Coastal Route
And order the Rother hiking guide Algarve if you want to explore more hiking trails in the Algarve.
Would you like to read more about the Algarve and Portugal? I spend several months in the Algarve almost every year, which is why you can read a lot about Portugal on this website. For example, check out these articles:
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