World Surf Reserve, Ericeira

We woke up early on our second day in Ericeira, Portugal. This area is known as a World Surf Heritage site and we were keen to get in our car and drive a little way up the coast to explore.

Breakfast was a gorgeous platter with freshly baked rolls and good coffee.

Then we started our drive up the coast.

Sao Lorenco

First stop was Sao Lourenco and a quick walk on the beach. Being is midweek day, the beach was deserted compared to Ribeira which was quickly becoming our local spot.

Sao Lourenco is a wide open sandy beach with a lovely board walk leading from the parking area toward the sea. We only spent a short while and then got back in the car for the next leg of the drive.

We made a short stop on a rocky outcrop.

Santa Cruz

Onward we went to Santa Cruz. We were pleasantly surprised by this gorgeous little town. We found a parking close to the beach and then walked toward the boardwalk along the seaside. There were many people out walking on this cool but sunny day.

We found the beach walk and headed down onto the sand to explore the rock formations and seascapes.

The rocks were magnificent and reminded me of my son back home. He is a rock climber and I know that he would absolutely love this area. There is a lot of sea climbing along the Portuguese coastline.

This walk is only possible at low tide as the beach disappears at the high tide blocking the path.

We walked up the rocky outcrop and then up some cement stairs to see the view from the top and the sea cliffs ahead on the other side.

My folks were with us on this trip and both my husband and my dad both surf, so they always love being at the beach and in the sea.

We made our way back to the main beach front and decided to search for a good coffee shop in the village. As always my mom was on the search for Pasteis de natas and we were victorious! In a courtyard two blocks back from the beach we found a sweet coffee shop packed to capacity with visitors. The bakery did not disappoint.

We drove home along the country roads towards Ocean House Ericeira for a rest.

Later we made another visit to Ribeira Beach for a surf. I love having a Kindle on holidays because I can load 80 books and then just keep reading not worrying about carrying heavy books. My favourite time to read is on these trips.

Tasquinha Dos Pescadores

We decided to head to the Old Town for dinner and found a tiny local restaurant in a back streets. It seemed like the spot that the locals visited called Tasquinha Dos Pescadores and we enjoyed our burgers and chips.

The owner came up to us at the end of our meal and offered us shots of Jinja which is a local liqure that tastes like sweet cinnamon. The owner gave a second round of shots and then we thanked him and said our good byes.

We finished our evening watching the sunset over the ocean with a cloudy moody cloudscape.

The next morning we made one final visit to the old town to visit the local surf shops before packing.

The next morning we were off to Lisbon for a night before flying home to Cape Town.

Goodbye Ericeira!!!!

Follow for the final blog of the series when we explore Lisbon!

//:# (!worldmappin 39.13544 lat -9.38295 long Mediterranean Cruise: World Surf Reserve (16) d3scr)