Tree Tunnels and Toe Torture: Fisherman's Trail Day 4 to Odeceixe

Day 5 in Portugal, Day 4 on the Fisherman's Trail - the final push from Zambujeira do Mar to Odeceixe. After four days of hiking, our pinky toes were staging a full revolt, but this last stretch would deliver some of the trail's best surprises: mysterious tree tunnels, technical scrambles, and that perfect river-meets-ocean finale that makes all the pain worthwhile.

The Great Escape: 6 AM Checkout Confusion

Something about knowing it's your last hiking day gets you moving. We were up at 6 AM, showered, packed, and ready to roll. Just one problem - nobody told us how to check out of Camping Villa Park before dawn.

Wandered over to the security gate. Phone on the table, door open, but no guard. Office closed. Sun not even thinking about rising yet. We stood there with our bags like two idiots waiting for someone to materialize.

Eventually, a security guard rolled up after picking up another worker. He opened the gate, took our keys, let us stash our bags in the office for the transfer service, and we were free. Sometimes trail life is about solving these tiny logistical puzzles before coffee.

Pinky Toe Rebellion: The March Begins

Stepping onto the street, both our pinky toes immediately filed formal complaints. Four days of hiking had built up some serious blisters, and maybe our toe boxes weren't quite big enough for this kind of abuse. But when you're on Day 4, you don't stop - you just accept that your feet hate you and keep moving.

Hiked back through town to where yesterday's trail ended, starting before sunrise. The early start meant empty trails except for two German women ahead of us. After yesterday's crowds and car traffic, the solitude felt like a gift.

Into the Tree Tunnels: Portugal's Hidden World

This is where Day 4 got magical. From a distance, the vegetation looked like typical coastal shrubs, maybe a few feet high. Get closer and you realize these are 12-foot trees bent and shaped by Atlantic winds into living tunnels.

Walking through these tree tunnels was like entering another dimension. Outside: bright coastal Portugal. Inside: dark, cool corridors with water trickling somewhere you couldn't see. You'd walk through these shadowy passages for minutes at a time, then emerge to explosive ocean views and dramatic cliffs.

This stretch had the most technical climbing of the entire Fisherman's Trail - steep scrambles that got your heart pumping and made you actually use your hands. After three days of mostly walking, the variety was welcome.

Azenha do Mar: The Closed Breakfast Stop

About two hours in, we hit a small town called Azenha do Mar. The trail dips down almost to water level where locals launch boats, then shoots straight up the other side - a proper lung-buster that woke up any muscles still sleeping.

Was hoping for a breakfast stop like Cavaleiro the day before. Everything closed. Portugal's small coastal towns don't mess around with early morning hikers apparently.

At the top of the climb, I stopped on a pillar for a photo when we spotted familiar figures below - Ian with his signature green glasses and Martha making their way up. We waved, knowing we'd cross paths soon enough.

Trail Family Reunion: Pacing Negotiations

Sure enough, we caught up with Ian and Martha in one of those long tree tunnel sections. Walked and talked with them for a while, but here's the thing about trail friendships - everyone has their own pace, their own rhythm.

We wanted to hang with them, but we also wanted to keep pushing. That awkward trail moment when you need to say "we're gonna go ahead" without seeming rude. They got it. Trail people always get it. We waved goodbye and pushed on, maintaining our faster pace. When your feet are screaming, sometimes the best strategy is to just get it done.

The Grand Finale: Where River Meets Ocean

The final coastal section before turning inland delivered the money shot. A freshwater river meeting the Atlantic, creating this perfect spit of beach with surfers working the break. A small town rising up the hillside behind it all. This is the view that makes you forget your pinky toes exist.

From there, you turn inland for good, walking down a big dusty path until you meet the river inlet. Then comes the final test: 2 miles of exposed road walking in full sun and heat. No shade, no breeze, just you and the asphalt and the knowledge that Odeceixe is waiting at the end.

A small bridge takes you over the river, and boom - you're there. Four days of the Fisherman's Trail complete.

Odeceixe: Victory Beers and Surprise Theater

Stopped at a small restaurant for lunch and several well-earned drinks. Just as we were leaving, Ian and Martha walked in. "Welcome to Odeceixe!" Perfect trail timing once again.

The walk to our hotel up the hill felt like Everest after four days and 75+ kilometers, but the place was brilliant. Proper nice after our mixed accommodation luck. My sister and I hit the pool immediately - the second pool in two days, living the dream.

After showers and recovery time, we headed back down to town for dinner. The restaurant where we'd had lunch was hosting a celebration dinner for volunteers who'd helped replant local vegetation after a fire. Watching this community celebration unfold felt like stumbling into a movie scene - all these locals gathering, laughing, celebrating their landscape recovery.

Met other hikers, shared war stories about sand and blisters, had some laughs about the universal trail experience. Then one final uphill walk to the hotel, collapsing into actual comfortable beds.

Mission Complete

Four days. 75+ kilometers. From Porto Covo to Odeceixe along Portugal's dramatic coastline. We survived the sand of Day 1, the monotony of Day 3, the pinky toe rebellion, the mildew room, and earned every spectacular view along the way.

The Fisherman's Trail isn't just about the Instagram moments at cliff edges. It's about tree tunnels you didn't expect, giant sandwiches in small towns, trail families that form and reform, pools that save your sanity, and Portuguese communities celebrating recovery after disasters.

No asterisks. We walked every official meter of this trail. And our pinky toes will never forgive us.

Pro tip for future hikers: Start early on this final day. The tree tunnels are magical in morning light, and beating the heat on that final road section into Odeceixe makes all the difference. Book a place with a pool - you've earned it after four days.

Books by Tim Mack

The Last Train: 46 Days with the Final Ringling Brothers Circus

Available on Amazon

In April 2017, I left my Atlanta circus company to join the final tour of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus—"The Greatest Show on Earth" closing after 146 years.

The Last Train captures the last 46 days of an American institution from inside the legendary mile-long train. Experience the brutal 12-hour setups, the international community of 300 performers from over 30 countries, and the bittersweet reality of giving everything to something that's ending.

Paperback – August 23, 2025

The Secret to 7-Figure Living: How to Open Your Life to Boundless Joy, Prosperity, and Freedom