tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post7751718670490127106..comments2024-03-27T17:51:48.017+00:00Comments on John Hayes Walks: Rota VicentinaJohn Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-90970675164882446642023-05-27T13:28:43.561+01:002023-05-27T13:28:43.561+01:00The Ruta can reasonably be regarded as an all year...The Ruta can reasonably be regarded as an all year round route with the weather never that bad to stop a reasonably keen walker. Compared to September there is a significantly higher chance of rain in October and, with shorter days, it shouldn't be as hot. No guarantees but October should be good and the sea will definitely be warm enough for swimming if that's your thing John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-25457906775898913862023-05-27T04:25:42.304+01:002023-05-27T04:25:42.304+01:00Hi John, we are planning to do the northern portio...Hi John, we are planning to do the northern portion of this walk in mid October this year. Do you happen to know if the weather during October would still be suitable for this walk?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-75061027609638342492023-04-06T13:56:29.726+01:002023-04-06T13:56:29.726+01:00Hi Ron - nice to hear from you.
I walked the Ru...Hi Ron - nice to hear from you. <br /><br />I walked the Ruta before I started doing a lot of off-road cycling so was not looking at it from that perspective but with that qualification I don't recall anything that would count as dangerous or even technical. You might occasionally have to get off to navigate a gully but that's always an option - from a walking perspective it's a very easy route. One thing you might want to think about is that the surface is occasionally very fragile with the limited vegetation collapsing and giving way to sand. This may have happened already but at some point these stretches will need to be secured with boards otherwise walkers and cyclists will do a lot of damage.John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-36546393843003439442023-04-06T11:07:00.761+01:002023-04-06T11:07:00.761+01:00Hi John. Thanks for keeping this excellent Q+A goi...Hi John. Thanks for keeping this excellent Q+A going. We have a pad on the southern Algarve coast near Portimao and did part of the Rota yesterday Luz to Salema. I would like to do the Fisherman's route on an eMTB over 5 days at about 50 miles per day. Some websites say it's "far too dangerous" on a mountain bike. I regularly do the coastal paths around Benagil with ease and safety. Could you comment on whether you feel that this should be an exclusive walkers path (we are not daredevil downhillers!) or whether you feel, having done the whole route, that a reasonably technically accomplished (fit as a flea) mountain biker could cope. The Historical trail looks a bit too tame for us. Cheers, RonRon Higsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-28929803720331605542023-01-17T18:42:57.629+00:002023-01-17T18:42:57.629+00:00There is nothing steep on the Ruta so you could de...There is nothing steep on the Ruta so you could definitely get away without poles - although personally, if I'm carrying stuff, I like poles even on the flat.John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-78993256913178857772023-01-16T18:54:44.982+00:002023-01-16T18:54:44.982+00:00Hi John,
We will be hiking the Rota Vicentina in e...Hi John,<br />We will be hiking the Rota Vicentina in early March. We live in Colorado, USA and use hiking poles for steep climbs and descents and pack them away otherwise. Do you think poles would be helpful walking in the sand, or should we leave the poles at home? Thank you!Christenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-22452030630458734772022-02-09T18:41:47.973+00:002022-02-09T18:41:47.973+00:00I would sun screen even in MarchI would sun screen even in MarchJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-11043333210121405762021-11-01T16:36:48.171+00:002021-11-01T16:36:48.171+00:00Technically you might be right. North to South, h...Technically you might be right. North to South, however, finishes at the iconic destination - Portugal's "Lands Ends" so I think it's the preferrable direction.John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-87325296963715159802021-10-31T14:18:12.059+00:002021-10-31T14:18:12.059+00:00Thanks for your great coverage. Was wondering if i...Thanks for your great coverage. Was wondering if its better to walk this from South to North (especially in winter) instead of all the coverage that seems to suggest the opposite. Correct me if I'm mistaken but by walking from South to North you don't have low sun in you face the entire day. Was this a problem for you?Danohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04259296442014842343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-9242974308468420242019-10-30T13:59:26.445+00:002019-10-30T13:59:26.445+00:00Hi Sharon
I think the service coming up on Rome t...Hi Sharon<br /><br />I think the service coming up on Rome to Rio does operate - my wife caught it to go to Lisbon. The Rede Express web site is showing tickets in November but also says you can't book more than 60 days in advance, that might be why the dates you are asking for are not coming up.<br /><br />JohnJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-29321545457953120872019-10-27T20:34:27.797+00:002019-10-27T20:34:27.797+00:00Hello, my husband and I are planning on doing this...Hello, my husband and I are planning on doing this hike in february flying into faro. We have 7 days but I'm worried about bus transport to and from the places such as porto covo for starting and then again getting one back. I know the train goes from faro to lagos and then the bus should be lagos to porto covo....sadly nothing on the bus website but there is on rome to rio?? Would you happen to know if buses run at that time of year? Also will there be plentiful accomodation open at that time of year or should i book ahead? <br />many thanks<br />sharonAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06965529718278594939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-26937075950721571042019-10-07T09:11:57.955+01:002019-10-07T09:11:57.955+01:00Hi there
Definitely possible. 3 days makes an av...Hi there<br /><br />Definitely possible. 3 days makes an average of 25km a day and there are no significant climbs. If you can find accommodation and you're fit before you start then its just a question of starting a little earlier and finishing later. The only challenge I think are the soft surfaces that feature occasionally along the route.<br /><br />If you haven't done 25km already why not put a couple of test walks in before you decide and see how you feel.<br /><br />JohnJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-62925797082436573632019-10-06T19:32:11.176+01:002019-10-06T19:32:11.176+01:00Hi John - my partner and I are active hikers, and ...Hi John - my partner and I are active hikers, and we were thinking about doing the Porto Covo - Odeiexce in 3 days. Do you think this is overly ambitious? We'd like to do the full trail but not sure we'll have four days to dedicate just to the hiking as we're starting and ending our 7 day trip in Lisbon and want a couple of days there. Thanks for your great piece! Massively helpful!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09669419079561383556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-48794058976072923032019-06-06T13:45:24.094+01:002019-06-06T13:45:24.094+01:00If you follow my schedule for the first 4 days the...If you follow my schedule for the first 4 days then you'll finish the main part of the Fisherman's Trail, 4 days for hiking, the perfect amount of time.John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-62668484432086229582019-05-30T19:42:07.561+01:002019-05-30T19:42:07.561+01:00John - thanks for this site. I plan on going to Po...John - thanks for this site. I plan on going to Portugal this October with 4 hikers. But we only have 4 days to hike. Sounds like the Fisherman's Walk is the easiest with great views. Can you tell me how long the Walk is and/or where to start and end with these limits? brinsmadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09810439946413654271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-26798843992088543712019-04-12T18:00:17.601+01:002019-04-12T18:00:17.601+01:00Hi Catherine, the signs are excellent so you won&#...Hi Catherine, the signs are excellent so you won't get lost, keep the sea on the right!John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-12184641289189732112019-04-11T17:11:16.658+01:002019-04-11T17:11:16.658+01:00Hi John! Apologies if this has been asked but is i...Hi John! Apologies if this has been asked but is it necessary to have a map or can the route be navigated by the signs alone? With back up from phone GPS/ google maps if needed? Thanks! CatherineGiddy Uphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13256059847669788475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-47665375874467818472019-03-20T15:12:12.928+00:002019-03-20T15:12:12.928+00:00Hi Francesca
It's low season in terms of holi...Hi Francesca<br /><br />It's low season in terms of holiday makers but bang on the nail in terms of walking, good time to go and you should be seeing both the spring flowers and some walkers. Have a great trip.<br /><br />JohnJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-60185514107561156922019-03-18T23:10:53.951+00:002019-03-18T23:10:53.951+00:00Hello John thanks for all the useful information! ...Hello John thanks for all the useful information! I ll be leaving shortly for Portugal and would like to follow the Fisherman’s Trail. I was just wondering, since it s low season still, will there be other hikers do you think. I like walking alone but wouldn’t t mind a little company now and then along the way.. thanks for reply! Francesca Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14556725677231945860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-20069875053424869792019-02-24T09:13:46.415+00:002019-02-24T09:13:46.415+00:00Hi D
I'm not a wild camper myself but yes the...Hi D<br /><br />I'm not a wild camper myself but yes there are plenty of places to buy food along the way, the schedule is basically town to town. It's a popular route, you will see other walkers and I think it's safe.<br /><br />Have a great trip and let me know how you get on<br /><br />JohnJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-61910104675690238562019-02-23T15:22:10.368+00:002019-02-23T15:22:10.368+00:00Hi John,
great read! I'm starting the route in...Hi John,<br />great read! I'm starting the route in about two, on the very same date you did! funny coincidence! Anyhow, I'm a gal walking solo and plan to wildcamp, and though have crossed Europe by bike before, I'm new to walking and wonder if the trail is safe and all that good stuff. Also, hiw easy is it to find grpcery stores along the way? Thx!<br />DAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12418924154631743010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-88690115620827580662019-02-17T06:36:09.055+00:002019-02-17T06:36:09.055+00:00Hi Gabriella - the local advice is not to do the w...Hi Gabriella - the local advice is not to do the walk in August, it's too hot, 30 degrees. I'm afraid I don't know any organised group for this walk, non of the tour operators seem to do it on a group basis. Sorry to have to give you such negative advice<br /><br />JohnJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-53261717405366699292019-02-16T16:34:44.059+00:002019-02-16T16:34:44.059+00:00Hi John! Do you think it could be appropriate to d...Hi John! Do you think it could be appropriate to do this trip on august? Do you know if there are some organized-group we could join?<br />Thank you in advanceGabriella Laterzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07934077495569214983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-86611850578840719762019-02-11T06:35:08.684+00:002019-02-11T06:35:08.684+00:00Around 60 euros a day all in I guessAround 60 euros a day all in I guessJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-87669031550786184192019-02-07T20:09:38.236+00:002019-02-07T20:09:38.236+00:00Hey John:
Can you say how much meals and accomodat...Hey John:<br />Can you say how much meals and accomodation cost on your hike?<br />Skipper Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11428340024886610681noreply@blogger.com