Yesterday we took a trip to the west coast of the Algarve with it's stunning cliff top views and beautiful beaches. Even though it is the busiest month of the year here the beaches aren't crowded and the west coast tends to be a little cooler than the south coast resorts so is brilliant for families with young children. For instance when we left Lagos it was already 36°C but was a far more manageable 28°C at Bordeira.
We stopped in the village of Carrapateira for a much needed cool drink at the aptly named Microbar and were very pleasantly surprised to see soya milk shakes on the menu - much to the delight of "our vegan"! We also enjoyed a very nice lunch (after much perusal of a very varied menu!) and could certainly recommend Microbar both for the lovely friendly service and the good food.
Much refreshed we carried on to Bordeira beach - a huge sweep of sand with a small river forming a small lagoon on one side - perfect for children to play in relative safety. There is a large carpark at the back of the beach which means crossing the (very shallow)river to get to the sand or a small park further up the hill which has a long wooden walkway and steps down to the front of the beach.
Next we took the cliff "road" to Amado beach (the road is unmade up but easily passable with a normal car and well worth following), stopping at intervals to take in the stunning views. There are numerous boarded walkways along the cliffs at the best vantage points so that people can enjoy the scenery without damaging the plants. We saw an occasional car en-route but otherwise it was just us and the cliffs. As we neared Amado we stopped just above a tiny fishing port where archaelogists have uncovered the remains of an Islamic fishing village on the cliff top. Considering we have taken this route many times over the years we "discovered" lots of hidden gems missed on previous outings!
Last stop - Praia do Amado (not to be confused with the beach of the same name in Portimão!) - one of the beaches most popular with surfers. Luckily there is a large amount of organised parking now as both parks were virtually full, but there was still plenty of room on the beach. There is a surf school based at Amado, a cafe and a mobile snack bar complete with tables, chairs and umbrellas!
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| Largo do Comércio, Carrapateira |
Praia da Bordeira |
Algarve west coast |
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| Algarve west coast |
Algarve west coast |
Portinho do Pesca - fishing port |
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| Praia do Amado to the south |
Praia do Amado to the north |
Surfers delight at Amado! |
If you've not visited the west coast yet..bear it in mind the next time you visit the Algarve - whatever the time of year!