Distance day: 12 km

Total distance: 12 km

Today I walked my first stage from Figueira da Foz towards Porto. I didn’t want to leave Coimbra in the morning, otherwise everything would have been too late for me. I wanted to avoid the midday sun at all costs.
So it happened that I arrived in Figueira around 6pm. I grabbed a few things to eat, a soup (Caldo Verde, a specialty from Portugal) and a few liters of water.
With everything packed that I need to survive the night I started along the beach towards the north. After a few kilometers the way changed at a quarry. The friendly gatekeeper asked me not to walk through the factory area. His suggestion was to walk back and then walk along the road. That was not an option for me

So I climbed down the beach and made my way over sand and rock. As the tide was getting closer, I didn’t have much time to get to a spot where I could climb back up.

After about a kilometer of scrambling, I went back up onto a paved path that was still part of the Firmane area. Nobody saw me.

Past heavy machinery and a few more kilometers I arrived at a beach called Murtinheira and pitched my tent there in a hidden corner.

After my wonderful dinner I went quickly to bed and fell asleep in no time.