Cabo de Sao Vicente is the Portuguese equivalent to Lands End in Cornwall, Finisterre in Galicia, or Finistère in Brittany. From there one has a magnificent view from an elevated position overlooking the vast Atlantic Ocean and the rugged coastlines to the north and to the west. Cabo de Sao Vicente also is the starting point for the Via Algarviana. I came there from Vila do Bispo on the Rota Vicentina and continued on the same day to Sagres just four kilometers away where I chose to spend two nights. Sagres turned out to be a pleasant little seaside resort with several nice restaurants. I had made a reservation at what seemed to be a hotel in booking.com but it turned out to be a private home with a spare room. The tricky part though was to find the address although I had an internet connected iPhone. It turned out that the place of my accommodation had exactly same street address as another house in another part of the same village!?:) My GPS took me to the wrong address and I had to call my host to pick me up.
A couple of days later I was on the move again and once again I passed through Vila do Bispo. I reached Bensafrim late in the afternoon and asked at a bar if there was a hotel in the village. Five minutes later a gentleman stepped into the bar and asked if I needed accommodation. He offered me a complete house of my own with all conveniences for 20 euros and I couldn’t say no to that. His property was situated in the outskirts of the village and had two big houses. The one I was offered had been his fathers and was completely modern with a fantastic kitchen and a tip-top bathroom.
The next day turned out to be the toughest day since I started out from Santiago do Cacém on the Rota Vicentina more than a week before. It was very hot and stuffy and the topography was v-e-r-y strenuous. The total distance was about 45 kilometers. I had lunch in Marmelete and then carried on to Monchique and it was that last stage that took the better out of me. I stumbled over a hotel in Monchique that was among the worst hotels I have stayed in but I didn’t care as my room had a good bed, and that was one of the few things about the miserable place that was worth appreciating.
The 17 of June was my last day on the Via Algarviana for this time and I spent it transporting myself from Monchique to Silves in a clearly agreeable environment. In Silves I took the train to Faro by the coast where I spent the night. The day after I took a bus to the airport and went back home.
