Living in the Algarve, we are very fortunate to have some of the most beautiful beaches right on our doorstep – particularly the ones on the west coast where surfing is one of the top-rated things to do. Arrifana – a surfer’s paradise – is full of wet-suit clad guys and gals clambering to ride the waves and is the perfect spot to wile away a few hours.
Me? No, I’m not a surfer. I prefer my sea calm and clear (where I can see what’s lurking in there!) but hubby loves to give it a go with our west coast buddies, the owners of Onda Vicentina Bed & Breakfast (I’ll be telling you all about them soon). Yesterday was such a day, so I went along with them – taking our lovely little dog, Luna, with us. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining, although it was still quite chilly so I kept well wrapped up.
Although very popular with the surfing crowd, Arrifana is not the most practical beach to get to, and once there, it’s not the best place if you’re unsteady on your feet. Found at the bottom of a steep, winding road, the main entrance to the beach is via a narrow wooden set of steps and once you reach the bottom, you have to hop down and find your way across an array of large rocks before your feet finally touch the sand. Once there though, it really is a little paradise. It’s a wonderful way to wile away a few hours watching the surfers strut their stuff before they do their thing in the water. And there is a lot of strutting lol 😉 I should add here that I neglected to photograph any of them this time round!
Luna certainly enjoyed her time on Arrifana beach, although she did have to contend with a couple of not-so-friendly dogs left to roam about on the sand while their owners surfed for a few hours, which wasn’t cool. On the other hand, we watched a gorgeous sheepdog play ball with her owner for a while – she was so well-trained and a real beauty. Technically though, dogs aren’t allowed on the beach here but the police don’t tend to enforce the law at this time of year – only during the summer months when there’s more people to contend with.
If you’re heading to the west coast and you want to see some great surfing, then by all means, make your way to Arrifana. Just be careful accessing the beach, especially if you have limited mobility. There are other beaches much easier to get to, like Carrapateira and Monte Clerigo but I will tell you all about them another time.
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