Beaches, towns and sunsets

This is an interesting story on the Alentejo Coast that I found on the web ocholeguas.com:

Beaches, towns and sunsets 

It is often forgotten that the golden fields of the Alentejo reach the sea and overlook the Atlantic along nearly 200 miles of coastline. Beaches, coves and cliffs for sunset wildest Portugal. The beaches of Alentejo are the other side of this beautiful rural region, supplementing its resources with fishing, beach tourism and ports.

Each day a different light.A subtle range of blues that turn into orange, pink and silver. From the cliffs of rugged beauty and south of Sines Vila Nova de Milfontes, to the endless beaches that reach the southern Almograve. Near the bustling Algarve, but with all the peace of unexploited sites.

If you want to know should do Alentejo coast from the lighthouse at Sines, a gatekeeper of the West in that corner that draws between Cape Espichel Portugal and San Vicente. Now it is easy to reach thanks to improved roads and new highways built in recent years. Some industry should be bypassed in the vicinity of the coast of Sines, but the Atlantic is still the same, hitting with great force the cliffs of the area.

Historical references are constant. He was born in Sines where Basque de Gama in the fifteenth century it was still paying tribute as the first European to reach India bordering Africa. Sines is protected after the medieval fortress and has inevitably one of the best ports of Portugal.

A natural selection

It is only the starting point. To the south of Sines is a succession of long sandy beaches, almost infinite calm. The fan to the beach is a paradise. Since the N-261, small roads down to the sea, as if to make a natural selection. A surfer, others for families and others to get lost. In summer, some are full of tourists, beaches and Burrihno Morgável, but the rest of the year remains solitary.

A stop on the way south is Porto Covo. We stopped in a remote and pretty town, with narrow streets and traditional houses with their windows and doors painted blue. Again a place sheltered by cliffs and the Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo behind. Later arrive at one of the tourist landmarks of the coast of Portugal: Vila Nova de Milfontes is right on the estuary where the river Mira.

Few pleasures than the power to make a good snack before going to dinner on the beach. Foot still full of sand, with the bittersweet taste of a first gin and tonic, a glass of Campari or wine ... At low tide, the dogs run along the beach and the locals prepare their fishing rods with the rhythm of ritual ... All of his catches are already a destination restaurant in the area.

For years he has been one of the favorite places for migratory bird watchers or those seeking a quiet little resort for water sports. In Vilanova you can choose from river or sea beaches. Among the first is Franqui beach with calm waters for families and for windsurfing and canoeing, with terraces and restaurants that serve a great fish. On the opposite side of Mira is the also popular Praia das Furnas.

Source: ocholeguas.com