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Bordeira Cordama Castelejo Ingrina Meia Pria Martinhal Porto de Mos Rio do Bico Salema Zavial |
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| This brief collection of entirely personal perceptions of beaches local to Lagos has been put together with a view to enabling first (or even second) time visitors to the Villa to spend less time searching for and more time enjoying some of these wonderful beaches. The list is currently far from comprehensive and may not even be up-to-date, such is the penchant of the locals for rebuilding beach bars and of the environment for reshaping the beaches (especially Bordeira). Furthermore, it should be recognised that your chronicler has visited the beaches only outside of the high season months of June - August. The crowd scenes on the beaches, and the ease of access to them, for example, may be very different in the summer months. Additions/comments are welcomed (well, I might as well acknowledge the inevitable!). The review starts with the most northerly beach visited on the 'real' Atlantic coast (approx. 30 mins from Lagos), moving anti-clockwise to the most easterly watering-hole (a similar distance). | |
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Reached by turning left (west) off the main road when almost exiting from Carrapeteira, briefly down a tarmac road (passing a reasonable bar on your left just off the main road) towards the dunes, where you turn left through what might be a rough parking area (leaving an even more reasonable café/bar on your right - last facilities for some time) to follow a shale track up over the dunes on to the cliff top. |
| Not far beyond the summit, you can either park or brave a short rutted track down to the right where you may be fortunate in finding parking space between our German/Dutch friends and their camper vans. From then, it is on foot for perhaps 200m along a wooden walkway gently down the cliff to the usually unspoilt sands stretching as far as the eye can see. There used to be a wooden bridge over a stream (outlet from the lagoon inland) but when last visited, the bridge had been washed away and the stream filled with shifting sands, so access was direct on to the
beach. The beach itself is usually graced with only a few people, and then largely those preoccupied with surfing on some spectacular waves. But with those comes danger, so swim with caution, because there is a substantial tide rip further
out. Another danger, albeit rare (look out for the fishermen and a stake on the beach retaining the line) is from long fishing lines, strung out parallel with the beach only a few yards off-shore. We are told these are illegal but that doesn't stop the locals from fishing in this manner, which clearly can present a big risk to eyes and nether
regions.
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| The plus of this beach can be seen from the picture. The minus is that there are no facilities on or near the beach - the two cafés mentioned are your nearest source of relief.On stormy days, the sea/surf can be quite spectacular - try walking along the cliff top before descending to the beach. Also of interest are the fishermen plying their art from cliff tops some 100ft above the sea. I am told that there is another secluded beach, reached by turning off left just before entering Carrapateira. This could be Amado. Reports welcomed. |  |
| This pair of glorious beaches is reached by going through Vila do Bispo, itself just off the main road to Sagres. Go actually through the village (described in one book as straight out of a Mexican Western) and turn left/west at the roundabout on the northern side, apparently heading almost nowhere. After perhaps 200m the road parts such that you follow the right-hand branch off into the country, for 2-3 kms, passing some interesting stone figures on your left and with eerie views of the wind farm way over on your right. As you are obviously approaching the sea, the tarmac road leads down to the left, to Castelejo. The more adventurous take to the off-road on the right, following a rust-coloured dirt track towards the cliff top, before branching right again down a winding and not really precipitous track to Cordama. |
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| At the bottom of the hill, keep left-ish towards the sea (there is an impressive-looking track up to the right but I doubt even the most foolhardy driver would soberly tackle that!) and after only a few hundred metres the car park, and the sea, appear. The beach is at its best at low tide (as is the case with most beaches) and is a real star. There is a newly built beach bar there but it was shut by late October, so take a flask! Once again, there can be a big tide rip but body/board surfing can be wonderful there. | |
| Visually stunning and a photographer's paradise, there is ample space for exploring both ways along the beach, as well as studying rock formations. Castelejo is similar but not as spectacular. Car parking by the beach (reached by following the original tarmac road rather than turning off to Cordama) is limited. Once again, a newly-refurbished beach bar was closed by late October. No other facilities. |
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