Beginning the Rota Vicentina : Faro to Lagos

Beginning the Rota Vicentina

First steps on the Fisherman's Trail

Our first full day in Southern Portugal began early - mostly out of excitement. Last evening our stay and sleep at Hostellicious Hostel was incredibly relaxing and comfortable, which meant that we had lots of energy to begin our adventure along the Rota Vicentina.   The only catch was that we had to get to the trail first.  

The day commenced with us packing up and heading to a local café for a breakfast of almond croissants and café com leite before navigating Faro’s city streets and harbour to the local train station.  Strolling along the shoreline sidewalk overlooking the Ria Formosa and colourful boats we were fortunate to catch sight of Common Shelducks paddling in the still water, a Little Egret patiently fishing in the shallows, and a Common Sandpiper skipping along the stones on the water's edge. 

Common Sandpiper reflected in still waters of Ria Formosa

Zitting Cisticola singing in reeds along a riverside path

Western Cattle-Egret perched atop the fence in Faro, Portugal

Little Egret standing tall on the edge of Ria Formosa, Algarve

Despite the early hour, it was nonetheless very warm out, meaning that by the time we arrived at the station, we were already perspiring.   As such, we took the opportunity to sit at the attached café and enjoy a cold lemonade prior to boarding our train to Lagos – the location of the southern terminus of the Fisherman’s Trail.  We were nervous about relying on the local train system, the Comboios de Portugal, as online sources had suggested that there were times when it was unreliable and suffered from unexpected cancellations.   However, for 7.50 Euro per ticket, our experience was that the train was efficient and an easy way to get from Faro to Lagos.   

Moorish Gecko enjoying the sun on a garden wall

Lagos Portugal

The train ride from Faro to Lagos took a leisurely hour and twenty minutes, with the greatest challenge being that we wished we had the time to get off at each stop – such was the natural beauty of the region.  

The train pulled into Lagos just after noon.  While grateful to have arrived, the strength of the sun and the increasing warmth of the day were undoubtedly the first things that we noticed as we stepped off the train and ventured down the platform.  Indeed, so bright was the sun in the Algarve that we soon put on our sunglasses, which we rarely wear.  Stepping out of the train station, we took a moment to get our bearings by sitting at the attached café and enjoying a cold iced tea.  

Lagos, a beautiful and relaxed town and stunning marina, is situated at the confluence of the Bensafrim River and the Atlantic Ocean.   Historically, Lagos is believed to have been originally settled by the Cynetes, a pre-Roman people on the Iberian Peninsula, and was later conquered by the Carthaginians, who recruited the Celtic population to aid them in the Punic Wars against Rome.  In the years that followed, given the settlement’s location and excellent harbour, it was eventually colonized by the Romans, who incorporated it into the province of Lusitania and renamed it Lacobriga. 

In the centuries following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the region would be occupied in the 6th century by the Visigoths, the Byzantines, and eventually, in the 8th century by the Moors.  They renamed it Zawaia as part of the region of al-Gharb, who established fortifications here.  In 1249, King Afonso III of Portugal would besiege Lagos and the Algarve, placing it firmly under the control of the Portuguese.  

Portuguese Age of Discovery 

Following the expulsion of the Moors, given Lago’s harbour and proximity to Africa, it would become Portugal’s and one of Europe’s key centers for maritime exploration.  Perhaps the clearest evidence of this role today is in the statues around town dedicated to the Portuguese Age of Discovery. For example, monuments to Gil Eanes and Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) are found along the old city walls and in the main town square, giving testament to the impact the Algarve region and Portugal had upon world history. 

Gil Eanes, whose statue rests outside the old quarter walls, was a servant to Prince Henry who, to his patron’s disappointment, in 1433 “only” sailed along the west coast of Africa and the Canary Islands.   A year later however, in 1434 he would sail beyond Cape Bojador on the coast of the Western Sahara – an outcropping known for its violent waters and navigational dangers.  

This was an achievement which not only brought Eanes nationally renowned but is considered to have begun the European exploration of Africa and eventually India. As a result, Lagos would soon become a harbour dedicated to the import of spices and gold into Europe.  

Legacy of the European Slave Trade

Unfortunately, because this city was a key port, it also became the center and beginning of the European slave trade.  Indeed, amid the naval achievements and explorations of the Europeans, the first slave is believed to have been brought to Lagos from the Sahara in 1441.  While the present building for the slave market was built in 1691, it was nonetheless on this site that Europe’s slave trade is acknowledged to have begun.  

Today, the building located in the Praca Infante Dom Henrique is known as the Mercado de Escravos, which officially began in 1444.   Eventually, the slave trade would become one of the main sources of profit for the Portuguese monarchy from the mid-fifteenth century onward. Presently, it is a site marked by a simple plaque on the arcade. 

Political Centre 

Lagos' importance was ultimately limited by the fact that as Portugal’s maritime network expanded, Lisbon would become the center of trade and politics for the nation.  Despite this, from 1576 until the devastating Lisbon Earthquake and tsunamis in 1755, Lagos would remain the capital of the Algarve. 

Later, in the 1850s, Lagos was sacked and burned by Sir Francis Drake while the Algarve coastline increasingly came under regular attack by corsairs and pirates.  Today, the city strives to balance traditional fishing and tourism with its developed marina, popular old quarter, coastal geology and rock formations, as well as its beautiful beaches.

Faith  

Beyond its history as a site of exploration, discovery, and trade, Lagos is also the home to Sao Goucalo, who is the patron saint of the city and a renowned Portuguese theologian.  A statue of him stands prominently over the coastline and popular beaches below.  

Goucalo was the son of a local fishing family and an individual dedicated to ministering to children, the poor, and the uneducated.   Today, Sao Goucalo de Lagos is heralded as the protector of mariners.   As a result, he is often portrayed as blessing the sea and fishermen with a cross. Ultimately, centuries later in 1778, Goucalo was beatified by Pope Pius VI - though never canonized. 

Fisherman’s Trail: Beaches and Coastlines

Strapping our backpacks on, we stepped away from the train station and immediately found the signpost which marked the beginning (or ending) of the Rota Vicentina.  Our goals today were simple – to locate and trek the first 5 or so kilometres of the Fisherman’s Trail and to explore historic Lagos. 

Crossing the Estrada de Sao Roque - a street named for the patron saint of pilgrims – we soon found a little blue arrow directing us around the refined Marina de Lagos.  We traced the lively harbour, treading along the elegantly designed stone sidewalks under the momentary shade of large palm trees swaying above us. 

We soon crossed the channel to the Atlantic Ocean on a pedestrian bridge and followed the coast.  Heading uphill, we would pass the large stone gates of the Castelo de Lagos, which were situated across the road, as well as the Forte da Ponta da Bandeira, which was built to defend the local harbour and populace.  Beyond these, and the end of the breakwater, we arrived at the Miradouro Praia da Batata, defined by the towering statue of Sao Goucalo posed holding a cross aloft toward the ocean.   

Below us, we could see the popular Praia da Batata set amid the rocky coastline.  Excited with the notion of putting our feet into the water, we found our way down to the beach, took our shoes off, and strolled across the warm sand.  We also took the opportunity to wander among the stunning rock formations that allowed us to hike through the eroded cliffs that separated the different beaches.  As a result, in short order, we soon visited Praia do Estudantes and Praia do Pinhao, with each displaying the amazing geology, archways, and caves that tides and time have formed along the Algarve coastline.  

Eventually, with time ticking on, and given that we had our hiking backpacks on, we climbed a wooden staircase back up the coastal cliffs and returned to the sidewalk.  Here, we continued to follow the road uphill, which provided us with stunning views of the rugged coastline and golden stretches of beach far below. 

Boardwalks and Birds

Arriving at the Praia do Camilo we picked up the wooden signposts for the Rota Vicentina, which are blazed in the green and blue markers of the Fisherman’s Trail.  These colours are meant to signify the meeting of the land and water in the Algarve and have a distinctive feel to them that is easy to notice. 

Iberian Magpie perched atop cliffs near Praia do Camilo

Arriving at signs for the Praia do Camilo we, and the trail, departed the sidewalk in exchange for a sandy pathway.  Frustratingly, soon after we began trekking above Camilo beach we promptly, but only briefly, got lost as we were not yet familiar with how the Rota Vicentina wove along the coastline.  

Thankfully, we quickly found a series of wooden boardwalks and staircases that included green and blue blazes that directed us back onto the official pathway.  As such, we soon found ourselves navigating the large coastal dunes amid the lush vegetation of the Algarve.  A slight breeze came in off the water, and we could hear the sounds of small birds and animals moving through the tall grasses and small shrubs lining the path.  As we made our way forward, we spotted a European Serin moving through the undergrowth, a Common Hoopeo took flight from the lower branches of a small tree, a European Greenfinch moved along a fallen branch, and the loud, clear notes of a Eurasian Blackbird filled the air.

Lighthouses and Historical Temples 

After a brief stint on a sandy and ill-defined route, the Fisherman’s Trail began to follow an established wooden boardwalk.  This portion was clearly much more popular than the previous sandy connector, as it was very busy with lots of teenagers out on the wooden benches, and tons of tourists meandering along the coastal path.  Given how busy the boardwalk was, it was unsurprising that the road, which parallels the trail, was also full of parked cars lining it on both sides of the pavement.  

Having navigated along the coastlines of Lagos, enjoying magnificent views and learning about the local birds, vegetation, and geology from the numerous information plaques along the route, we arrived at the Passadicos da Ponta da Piedade.  The lighthouse appeared to be the main tourist attraction on this part of the peninsula, but it was nonetheless surrounded by fencing and barbed wire.  This meant that exploring the spit of land and its history was largely off-limits to us.  

The closures of the site were unfortunate, as this location has also been the site of a Roman temple, a Moorish place of worship, and a Christian hermitage.  In fact, it has only been from 1883 onward that the lighthouse, an unpopular project that resulted in the demotion of the hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, has stood here. 

Next, the trail took us to the tip of the peninsula, and rounding the lighthouse, ventured westward along the rocky coastline. We soon left the tourist crowds behind and hiked toward the now-setting sun.  In this stretch, our pace quickened, and shortly we arrived at the Miradour da Praia do Canavial.  Here we enjoyed a stunning evening sunset which lit up the ocean below in a glorious display of colours.  

As the evening light slowly disappeared, we followed the Rota Vicentina towards the town.  In a somewhat uninspiring fashion, it led us through a number of neighborhood streets, past various wellness clinics, and exclusive resorts.  Eventually, this segment of road walking brought us to the Praia de Porto Mos, which was the conclusion of today's brief sojourn onto the Rota Vicentina.  Our first day on the Fisherman’s Trail had seen us cover a leisurely 5 km over an hour and a half from the Lagos train station to the Praia de Porto Mos on the edge of the city. 

Rest and Reflection

Having reached our goal for our first day on the Rota Vicentina we navigated our way back into the old quarter of Lagos. In short order, we passed through the city walls, visited the historic marketplace square, and walked along narrow streets lined with welcoming restaurants.  

Amid everything, we soon found ourselves in the main tourist district of the old quarter of Lagos enjoying a pint (or two) of beer and a pizza and fresh salad for dinner to celebrate the beginning of our trek.  Such is life – despite striving to avoid being a tourist one also – from time to time - invariably favours being able to communicate with ease and get familiar food.  

While eating, we looked up accommodations and soon found a room that was reasonably priced and reserved it.  Unfortunately, we soon came to realize - via confirmation emails and Google Maps – that our room was actually on the edge of Lagos, which was almost 5 km from our current location.  The irony of this was that while choosing to limit ourselves to walking only 5 km on the Rota Vicentina so that we could spend the evening in Lagos, we have added 4 km of walking from Praia de Porto Mos back into town, and now a further 5 km to our accommodations.    Put another way, rather than having hiked the additional 6 km from Porto Mos to Luz, which is the first official stage of the Fisherman’s Trail, by night’s end we will have walked some 9-10 km in the opposite direction.  On top of it, we will have to re-walk this same distance tomorrow morning before setting out onto the Rota Vicentina again.   Had we realized how relaxing this stretch of the trail was, and trusted in ourselves, then hiking the 11 km from Lagos to Luz today would have been an easy undertaking – even starting late after the train ride.  

Our decision to stay in Lagos was based on a mixture of online commentary, with some people suggesting that each stage of the Fisherman’s Trail was challenging given the sandy nature of the trail, while others often combined the first two stages of hiking from Lagos to Salema in this stretch.  Our view was that we didn’t know the trail and it was our first day back on the trail, so we opted to take it slow rather than push on beyond what we could handle.  Such is life, often you only know once you have been there and done something.  

Regardless, as a result of our choices today, we ended our day with a bit of an exhausting walk uphill to our accommodations.  While tired, and a little sunburnt, we could not have asked for a better start to our hike along the Rota Vicentina!

See you on the Trail!