The trek between Almograve and Cabo Sardao, which is about 8km long, is part of the much longer (around 180km) “Rota Vicentina”, or Vicentina Trail. I recently had the opportunity to re-do this small walk, and took a few photos along the way, of course!
The date was late December, just after Christmas, a quiet time, and as a consequence I was the only one doing the walk. Especially during Spring and Summer, it can be busy. The trail is an easy one, and affords great views of the coastal sand dunes, dark rocky cliffs, and the azure sea. The only sounds are the ones coming from the crashing waves, the sea birds, and the wind.
It often pays off to go a bit off the trail, and explore the small inlets and coves along the way. There are many photo opportunities along the way; I walked the trail in the afternoon and waited for the sun to set, to have some high quality landscape light. The scenery is beautiful, with dark rock formations emerging from the sea like menacing spurs, in plain contrast with the blue sea, white foam, and golden dunes. I spent some time playing with long exposures, to capture the interplay between the elements.
In some places, the dunes have been fossilized and display a rusty colour, thanks to the presence of iron oxide cements. In some other instances, the dunes are replaced by hardened calcrete soil, where the water has carved some round pot holes; in these, it is common to find some plants perhaps trying to get some shelter from the wind. Of course the birds are present all along the trail, particularly seagulls. In the distance it is also possible to see nests that belong to storks.
In the last couple of km it is possible to start seeing the lighthouse of Cabo Sardao in the distance, 70m above sea level. The coastal cliffs at sunset become enveloped in the winter haze, and the light in the lighthouse comes up precisely at sunset. It looks tiny in the distance, like a beacon marking the end of my journey.
