Your legs will barely notice you’re walking today. And your mind can take it easy too: the first stage is mostly about settling in.
From Porto Covo you follow the Atlantic coast along clifftops and sandy tracks. There’s very little difference in height, and the highest point stays low. Even so, sand is harder going than you might expect, and the landscape is open and windy, with little shade. Allow a good 5 hours of walking, with plenty of moments to gaze out at the sea.
At the end, Vila Nova de Milfontes awaits, at the mouth of the Mira. You walk into the village with salt on your skin and the first day behind you. You’ve made a start.