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Stage 4
Marmalete - Cabo de São Vicente
Part 3
Carrapateira - Cabo de São Vicente
Distance: 26.8kms
SECTION SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES
Updated February 2009
Important Note on Tides
Something like five kilometres of this last section is walked on the beaches of the west coast, and catching the tide at the right point in the cycle is critical. The alternative is a long detour on tracks inland, as the coast itself is heavily indented. The best plan is to start from Carrapateira soon after high tide, which will give ample time to reach the end of Praia de Castelejo, the last point on the beach walk.
Tide tables are printed in the English language press in the Algarve – The Algarve Resident and the Portugal News, both of which are weeklies. Alternatively, go online at www.hidrografico.pt/wwwbd/Mares/MaresPortosPrincipaisasp# for the same information. Trying to reach Castelejo with the tide against you could be extremely dangerous, especially at times of high tide and strong wind, so plan carefully.
Getting to Carrapateira
From Bensafrim,and the A22 motorway, take the 120 north towards Aljezur. After 13k, at the junction with the 268, turn left and follow this road for another 13k to Carrapateira. Park in or opposite the town square, where the walkers will join you.
From Aljezur, follow the 120 south to the junction with the 268, then turn right and follow as above.
By Vehicle to Cabo de São Vicente
From Carrapateira, follow the 268 south to Vila do Bispo, where it joins the main coast road to Sagres. Follow the main road through the outskirts of Sagres, signed to the Cape. The lighthouse will be your guide as you near the Cape itself. Do not try to go any further. There is ample car-parking for you to await the arrival of weary walkers.
Profile
The last stage of the V.A. is truly enthralling. From Carrapateira, take a dirt road that runs out to the surfing beach at Praia de Amado, cross this beach and then undertake a very taxing series of ascents and descents along the cliffs facing the sea – typical of many coastal footpaths in the UK, but less well-defined. Leaving the coast for a short time, the trail crosses to a winding descent which leads back to the shore. The ensuing 3k of walking along the beach is one of the highlights of the whole walk – but see the note on tides above. After the beach café at Castelejo, we walk, seemingly in Pied Piper fashion, straight for the cliffs at the far end before turning up a steep ridge to reach the coastal plateau once more. The rest is easy, but still visually stunning as we walk along virtually level ground towards the Cape, with the lighthouse almost always in sight. The last two or three kilometres is a wander on sandy tracks to avoid ankle-cracking limestone outcrops near the edge of the cliffs.
Paras 2-4
It is possible to avoid the ups and downs of this section by walking further inland on wide tracks, but you would miss so much that is attractive and stimulating that this is only recommended if short of time or energy. The way out of Praia de Muracao, however, can become impassable after heavy rain, so part of this detour may sometimes be necessary.
Para 5
Watch the tides!
Para 6
There is an alternative route from the beach after Castelejo, which was on the original version of the walk, but it has been abandoned because of the difficulty it presents to the average walker. It involves a climb up the very steep hillside just beyond the recommended turning-point from the beach, up to the old coastguard house which can be seen at the top. To get to it, walk up the stream bed round the corner from point 23 for a short distance and climb up a steep grassy slope round into a gully. At the head of the gully work round to the right to find a way through cistus undergrowth to the plateau near the coastguard house. Please note that this route is no longer recommended by the authors of this website, but if undertaken does provide the most spectacular view from the top.
Para 7
Torre de Aspa is one of a small number of key points in the Portuguese triangulation system, rather like the summit of Foia, which merits a much larger column than the others. This is excellent for walkers, as the obelisk makes a splendid landmark over a huge distance.
Paras 8 and 9.
The last 3 kilometres of the walk is impossible to waymark. It lies across a desert of sandy footpaths and limestone pavement with no clear indication of route other than a compass direction to the lighthouse, which is almost always in view. The best advice from the point where the clear sandy track runs out at Point 34 is to head slightly inland to find more sand than limestone underfoot. At the end of a long day, the sharp stones can be very uncomfortable. Look out for the sheer cliffs of the last bay before the lighthouse as you get within the final 1.5k, and head for the far corner, where you will pick up Point 35.
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