On the way from the cork oaks back to the sea we had no real idea where to go. But then a tip from the social networks, a surf camp south of Peniche, took off.
We didn’t really want to surf, but we wanted to meet some nice people and not go to a campsite in the true sense of the word. The first contact by phone was already sympathetic, so we started.
After two hours of driving we stood there, parked in the driveway to the left of a cornfield. It didn’t seem great. Right at the entrance someone was training horses, we got out and were greeted by a young Hamburger in the easy “Slang”. Hey, cool that you’re there, everything really chilled here with us, make you comfortable, we’re all friends here and anyway everything is really peacig and easy. If you need something, you will find us here or while surfing, everything completely chilled! The other guests were then introduced to us all by first name and if we needed a shower, we could easily use the outdoor shower here on the square.
When asked where we could stand with our “Dicken”, the answer what you stood, you are well.
You’re kidding, right? We stood directly in the driveway, parked crookedly next to the cornfield, this place did not even look like a parking lot. Directly next to us stood a caravan, if it is still inhabited one would not know at the moment, but probably not. We asked for a moment of thought. It didn’t take many words, it was quickly clear, this is a little too chilled and easy for us. We said goodbye and no longer had a clear goal. Although, we found a place that we had been shortlisted for some time ago. Ericeira.
It was afternoon, it was a good hour to drive, then let’s go. And there it was again, the dream road by the sea. Again and again small villages on one side and through the passenger window the coasts with a view of the waves. Perfect. We had already made the right decision in terms of driving experience alone. Shortly before Ericeira the view of a dreamlike beach with vans, campers and surfers opened up, but we were not yet at our destination. The road meandered up a mountain and a small vantage point directly at the highest point of the road. A larger-than-life surfer statue looks at the waves and the vastness of the sea. BÄM! We had to be right here.
Then the arrival. The campsite was located directly on the national road, but if the experience of one has taught us up to this point, national roads are usually quiet at night. And on the other side of the road, so directly opposite, cliffs, beach and sea. Check in for the first time. Two nights to see how and if it goes on. Small preview, it didn’t go any further, we stayed here for a while.
Unfortunately we were not really cuddly on this place, the side door opened for us to the through road, but the view was unbelievable. So the look out at the front or when we were sitting in front of the “Dicken”. We looked at the sea, in the morning, at noon and in the evening. And in the evening, with sunset. Right in front of us, the sun goes down to the sea. It was unbelievable. The arrival procedure already described in the last article “Further North” was quickly completed and then it went straight down from the square, over the road and off to the sea! We didn’t know where to look first. Small bays with few tourists, surf schools and basically surfers in the water no matter where we looked. The sun coloured the rocks yellow and red.
THAT fit perfectly. We rounded off the eventful day with a pizza, which we bought in a quaint pizza cart just a few meters from the “Thickness”. Very blissfully we withdrew after this day. The night was quiet, you might think, no neighbors, no street, just peace.
The next day we explored the fishing village of Ericeira. We strolled from our place by the sea, passing a breathtaking view of surfers after another. The cliffs and waves here are really impressive. And then we came to a small enchanting place. Blue-white houses, narrow streets and small shops. This place is still characterized by fishing and there is a tranquil atmosphere. We felt very quickly at home here. It was clear, from here we can make some excursions and enjoy this village for a moment longer than just a few days.
The evening back at the Dicken ended with a drink in hand enjoying the sunset. But, one thing was new here. The high summer seemed to be saying goodbye quite gradually. It got noticeably cooler. Until a few days ago we were still sitting comfortably with hoodies in front of the thick, it quickly became very fresh here. The Atlantic brought much more moisture and we disappeared into the car shortly after eight o’clock. So the next morning we could feel the weather here on the coast. The sea was not visible. A huge wall of fog hung up in front of our windshield and only dislocated during the morning. Equally new were the beach days. It was quite possible to lie in the sun on the beach to take a sunbath, but a bath in the sea was no longer possible in full length (unless you are hardened). It was quite fresh in the water and we only dived for short moments of cooling and then warmed up again by the sun as soon as possible.
From Ericeira we made various excursions. First we went south along the coast to the beach of Guincho. We had already received this tip in Tarifa and the beaches here are definitely worth a visit. We wouldn’t have thought how different and impressive so many different beaches can be before our trip. It is always fascinating to look at the waves and marvel. In Guincho we had waves up to five meters high for the first time. We went down to the beach with a lot of respect and stood speechless in front of the enormous water masses. Of course, the selfie should not be missing here either. We positioned ourselves next to each other, a little further towards the sea, so that you can get the waves well on the photo and then it had already happened. We had underestimated a wave and stood up to the butt in the water!!! Even the camera unfortunately got a shower, fortunately nothing happened. So we had to let ourselves dry and sat down on the beach in the sun with wet pants and skirt and waited.
Incredible how huge these waves hit the beach…
Another tip was the lagoon of Obidos. There was supposed to be a school for windsurfing and we were curious if we could get another chance to deepen our knowledge on the board.
In fact, there is a small windsurfing oasis in Obidos, but the atmosphere is more like surfing at an excavator lake. So nice, but we just had the pictures of Tarifa in mind and couldn’t really get excited here. Obidos itself is an impressive place, with a great old city wall, which we could only admire from a distance from the car.
The third excursion took us to Peniche. Here there should be the so-called tube waves, where you can watch bodyboarders while playing sports.
After an hour and a half drive we arrived in Peniche. We wanted to explore the city on foot and set off for the center. Where this should be found, however, what unclear. We walked through the streets for an hour and ended up arriving at the port. Countless tourists, restaurants, pubs and ugly snack stalls greeted us. What was that? There was no real city center here and where were
The beaches?
We were disappointed and could only guess where the main beach with the special waves could be. Namely another hour walk in the opposite direction.
Exhausted by the last days and the many movement, we decided against it this time and drove back to our place. In hindsight, we learned in various articles about the village of Peniche that this city is very loveless and that you can probably only explore the interesting corners at second glance. Then next time…