Following a wedding celebration in the UK, Laura and I took off for a hiking trip down the SW coast of Portugal. We began the trip in Lisbon before taking a bus south to Vila Nova de Milfontes.

From Vila Nova de Milfontes we walked north about 20km to Porto Covo to complete a section of the Fisherman’s Way coastal trail.

Along this section we saw many storks, some were nesting on some very dramatic cliffside rock formations.

The days were already quite long, and the wonderful weather allowed us to walk well into the evenings.

Walking on beaches is fun for taking photographs, but soon looses its charm as you realise how much effort it takes to keep up a decent walking speed.

From Porto Covo we took another bus to Aljezur where we explored the local coast, castles and ruins.

Our next day took us inland and onwards to Carrapateira, a route which took us by many fragrant eucalyptus trees.

There were not as many ups and downs along our route as I expected, but some of the views were very spectacular.

The days became quite warm without much shade overhead, so trees were always a welcome spot to rest.

There were lots of beautiful yellow and purple coloured plants about.

We passed through some beautiful villages.

Evening light at a beach near Carrapateira.

Watching the waves break against the cliffs.

Another inland section of the route with beautiful flowers.

Lots of beautiful beaches, and (not pictured) excellent surfing in the area.

Increasing population density as we turned the corner around Cabo de Sao Vicente.

This section of the trip concluded in Praia de Luz.