Part 2 of the plan. Take the bus to Villa do Bispo, hike from there to Sagres, take the bus back to Lagos. Get it all done befor the forecasted rain starts falling in the early evening.
We were up at 5:30am this morning (this is a vacation?) and out the door at 6:10am, headed to the bus station, a 15 minute walk away. There is a bus to Villa do Bispo at 6:45, but it is the milk run, stopping at every burg along the route. The 7:00am skips many of the small towns and actually arrives in Villa do Bispo 15 minutes earlier than the 6:45 bus.
It was dark as we left the hostel, the wind still blowing, the moon visible, but veiled by high clouds. The streets were empty. At the bus station we found no one, but many parked busses. Soon drivers started showing up. Unfamiliar with operations, we asked them where we would catch our bus. We were soon comfortable with our roles as riders. The 6:45 came and went. A bus from another route pulled up. Then our bus, route 47, the 7:00am pulled into the station. We boarded and were on our way. 35 minutes later we exited at Villa Do Bispo. A coffee shop was next to the bus stop. Although I was carrying 6 hard boiled eggs and two yogurts, we availed ourselves of a pastry and a Coke, then headed up the road.
The first two miles were on paved roads. We had hoped to hire a taxi to carry us some of this distance, thus shortening our day. I called the taxi in town, woke him him up only to find he would not be available for about an hour. We decided to walk.
Abou 4 or 5 cars passed us as we walked, each with surf boards on the roof. We were still a little distance from the coast, but surmised there must be good surfing ahead.
At about 4 miles, when we reached the coastal cliffs we immediately noticed the rock structure and color had changed from our previous experiences. The cliffs were still about 200 feet tall, but the sedimentary beds were not as tilted nor distinct. Topside, more flowers were in bloom. In the distance we could see a lighthouse and soon came to realize that was Cape St. Vincent, the end of the earth for Portugal and our lunchtime goal for today. The last 3/4 mile before intersecting the road to the cape the ground was convoluted rock, difficult to walk on. It required all out attention as to foot pavement and left little time for gazing about. That could only happen if we paused walking, which we did often thereby slowing our pace.
At the lighthouse complex we sat on a bench and ate the lunch we had brought, rolls, a disc of cheese, luncheon meat, an apple and potato chips. I presented Sally with her Valentines Day card I had brought from home. We talked with a couple from the Czech Republic walking the trail northbound, then headed east along the now southern shore of Portugal. We still had about 5 miles to go, having completed 8.5 to get to the cape.
The cliffs all along this coast are more continuous than the ones up north which are more broken and jagged with many small beaches. In general, the trail stayed back from the edge making views down to the water infrequent. However, there were a few places where it danced right on the edge of the cliffs affording magnificent vistas.
We made it into Sangres about 3:40pm and found the bus stop, one of six in town I had located on the bus companies (Vamis) website. The bus was about ten minutes late, making us wonder if we had all our ducks in a row. We were expecting a coach kind of bus like the one that brought us to Villa do Bispo this morning, but a more typical curry bus picked us up. Our first stop on the return trip was again Vila do Bispo. Here in front of the coffee shop wer about 30 middle school aged kids waiting for the bus plus a dozen other riders. Weird Al’s “Another one Rides the Bus” started looping I my head. Our bus was already full with a few standing, but somehow we crammed everyone on, the bus driver gruffly yelling at the kids on portugués. From his hand gestures and stares we assumed he was telling them to move back and squeeze tighter. We had been wondering why most of the drivers seemed grouchy. Now we knew. They are school bus drivers. We were amazed at how far a field the kids rode the bus before stepping off. This was the milk run we had avoided this morning. We got to visit every small town along the coast, including the one I will hike into on Wednesday, Salema.
We disembarked in Lagos about 5:40pm and walked to a Chinese restaurant we had eyed the other day. It was right on our way. A wonderful dinner, a stop at the grocery, then back to the hostile just as the street lights were coming on. A shower, plugging in the electronics, w cup of tea and catching up on the days news on our phones and another amazing day came to an end.
Sally with Vila do Bispo behind
Chuck road walking. Most of today was on a surface such as this. It made for quicker walking.
The incredible shorelines continue
If you look carefully, you can see the lighthouse at Cape St. Vincent in the distance, our lunchtime destination
Another blustery day.
As always, the flowers were stunning
Tough walking
At the cape
Reminds me of the “Cliffs of Insanity” from the princess bride
Sally is on the trail as it skirts the cliff tops
We made it to Sagres
Our bus full of kids
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