From Porto Covo to Carvalhal

The wild coast

The wild coast

Great, isn't it?

Wonderful, isn’t it?

For a beach lover like me, the Alentejo coastline is something truly special, but for a mariner, it’s a nightmare.  Sweeping curves of sand are protected by jagged outcrops.  The wind and waves are in constant competition.  Safe harbours are rare.  My base at Vila Nova de Milfontes was calm and serene, but I couldn’t wait to get out exploring that ‘wild coast’.

Peach Tree Island (Ilha do Pessegueiro) has an alluring sound to it, don’t you think?  My ‘Rough Guide’ spoke of a short cliff top walk, starting from Porto Covo.  Clutching map, and with bags swiftly stowed at our nicely central hotel, it seemed logical to follow the coast directly north out of town. The road soon came to a stop at a cliff top restaurant, and I looked down into a tiny cove.  Alas, a sign said Porto Covo 16.5km, pointing off along the cliffs.  Inadvertently I had found Portinho do Canal, a haven for local fishermen.

Safely tethered in the flat calm of the harbour
The molho curves into the sea
A perch for daring fishermen?

Out on the sea wall, the wind whistled fiercely.  Back to the car, and a return to Vila Nova de Milfontes to find the correct road north, in the direction of Sines.  Porto Covo wasn’t quite what I had expected.  A single road, lined with shops and restaurants, which your eye soon skirted past to dwell on the sea, glimmering in the distance.  After the peacefulness of Portinho do Canal, it seemed a busy spot. The small cove beach was lined with people, but my interest lay much further along the coast.

In the distance, Peach Tree Island

In the distance, Peach Tree Island

But first a descent

But first the descent

The house on the hill

The house on the hill

The road winds steeply down to the quayside, and a gravel track equally steeply up the other side.  With the tide out, crossing over to join the track is no problem, but I could envisage a paddle on the return journey.  In the event, the cliff top path to Peach Tree Island was not as tempting as I had imagined.  With what I had already seen, in Vila Nova de Milfontes, it was time to call it a day.

Looking back at the house on the hill

Looking back at the house on the hill

The coat of arms
The village church
A shopping opportunity
Columbine clings to the wall
And tangles with the prickly pears
The island in the bay
And the potentially perilous crossing point

Another day, and this time those special beaches.  Heading south from Vila Nova de Milfontes it’s a bare 5km to Almograve, signed from the N393. The landscape becomes beautifully rural as you leave the main road, and then you’re at the coast.

We're at the beach!

This way to the beach!

It looks promising

It looks promising

And it is!

And it is!

An expanse of beach
And a headland

Next stop was Odemira, a small riverside town that I featured in my walk this week.  And then it was back to the coast and a place you have already had a peep at in a previous post- Zambujeira do Mar, with it’s vast expanse of sand.

You may remember it

You may remember it

A tiny chapel on a promontory
And a beautiful beach
Make a stunning setting

What can top that?  Well, maybe it was the day… maybe it was just time for a place to chill (there were a lot of steps at Zambujeira!)… but sometimes a place just imprints itself on your memory, and you have to stay a while.

Maybe it was the wickedly shaped rocks

Meet Praia do Carvalhal!

A beach bar and a caress of sand, with wickedly shaped rocks on either side.  Warning notices on the cliffs- beware rock falls and a fast racing tide.

A dizzying swirl of sand
And an invitation to explore
Beautiful striations
Nuggets of time
This was a beach that I loved!

This was a beach that I loved!

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I’m not a swimmer so I didn’t need to fear the signs.  I was more than happy just to pootle in the shallows and explore the beauty all around me. And then it was back down the coast to the gentler beauty of my Algarve.

Join me there for a walk on Monday, won’t you?  It’s every bit as lovely.

 

83 comments

    1. Photos like these are what I live on in the cold months, Sue. I would wish to be transported there right now but it would be considerably cooler, I think. Best just to treasure the memories (and hopefully make a few new ones 🙂 ). Thanks very much, hon.

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  2. That last beach is a stunner Jo rugged, wild and seemed you had it to yourself. Yes definitely need Meg to tune in with some info on those interesting looking cliffs.

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    1. This post should have been dedicated to Meg, Pauline, but I know she’s away and didn’t want to intrude. She’ll be back with the magnifying glass soon 🙂 I need to get Portugal out of my system and embrace Autumn, just for a little while. 🙂

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  9. Oh, I do love a beach fest! You have done us proud here Jo. I am going to sit on one of those red benches and admire the views and contemplate how much the house on the hill would cost me. Such fabulous beaches (and so Australian looking…) though those rocks look pretty savage and we need Meg to come along with her microscope and tell us what those rocks are made up of. Basalt? Granite? Love this coastline, but something tells me you prefer the eastern Algarve.

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    1. I thought you’d like that spot, Jude. 🙂 I wouldn’t mind joining you there. The Algarve has it’s rugged stretches too, but by and large it’s warmer. Big plus point 🙂 And yes, I do have a soft spot for a certain place. Monday’s walk will feature an Algarve beach, just so you can make the comparison. I shall await Meg’s judgment on the rocks. 🙂

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  16. ancora un magnifico gioello incastonato nell’azzurro, i colori predominanti in Portogallo sono il bianco e l’azzurro spuntano da ogni parte, ad arricchire la deliziosa chiesetta, o nella bella siepe di solana azzurra.Le tue immagini sono stratosferiche! bel viaggetto mi hai fatto fare stamane al sole, che qui piove! Hola Jo hasta la vista

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  18. What a beautiful part of the world. Your photos and travels made my morning on this dark drizzly start to Thursday. I’ve only been to Lisbon before, not getting a chance to venture further but you have sold me, it’s stunning. The scenery reminds me of North Cornwall a bit. What do you think?

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    1. Similar, I suppose, though in general much warmer. I haven’t been to Cornwall since I was in my teens (my loss 😦 ) but some day I’ll get back down that way. Glad to brighten anyone’s day, Annika. It’s grey and uninspiring here too, but I’m meeting a lovely friend at lunchtime. 🙂

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      1. Having lunch with a good friend brightens any day! 😃 a meeting of minds, laughter and relaxation, sometimes we don’t need that much at all really. Hope you had a lovely time.

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      2. She’s still working so we had to fit it in her lunch break, but then I had an autumnal wander in Durham city. Yes, sometimes it’s just a little boost to the spirits we need. 🙂

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