Fishermen's Trail
Trilho dos Pescadores
Key figures
Length
- Stated
- 226.5 km, the stated length (Rota Vicentina)
- Map line
- 221.3 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
- Used for
- The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search
- 226.5km
Ascent · descent
- This trail
- 2,538 m up, 2,568 m down
- Source
- The sum of the 13 main stages (Rota Vicentina)
- 2,538m ↑2,568m ↓
Difficulty
- What
- How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
- Scale
- Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
- Keep in mind
- It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
- Terrain: ModeratePath grade: ≈ T2
- Climate: Moderate in Sep–OctHeat: 25 °C by day (September)
- Effort: ModerateLongest day: 5 h 50 (stage 4)
- Terrain: Moderate; Climate: Moderate in Sep–Oct; Effort: Moderate
Days
- This trail
- 13 days, one per main stage
- Why
- No source suggests a number of days
- 13days
Per stage
- How
- The 13 main stages' totals over their number
- Source
- Rota Vicentina, so the averages come from one source
- 17km· 200 m ↑
- Season
When are you going?
The page rates its climate for them.
Landscape
- Source
- ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
- Grassland and shrubs: 68%
- Farmland and villages: 16%
- Forest: 12%
- Bare rock and sand: 5%
- Water, snow and ice: 0%
- Mostly Grassland
Location
- Country
- Portugal
- Regions
- Alentejo, Algarve
- Start
- Praia de São Torpes
- Finish
- Lagos
- Route type
- Point to point
- Travel hubs
- Lisbon Sete Rios161.4 km by road · 117 min
- Lisbon Airport (LIS)162.9 km by road · 119 min
- Faro Airport (FAO)172.9 km by road · 137 min
- Protected areas
- Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park
- Managed by
- Associação Rota VicentinaOfficial website
- Waymarking
- Its own painted marks, in colours apart from the Historical Way's, for the right way, the wrong way and turns left and right, to walk without a guide in both directions
- Trail
- Start
- Stage start
- Finish
- Contour lines
Difficulty
Terrain
- Rates
- How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
- How
- Rated over the whole main route.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Path grade
- the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
- EasyT1
- ModerateT2
- DemandingT3
- HardT4 to T6
- Climbing
- ascent of the main stages over their length
- Easyunder 15 m per km
- Moderate15–30 m
- Demanding30–50 m
- Hard50 m or more
- Steep stretches
- share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
- Easyunder 5 %
- Moderate5–15 %
- Demanding15–30 %
- Hard30 % or more
- Natural ground
- share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
- Easyunder a third
- Moderatea third to two thirds
- Demandingtwo thirds or more
Moderate
- estimated T2
SAC hiking scale
- This trail
- T2 (our estimate)
- Basis
- "A single track walkable only on foot, along the cliffs, with lots of sand and therefore more demanding from the physical point of view"; "60% to 70% of sandy trails"; "Not recommended to people with vertigo or fear of heights"; the cliffs are eroding, "be careful of the danger of falling". Clear paths with steep drops beside them and no scrambling (T2); the sand makes the days harder than their climbs.
- Scale
- The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
- Why
- Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
- Keep in mind
- An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
- T1 · Hiking
- Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
- T2 · Mountain hiking
- A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
- T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
- The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
- T4 · Alpine hiking
- Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
- T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
- Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
- T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
- Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.
- Climbing11 m per km
- Steep stretches2 % of the way
- Natural ground52 %
Climate
- Rates
- How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
- How
- From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Heat
- mean daily high at the lowest point
- Easyunder 22 °C
- Moderate22–27 °C
- Demanding27–32 °C
- Hard32 °C or more
- Cold
- mean nightly low at the highest point
- Easy8 °C or more
- Moderate3–8 °C
- Demanding−2 to 3 °C
- Hardbelow −2 °C
- Wet days
- days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
- Easyunder 10
- Moderate10–14
- Demanding14–18
- Hard18 or more
- Snow
- days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
- Easyunder 1 day
- Moderate1–3 days
- Demanding3–6 days
- Hard6 days or more
- Wind
- mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
- Easyunder 15 km/h
- Moderate15–20 km/h
- Demanding20–25 km/h
- Hard25 km/h or more
Moderate in Sep–Oct
Outside the season (Sep–Jun): facilities may be closed, and the weather is harder to plan for.
- Heat · September25 °C by day
- Cold · October15 °C at night
- Wet days · October8 days
- Snow · September0 days
- Wind · September20 km/h
Effort
- Rates
- How long are the days?
- How
- Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
- Level
- The hardest measure sets it
- Longest day
- walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
- Easyup to 4 h
- Moderate4–6 h
- Demanding6–8 h
- Hardmore than 8 h
Moderate
- Longest day · stage 45 h 50
Climate
- Days in season · lowest point
- 15–25°C
- Nights in season · highest point
- 9–17°C
- Wet days a month
- 2–9
- Daylight
- 9.6–14.7h
| Month | Lowest point, day high / night low (°C) | Highest point, day high / night low (°C) | Wet days | Snow days | Frost nights at the highest point | Daylight (h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.2 / 9 | 14.6 / 9 | 7.9 | 0 | 0 | 9.8 |
| February | 16 / 9.3 | 15.3 / 9.3 | 6.7 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 |
| March | 17.8 / 10.6 | 16.8 / 10.5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 11.9 |
| April | 19.1 / 12.2 | 18.1 / 12 | 7.4 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 |
| May | 21.6 / 14.1 | 20.8 / 14 | 4.9 | 0 | 0 | 14.2 |
| June | 24.3 / 16.4 | 23.5 / 16.4 | 1.7 | 0 | 0 | 14.7 |
| July | 26.1 / 17.5 | 25.4 / 17.4 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 14.5 |
| August | 26.6 / 17.9 | 25.9 / 17.9 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 13.6 |
| September | 25 / 17.1 | 24.1 / 17.2 | 3.2 | 0 | 0 | 12.4 |
| October | 22.5 / 15.5 | 21.6 / 15.4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 |
| November | 18.2 / 12.1 | 17.5 / 12 | 8.6 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 |
| December | 16.1 / 10.1 | 15.6 / 10.1 | 8.7 | 0 | 0 | 9.6 |
Climate by month
- Source
- ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
- Places
- The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
- Bars
- From the mean night low to the mean day high
- Wet days
- At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
- Daylight
- Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
- Shading
- The trail's season
Stages
| Stage | Route | Distance | Ascent | Descent | Elevation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | São Torpes Porto Covo | 10.2 km | 23 m ↑ | 0 m ↓ | estimated 10 → 30 m | 2 h 35 |
| 2 | Porto Covo Vila Nova de Milfontes | 19.6 km | 76 m ↑ | 71 m ↓ | estimated 30 → 30 m | 5 h 15 |
| 3 | Vila Nova de Milfontes Almograve | 14.6 km | 94 m ↑ | 93 m ↓ | estimated 40 → 30 m | 3 h 45 |
| 4 | Almograve Zambujeira do Mar | 21.5 km | 162 m ↑ | 162 m ↓ | estimated 30 → 40 m | 5 h 50 |
| 5 | Zambujeira do Mar Odeceixe | 18.7 km | 303 m ↑ | 352 m ↓ | estimated 30 → 10 m | 5 h 40 |
| 6 | Odeceixe Aljezur | 22.6 km | 185 m ↑ | 198 m ↓ | estimated 10 → 20 m | 5 h 50 |
| 7 | Aljezur Arrifana | 17.1 km | 223 m ↑ | 178 m ↓ | estimated 10 → 60 m | 4 h 46 |
| 8 | Arrifana Carrapateira | 19.4 km | 277 m ↑ | 298 m ↓ | estimated 70 → 20 m | 5 h 10 |
| 9 | Carrapateira Vila do Bispo | 15.3 km | 302 m ↑ | 232 m ↓ | estimated 20 → 100 m | 4 h 18 |
| 10 | Vila do Bispo Sagres | 20.2 km | 114 m ↑ | 179 m ↓ | estimated 90 → 30 m | 5 h 18 |
| 11 | Sagres Salema | 19.6 km | 348 m ↑ | 371 m ↓ | estimated 30 → 10 m | 5 h 25 |
| 12 | Salema Luz | 11.5 km | 217 m ↑ | 217 m ↓ | estimated 10 → 10 m | 3 h 24 |
| 13 | Luz Lagos | 10.9 km | 214 m ↑ | 217 m ↓ | estimated 0 → 0 m | 3 h 25 |
Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.
Terrain
- Highest · lowest point
- 158m high0m low
Gradient
- Steepest climb
- 20 % (11°), 98 m up over 500 m, stage 9
- Steepest descent
- −18 % (10°), 88 m down over 500 m, stage 9
- Gradient
- Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
- Keep in mind
- Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
Gradient Angle Feels like 10 % 6° Noticeable on a road 20 % 11° A steep path, slow going 30 % 17° Very steep, often steps 100 % 45° Scrambling - 20% ↑−18% ↓
Steep stretches
- This trail
- 2.2 km up, 1.6 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
- Steep
- 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
- Why it matters
- Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill
- 3.8km
Surfaces
- Natural ground: 52%, 112.8 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
- Gravel: 27%, 58.7 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
- Paved: 21%, 46.7 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.
Terrain along the route
- Heights
- Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
- Colours
- Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
- Ground
- The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 19% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)
Landscape
Landscape along the route
- Source
- ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
- Points
- Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
- Groups
- Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
- Keep in mind
- What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there
Sleeping
Wild camping
- What
- Pitching a tent outside campsites. Whether it is allowed, restricted or prohibited depends on the land and the country; the rule for this trail is below the cards.
Prohibited
Camping
- What
- Official campsites along the trail. Bring your own tent.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
Campsites · 14 in OpenStreetMap
Huts
- What
- Mountain huts (often staffed, with meals) and unstaffed bivouac shelters, usually on the trail itself.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
None listed
Hostels
- What
- Dormitory beds for walkers: hostels, hiker lodges and pilgrim hostels.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
50 in OpenStreetMap
Rooms
- What
- Private rooms, usually in villages near the trail: B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels, farm stays and monastery guesthouses.
- Available
- Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Available
105 in OpenStreetMap
Wild camping is prohibited. No wild camping; sleep at the campsites or the accommodation along the route.
Places to sleep along the route
- Ticks
- One per place to sleep: 14 campsites, 0 huts, 50 hostels, 105 guest houses
- Counted
- Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
- Shaded
- The longest stretch without any, km 178.1–196.1
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally
Water & Supply
Clean water
- This trail
- 19.7 km without clean water, km 157.2–176.9, stage 10
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Within 500 m: 21 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 1 places to sleep with drinking water, 115 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
- Refills
- Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
- Source
- OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route
- 19.7kmRegular
Any water
- This trail
- 19.7 km without any water, km 157.2–176.9
- Rating
- Frequentup to 10 km
- Regularup to 20 km
- Scarcebeyond
- Counted
- Clean water, plus the 11 springs within 500 m
- Keep in mind
- Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer
- 19.7kmRegular
Shops
- This trail
- 17.9 km without a shop, km 157.6–175.5
- Counted
- 107 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
- Keep in mind
- Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one
- 17.9km
Water and shops along the route
- Ticks
- One per place along the main route
- Counted
- Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
- Shaded
- Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
- Source
- OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally