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Footsteps Through Portugal: A Long Walk Among Olive Groves and Cork
During 2021, Anthony embarked on a long walk up the entire length of Portugal. Starting from the far southwestern tip of Europe, he headed north from near his base in the Algarve region. He would walk the Fisherman's Trail, before picking up the Portuguese Camino de Santiago towards the northern city of Porto and then beyond.
During the walk, Anthony has some interesting encounters, not least with Sardine Clive, a fellow Brit with a vaguely similar plan and a penchant for sleeping in abandoned houses. Being a pandemic year presented a lot of challenges, like finding accommodation and walking companions. Other battles included walking through a sun-baked Portugal in summer, encountering tricky river crossings and walking alone through some very thinly populated areas.
His long-term goal is to follow the E9 European footpath all the way along the Atlantic coast to the Russian border. In this first section, the plan was to travel north through Portugal and then across Spain, mainly sticking to Camino routes. The fabled city of Santiago de Compostela would be a natural destination where Anthony planned to turn east towards France and beyond.
Footsteps Through Portugal offers a unique insight into this sometimes forgotten country, perched on the edge of the European continent. Portugal is not particularly well known as a long-distance hiking destination, but the Fisherman's Trail and the many different Camino de Santiago footpaths are becoming popular. The hope is that this book inspires more people to come to Portugal to walk.
During the walk, Anthony has some interesting encounters, not least with Sardine Clive, a fellow Brit with a vaguely similar plan and a penchant for sleeping in abandoned houses. Being a pandemic year presented a lot of challenges, like finding accommodation and walking companions. Other battles included walking through a sun-baked Portugal in summer, encountering tricky river crossings and walking alone through some very thinly populated areas.
His long-term goal is to follow the E9 European footpath all the way along the Atlantic coast to the Russian border. In this first section, the plan was to travel north through Portugal and then across Spain, mainly sticking to Camino routes. The fabled city of Santiago de Compostela would be a natural destination where Anthony planned to turn east towards France and beyond.
Footsteps Through Portugal offers a unique insight into this sometimes forgotten country, perched on the edge of the European continent. Portugal is not particularly well known as a long-distance hiking destination, but the Fisherman's Trail and the many different Camino de Santiago footpaths are becoming popular. The hope is that this book inspires more people to come to Portugal to walk.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2024
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March 12, 2026
I'm not a hiker, and never will be, but I enjoy reading books about long distance walks. In this, Anthony walks the length of Portugal and into Spain, to reach Santiago de Compostela. Walking in 2021, the year after the covid lockdown, he didn't meet many fellow hikers, but this is still an interesting account of his journey, the places he visited, and his thoughts. I'm intrigued to find out what drives people to do walks like this one. I'd definitely read other books by this author.
Displaying 1 of 1 review