Europe’s best beach holidays: Peniche, Portugal
There’s a great restaurant and bar scene in this surf mecca, plus birdlife and snorkelling on peaceful islands a short ride away
It was the small and enigmatic Berlengas archipelago that drew us to Peniche harbour. Peniche, 60 miles north of Lisbon, is famous for its surfing beaches, but the islands off its coast often get overlooked. Every morning a couple of hardy passenger boats bounce over eight miles of waves from the peninsula of Peniche to Berlenga Grande. We took our seats on deck between sacks of onions and oranges and, flecked with sea-spray and followed by flocks of screaming gulls, we watched green hills emerge from blue waves ahead. At the port, the goods are unloaded with gulls wheeling and cawing overhead.
Seabirds nest everywhere: in the island’s grass, its sea caves and its hidden coves. Keeping out of nesting areas, we followed a footpath to a pair of sandy beaches. The sea is warmer here than at the more open mainland stretches and, at Praia da Berlenga, it is as still and clear as sea-green stained glass and offers fantastic diving.
Continue reading...Date: | |
Tag: | Europe |
Topics
Filter
-
Woman attacked by bull on Mexico beach after ignoring warnings
A bull charged at a woman on a beach in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur over the weekend as horrified tourists watched and warned her to back away.CBS News - World
More from The Guardian
-
Israeli abuse of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti ‘amounts to torture’
With thousands now held without charge, lawyers say Israel is signalling that no detainee is safe. Marwan Barghouti spends his days huddled in a cramped, dark, solitary cell, with no way to tend to his wounds, and a shoulder injury from being ...The Guardian - World - Israel -
OpenAI putting ‘shiny products’ above safety, says departing researcher
Jan Leike, a key safety researcher at firm behind ChatGPT, quit days after launch of its latest AI model, GPT-4o. A former senior employee at OpenAI has said the company behind ChatGPT is prioritising “shiny products” over safety, revealing that ...The Guardian - World -
Slovakian PM remains in serious condition as suspect appears in court
Second operation to remove dead tissue has ‘contributed to a positive prognosis’ for Robert Fico, health minister says. Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, remained in a stable but serious condition as the man accused of trying to assassinate ...The Guardian - World -
Fresh floods in Afghanistan kill at least 50 after heavy rain brings devastation
Thousands of homes and farming land damaged in Ghor province, a week after over 300 killed in flash floods. At least 50 people were killed in a fresh bout of heavy rain and flooding in central Afghanistan, according to an official.. Dozens others ...The Guardian - World -
Sticky trick: new glue spray kills plant pests without chemicals
Edible oil droplets trap bugs without the harm to people and wildlife that synthetic pesticides can cause. Tiny sticky droplets sprayed on crops to trap pests could be a green alternative to chemical pesticides, research has shown.. The insect ...The Guardian - World