Our agenda started at the sandy beach resort of Lagos with the following week hiking westward past rugged cliffs to Cape St. Vincent, the southwestern most point of Portugal and the southwestern most point of Europe! Along the way, we will stop overnight in the seaside villages of Luz Bay, Salema, and Sagres.
Our first day of hiking took us 10 miles from the waterfront of Lago along the coastline to Luz Beach.
This was at our trailhead marking the beginning of our 6 day hike!
We first climbed to Ponta da Piedad, where we could look down into stunning rocks, coves, and caves that were relentlessly shaped by the pounding surf.
The water is crystal clear fading from deep blue to emerald green.
We proceeded along the coastline
traversing up and down the coastline cliffs
until at last, we reached Luz, which in this photo is the farthest (and faintest) point to the left.
Our day's 10 miler was hot and precarious in parts, such as the section where there were sandy steps carved into the cliff. It would be a straight shot and a long way down if one were to have a misstep. This section would definitely not be permitted in the U.S.
Nonetheless, it was an astoundingly scenic and breathtaking hike.....
In the photo above, can you see our trail on the top of the cliff?
At the top of another cliff with our destination, Luz, below
(Here's what we had just hiked down)
We were happy to walk onto the beautiful Luz Beach by the end of the afternoon. It was gorgeous!
Praia da Luz ( Luz Beach) is a long sheltered bay framed by towering cliffs and white-washed vacation villas. The town has Roman archeological sights right along the water front. Luz was sort of a country getaway for the Roman elites.
Thanks to us using Portuguese Nature Trails, all of our hotel accommodations were arranged thru them, from Lagos to Sagres. Also, each day they transported our bags from point "a" to point "b". That way all we carry on our hikes was our
day pack. So, when we arrived, all hot and sweaty, at the fantastic Luz Bay Hotel, our bags were already there and our lovely room was ready and waiting for us.
This hotel also had 3 swimming pools, two tennis courts, and a spa! I'm definitely coming back here with our entire family! We loved our stay in Luz!!
We were up bright and early the next morning for our 10 mile hike from Luz to Salema.