Day 14, Carrapateira to Vila do Bispo, May 4

This morning we opted in to the hotel breakfast and it was an incredible feast—bowls of fruit, homemade yogurt, nuts, fresh buns, an array of cheeses and jams, fresh juice, coffee and cake. We truly indulged and so didn’t hit the trail until 10 or so.

Leaving town up by the museum, we quickly gained altitude for some final glimpses back to Bordeira/Carrapateira beach. We opted for the detour route which was advised in times of rain. It was up and over some hills so was a good workout and being a detour not well marked but eventually we got back on the right path. We passed the cute little village of Pedralva but didn’t need to stop. There was a lot of variety in the path and in the vegetation with pines, eucalyptus and oak. All along there were abundant rock roses and a stand of honeysuckle.

We had a lovely picnic—such a delightful feature of walking—before pushing on. The day took us past a vast wind farm. It was quite amazing to see the scale of these giant windmills close up. Today my feet were in pretty good form and we kept up a brisk pace. There were very few other walkers today although the big group from our hotel was here in the plaza when we arrived.

The entry into Vila do Bispo was beautiful and along the path there were mini irises—just a few inches tall. The B and B (Pure Flor de Esteve,  65 € including breakfast) is wonderful. It’s new and on the fancier end of the spectrum with a very welcoming young proprietor. Once we were shown the well equipped kitchen that was available for use, we decided to go buy groceries and enjoy a night of cooking. The supermarket was a bit of a walk but we found filled fresh pasta and with a simple vegetable sauce we enjoyed a lovely meal outside on the terrace.

We lingered outside until it was starting to get cool. This was our last night actually on the trail and it did feel a bit hard that it was coming to an end. It had been an amazing experience and I was feeling somewhat impressed that we are almost to the finish.