Thursday 3rd May 2018
Our current location was perfect for exploring the wonderful beaches of Portugal and we were honestly spoilt for choice and having a car meant that we were able to visit more remote beaches. A recommendation had been Bordeira and we were not to be disappointed.
Our drive took west towards Vila do Bispo and then north on N268, within the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park. The road conditions were not always brilliant but the destination was hopefully going to make up for it.
After passing through the village of Carrapteira we followed the signs for the Praia and finally arrived at a car park close to the beach.
For information from this car park it is a very long walk, across the shallow Ribeira da Bordeira before you reach the 3km beach. From here it is quite a trek across this vast area of beach before you even catch a glimpse of the sea! But your efforts will be rewarded if you prefer uncrowded beaches.
There is a single beach bar selling snacks and liquid refreshments, which is welcome and also some sun loungers and parasols for hire, although there is no public convenience. Other than that it is just sand and surf, so pick your spot and enjoy the peace and tranquillity. So make sure you come complete with shade and sustenance.
The river runs along the south side of the beach and the limestone cliffs and we chose to make camp just over the narrow river close to the rocks for a little shelter from the breeze.
It was the ideal spot for a little paddle and the water came in useful for making sandcastles 😉
A couple of wind surfers made interesting viewing and we were in awe of their skills on the waves and there was certainly plenty of surf up!
From our position on the beach there was a man made stairway up to another small car parking area, which would be ideal to use if you preferred a shorter walk to the beach.
The views from here over the beach and coast were amazing.
On the day we visited the board walk towards the edge of the cliff was damaged but if you were to follow the road there were others which gave viewing points out to the Atlantic Ocean.
We walked back down from the cliff top to the car park via the road, which was definitely preferable to walking up it!
Maybe a beach with little or no amenities and prone to gusts of wind is not to everyone’s liking. If so Bordeira beach is probably not for you. Nevertheless we enjoyed our day at the seaside and would happily go back again and again.