This path was first trod by fishermen as they walked from village to village and down to the sea. Now it's part of a network of trails that run through protected land, and the people who travel it are carrying cameras not nets. At least one of them (that would be me) was thinking that there could be no better way to see the Algarve than to hike this beautiful trail.
This section runs north from Salema along the cliff's edge, most of the time at a respectable enough distance away to keep my fear of heights at bay ... but not always! We walked east with the Atlantic on our right, its colors ranging from turquoise to dark navy, ruffled in places from gentle waves.
We saw boats moored in secret coves and bright white towns in the distance. One of these, Burgau, was our destination for the afternoon, based on a tip from a pair of Canadian hikers, mother and daughter, who told us of a great lunch place on the beach.
We made our way up hills and down, swilling water and passing through fields of fennel and thyme. Shortly before our descent, we passed through a grove of blooming cactus. And then, we were in the town itself, strolling its narrow lanes and feeling the way you do when you reach a place not by car or bus or train ... but on foot.
