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Portugal's Rota Vicentina Book Review

Gillian Price
ISBN-13: 978-1852849603
Cicerone; (2019)
192 pages

Portugal’s Rota Vicentina
Cover

The Rota Vicentina is one of Europe's most beautiful long-distance hiking trails. It follows the west coast of Portugal winding between the Atlantic Ocean and jagged inland cliffs.

This hiking trail is nearly 400 km (248 miles) along one of the most beautiful and well-preserved coastal areas of Europe. The walk is made up of two main trails and eight circular routes so there is much to choose from and something for all walkers.

This guide highlights the "Historical Way" (Caminho Histórico), which at 230 km is the longest of the routes, and "Fisherman’s Trail" (Trilho dos Pescadores). The former goes directly from Santiago do Cacém to the Cape of São Vicentina. 12 stages take you through forest tracks, small towns, and quaint villages. The latter and shorter trail (125 km, 77 miles) mainly follows a clifftop path from Porto Covo to Odeceixe.

The guide is broken into 12 sections - one for each stage of the Historical Way - and then four more for the Fisherman’s Trail. A typical day has you walking from 15 - 25 km (9 - 15 miles). The longest day will take about 6 hours.

Each route comes with the following at the beginning of its description: start/finish (usually a village or building), distance, total ascent/descent, grade (1 = easy/short, 2 a bit harder, 3 the most demanding), time, refreshments, and access.

Finally, the introduction to the guide includes a primer on geology, flora and fauna, regional history, and basics for what to prepare for your hike. In addition, there are many beautiful color photos. The walks are generally quite easy. Visitors of all ages and fitness levels will be able to find more than one to suit their interests and ability.

This small guide is all you need for a wonderful walking vacation.

Buy this book Portugal's Rota Vicentina from Amazon USA | UK | Japan

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