Vicentina Coast: Wild Alentejo

The Alentejo's Costa Vicentina is the other face of the Portuguese coast: while the Algarve fills up with tourists and resorts, this strip of shoreline between Porto Covo and Odeceixe remains wild, untouched and virtually undeveloped. It is one of the last stretches of European Atlantic coast where nature rules: black schist cliffs plunging vertically into the ocean, beaches accessible only on foot along trails through scrubland, white storks nesting on the coastal crags (a phenomenon unique in Europe — storks normally nest on bell towers and trees, not on sea cliffs), and an Atlantic light that painters and photographers chase obsessively.

The Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina protects over 110 km of coastline under some of the strictest building regulations in all of Europe: it is literally forbidden to build within 1 km of the sea, which has saved this coast from tourist destruction. For the rider, this means empty coastal roads, intact fishing villages like Zambujeira do Mar or Almograve, and the constant feeling of being in a forgotten corner of the world.

Zambujeira do Mar is probably the most charming village on the Costa Vicentina: barely 800 inhabitants, whitewashed houses, a spectacular cliff dropping to the sea, a huge beach reached by stairs carved into the rock, and every August the Festival Sudoeste, one of Portugal's most important music festivals drawing over 40,000 people to a farm by the sea.

The coastal Alentejo's gastronomy is a fascinating blend of sea and land: fresh percebes (goose barnacles) harvested that very morning, caldeirada alentejana (fish stew with bread), ensopado de borrego (lamb stew with bread-soaked gravy), migas de espargos (breadcrumbs with wild asparagus) and the ever-present Alentejo wines, some of the best reds in Portugal.

Practical rider info: the N120 and local roads along the coast are quiet, well surfaced and carry very little traffic. The Atlantic wind can be strong, especially in winter. The area is accessible year-round but best from March to November. For accommodation, the rural houses of Zambujeira do Mar are affordable and authentic. For eating, in Vila Nova de Milfontes the Restaurante Tasca do Celso serves fresh seafood and caldeirada like nowhere else.