Another glorious August day so time for another journey along the coast! We started at Alvor beach, which is really the "other half" of Meia Praia (in Lagos) as they are only separated by the Alvor river. The long sweep of sand completes the bay of Lagos and Alvor beach forms a protective sand barrier across part of the river mouth forming a sheltered lagoon behind the beach. The eastern end of Alvor beach is known as Praia Três Irmãos (three brothers) after the landmark 3 rocks in the sea. There are several beach bars / restaurants along the length of Alvor beach and a huge amount of room for everyone (even in August!).
Next we moved a little further east towards Portimão and admittedly somewhat by chance (following 2 other cars that suddenly turned right off the dual carriageway - a habit we really ought to get out of!) we arrived at a beautiful beach called Praia do Barranco das Canas. With cliffs to the west and along the back of the beach it is a delightfully sheltered bay and the colour of the water looked fantastic! The sands run fairly continuously from there, just broken occasionally by the cliffs jutting into the sea, to Praia do Vau - a very popular area with lots of accommodation right behind the beach.
Last stop was Praia do Amado, accessible by steps from the cliff top at the fountains roundabout just west of Praia da Rocha. Even at the busiest time of the year in the middle of August there are so many gorgeous beaches along the Algarve coast that there is room for everyone!