Circular Hike at Cabo de São Vicente—Where Southern Portugal’s Three Most Famous Long-Distance Hiking Trails Meet

> The stage begins at the southwesternmost point of mainland Europe, the Cabo de São Vicente Lighthouse01. From there, walk along the access road on the bright red side path until just before the Fortaleza do Beliche02, a former fortress that, together with the Fortaleza de Sagres, was intended to trap attacking ships in crossfire. You now turn right and hike parallel to the N 268 until you reach the edge of the cliffs, then return to the N 268 and follow it for 400 m. You’ll now come to a left fork03; take it, and after a right turn followed by a left turn, walk for 2 km along the asphalt road—which looks as if it were drawn with a ruler—until you reach the small hamlet of Vale Santo04. The hamlet is inhabited, even though some of the buildings look anything but livable. Here, the trail forks. The loop trail heads to the right until, after about 1 km, you reach a turnoff05 to the left. This is the junction of the Historic Trail and the Via Algarviana, another major long-distance hiking trail in southern Portugal. Both trails lead together (according to the sign, 6.5 km away) to the southwestern tip of Portugal—along the route you’ve been walking in the opposite direction up to this point. Turn left; the trail is now narrower than the dirt path from Vale Santo. After 1.2 km along the white-and-red markings through barren countryside dotted with scattered houses, you’ll reach a strategic intersection06, where the Historic Trail and the Fishermen’s Trail meet. To the right, the Historic Trail leads to Vila do Bispo; to the left, the Fishermen’s Trail leads to Cabo de São Vicente. Follow the green-and-blue markings of the Fishermen’s Trail; in good weather, you can already see the lighthouse at Cabo de São Vicente. The trail now winds along the jagged coastline to Ponta do Telheiro07, the largest of the rocky outcrops, which you’ll reach 2.8 km past the strategic intersection. From here, the trail becomes narrower and more challenging. To navigate a descent, you must go down a short wooden staircase, then head back uphill and follow the trail closest to the coast for the next 3 km—first above the beach and then along a beautiful path above the cliffs. The trail markers here are mostly painted on rocks and hard to see, but that’s not a problem, since it’s nearly impossible to get lost as long as you keep the rocky coastline on your right. After 2.5 km, the rocky islet “Pedra das Gaviotas” (Rock of the Seagulls) rises out of the sea, while the trails now seem to crisscross in all directions. Keeping the lighthouse in sight as a landmark, continue following the green-and-blue markings—where visible—until you soon reach the access road to the lighthouse (N 268); follow this road for 500 m, passing snack stands along the way, to return to the starting point —the famous lighthouse at Cabo de São Vicente01.