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Baleal
Baleal is somewhat the little sister of Peniche. It also sits on a rocky peninsula, sticking out to the Atlantic like a finger. It also is – nowadays: was – a fishing town. But Peniche has taken over the business and the picturesque houses on the peninsula today mostly do not belong to fishermen anymore. They are – often accurately renovated – holiday houses or host guests from abroad who mostly come for surfing.
Tourism – and particularly surfing tourism – has long become the main business here. The beautiful beaches south and north of the peninsula provide fun waves year-round and consequently the town and its vicinity on the mainland probably has some of the highest surf camp and school density in whole Europe.
The large beach stretching south from the peninsula until the Peniche peninsula has fine sand and plenty of quality sandbars, which work best on smaller swells and easterly winds. When the Nortada is blowing – which happens quite often – the breaks at the tip of the peninsula get some protection but tend to get crowded.
Lagide, on the north side of the peninsula has a flat reef and handles bigger swells. With south winds this is often the only place surf-able in the area.
The coastline north of Lagide still is a labyrinth of fields, rocky cliffs and dirt tracks. Underneath the cliffs there is mostly a stretch of sandy beach and it always is worth to check this area during a smaller swell. There are some gems – depending on the actual state of the sandbars – to find here for the adventurous.
For more impressions check these galleries:
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