Stage 8 — April 22: Carrapateira to Vila do Bispo (14 km)

18°C — Clear and sunny with steady sea breeze

By Jim

We had a dilemma this morning:  walk a difficult section of the Fishermen’s Trail (FT) or walk the much longer Historical Way (HW) — 24 km compared to 16 km.  It was Laurel’s call and she surprised me at breakfast when she chose the FT.

The sky was clear and the sun was just coming over the hills as we passed a commemorative statue of Amália Rodrigues, Portugal’s "Queen of Fado."  Fado is a traditional music known for its plaintiff and often fatalistic lyrics.  I hoped this was not the tune we would singing later today.  Chiffchaffs and swallows were our only company until the ocean came into view.  Suddenly we were in surfing country.  Road allowances and parking lots were jammed with vans bustling with activity.  Down at Amado Beach, a pod of 12 -15 surfers bobbed in anticipation of the next wave.

From the beach, the next 6 km would be up and down over some of the most beautiful and technically demanding portions of the FT.  My job was to keep us on the trail and the path was well-posted.  After ascending and descending a steep promontory, I realized that if we had stayed on the beach we would have reached the same spot.  Unfortunately, up and down was our only option going forward.  My job was now to keep us safely off the trail.  With the help of Pocket Earth, we made it to Murração Beach in one piece and then began the 1.5 km trek up the gravel access road and over the next headland.  At the apex, we opted to forgo the FT path which would have taken us back down to a beach and, instead, we continued on a windmill maintenance road that merged with the HW.  This new hybrid FT/HW route got us all the way to Vila do Bispo in just 14 km.  Finished walking by noon, we treated ourselves to octopus salad and Portuguese cataplana (fish stew prepared in a copper pot).  After lunch, we backtracked to a museum we had passed on the way into town and spent the afternoon immersed in the history of the region.