Bordeira
A tiny inland village near Aljezur with access to one of the Algarve's most dramatic and windswept Atlantic beaches.
Bordeira is a small rural village about five kilometres south of Aljezur on the western Algarve coast. The village itself is little more than a handful of houses, a church and a cafe arranged along a quiet road, but it lends its name to one of the most spectacular beaches in Portugal, the Praia da Bordeira, also known as Praia da Carrapateira after the slightly larger settlement to its south.
The beach is reached by a narrow road that drops down through farmland to the mouth of a small river. The Praia da Bordeira is vast, a sweeping arc of hard-packed sand that extends for nearly three kilometres between dark headlands. At low tide the beach is hundreds of metres wide, and the receding water reveals a flat expanse that reflects the sky like a mirror. Behind the beach, a system of low dunes and marshland flanks the river course, and beyond that the hills of the Costa Vicentina rise in a succession of scrub-covered ridges. The scale is immense and the sense of space exhilarating, particularly in the off-season months when the beach may be almost empty.
The beach is fully exposed to the Atlantic and receives significant swell, making it one of the best surfing spots in the Algarve. The breaks suit a range of abilities, from beginners on the beach break to more experienced surfers on the point breaks at the northern end. Several surf schools operate from the car park area, and board hire is available. Swimming is possible in summer when conditions are calm, but the currents can be strong and care is needed. A seasonal lifeguard operates during the busiest months.
The village of Bordeira sits quietly above the coastal drama. The Igreja Matriz has been rebuilt several times and is architecturally unremarkable, but the churchyard has views over the rolling hinterland. The single cafe is the social hub, and local farmers come and go on tractors and battered vans. There is no accommodation in the village itself, and the nearest shops and restaurants are in Carrapateira, about two kilometres to the south, where a handful of cafes and surf-oriented businesses have grown up to serve the visiting community.
The surrounding area is within the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, and the landscape is strikingly wild compared to the southern Algarve coast. The Rota Vicentina fishermen's trail and historical way both pass nearby, and the cliff walking in the area is outstanding. The flora includes several rare and endemic species adapted to the salt-laden Atlantic winds, and botanists find the coastal scrubland particularly rewarding in spring.
Bordeira is reached by car from Aljezur or via the road from Lagos through Vila do Bispo. There is no public transport. The isolation and the power of the landscape are the principal attractions, and visitors should come prepared for wind, which is a near-constant companion on this stretch of coast. The beach is at its most magnificent in winter, when the swell is largest and the light most dramatic, though the water temperature discourages all but the most committed swimmers.