Today a little story about an area that I traveled recently. A little part of the Northern Portuguese coastline. Traveling solo during October, wasn't too bad. It could feel lonely, although on the other side you can take you own speed and do whatever you want. After saying goodbye at the airport of Porto and an intense busy day in downtown Porto and around Braga, it was time to slow down and enjoy the coast again. The only plan, follow the ocean and try to find the nicest spots.
Esposende, the ende of a busy period
After the long day of busy city life and climbing hills with monasteries, a nice sunset at the ocean was all I needed. 4 weeks traveling together and 3 weeks of remote work, it's me-time now. It would be a close call to reach the beach with sunset. I ended up at Praia de Ofir, a sandy beach with some ugly high concrete buildings. This place it's also partly a National Park. I managed to get a glimp of gold with the sunset through a layer of clouds. It was a good surfspot. I have to decide where to camp tonight and if I want to return tomorrow for a hike. The closest wildcamping spot was one in the fishing town of Esposende. Parking at a large concrete spot with loads of campers next to a bus terminal. Not the most romantic spot, but there is no romance in the van anyway. I was hungry and went for a walk into town for diner. This place is full of restaurants, although not open tonight. The only place open, a typical Portuguese cafe. I ordered a ham & cheese croissant and received a tosti. Was my Portuguese accent that bad? Let's order a burger and see what I get... I was surprised it was a burger, huge and delicious. I also bought a box of red wine and the only feeling it gave me was a splitting headache.
On the hunt for beaches
Next morning I didn't want to spend too much time at the concrete sadness. I drove off to the nearest beach. Down south there was a lot of rain, up north an option for sun. Esposende has a beach...I don't know if it was the grey weather, but the whole thing felt a bit depressive. Or was it just the contrast with being on my own again? Maybe both. I drove up and stopped at several beaches, most of them easy to reach. I discovered that there is actually an excellent walking and bicycle trail along the coast called ECOVIA DO LITORAL NORTE. It starts in Esposende (South) and ends in Caminha (North) and covers 73 km in total. There is also an ECOVIA DO LITORAL in the Algarve, so be aware when you search in your navigation. I didn't hike the whole trail, but parts of it. The sun started to come through and it made me active, let's do some trail running today. I passed beaches like Praia de Barrelas, Praia de Rio de Moinhos, Praia de São Bartolomeu do Mar (not worth a stop), Praia de Belinho, Praia de Antas, Praia de Castelo do Neiva and Praia Amorosa, before heading into a big town. It was a mix of sandy beaches, stone beaches, rocks in the ocean, forest and dunes.
Miradouro do Estuário do Rio Neiva is a very nice and quiet spot. There is a little parking spot with a clean water tap and a picknick spot. The views and beaches are empty during this time of year. You might spot a few locals walking around in the area, but don't expect to find a cafe or a tiny beach bar open right now.
One of the stops was Praia Amorosa. Let's see if this place of full of love. Funny enough, when I parked next to a holy cross, a Portuguese woman stopped next to me and she started flirting big time. I remembered that it is me-time and I just smiled back. The other lovely thing in this small beach town? The tiny houses directly at the beach. What a view, although all doors and shutters were closed.
Impressive from a distance
The beaches started to be less impressive after a dozen today. What's next? What's that on the mountain in the distance? Taj Mahal? I really need some glasses for far away distances. I looked on Google Maps what it could be. Not some crazy hotel or something. Found it! It's called 'Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus' on the Mount of Santa Luzia. Let's check the road, it should be possible to go all the way to the top by van. Before you reach the hills of Luzia, you have to cross some bridges in the swamp and one of the last bigger towns in the North of Portugal: Viana do Castelo. Once you reach the top of the hill, you can directly park your vehicle in front of the Sanctuary (for free). They chose the perfect spot to build this. Easy to spot from a far distance (when the weather is clear) and the views from the top are worth the ride. I could see all the beaches that I visited today. You can also visit the Santuário do Sagrado Coração de Jesus inside, with no entrance fee. I've seen so many of these buildings, for me personally it was an average one. The colorful windows got my attention for a second, but I went outside quickly. Why? I didn't want to miss my favorite part of the day.
The Golden Hour
Yes, my favorite part of the day is the Golden Hour. And today was a special one. On the ocean side of Viana do Castelo you will find a small harbor and a more industrial area. And also a boulevard with a few simple beach bars (which were open surprisingly). The town itself feels very busy, slow traffic. My Park 4 Night app mentions several wildcamping spots along the ocean on the parking spots. And there was lot's of space. All parking spots were viewing the ocean. There was a little old fort and another part of the ECOVIA DO LITORAL NORTE trail. During the sunset all parking spots are taken by locals enjoying the view. A bit of romance here and there, and also couples looking grumpy and not saying anything to each other. I took out my sweet orange cantaloupe melon wrapped in prosciutto. Together with a few glasses of headache-vino-tinto, I enjoyed the views. Although the place was crowded, it still felt peaceful and quiet.
The pool on fire
I was so happy this gray rainy depressive morning turned into summer vibes. The summer vibes got an extra boost when I saw women walking around in summer dresses and people enjoying their drinks on cheap red plastic Sagres-chairs. I strolled along the boulevard. But soon my attraction went from summer dresses to something else. In the rocks they created some natural swimming pools. Not that I prefer diving into a natural pool above diving into something else...it was stuff happening behind. Skinny dipping? No, it was the sky that started an impressive performance. Clouds, burning sun, scenery, a fishing boat. The whole thing went into a climax. My emotions, experiences and the views, it set the pool on fire!
It's a large number of pictures in this post right? I love traveling, although sometimes I am a bit travel tired. I have Gb's full of stunning pictures, but what do I do with it? Some of them are posted on Instagram, most of them stay on the harddisk. I never take the time to make printed albums. It's a shame. Since I recently have more free time, it gives me time to write and share all the experiences. Maybe in inspires others to visit these places one day. What do you do with all your travel pictures?
All pictures and words are mine. Pictures are taken with a Samsung S23 Ultra
