A short walk in the Almograve dunes

Almograve is a small coastal village in Alentejo, that is known by its nice beach. In the summer, it is quite busy, but during the rest of the year it is a quiet place. This is when I prefer to visit, away from the crowds, when it is possible to enjoy the area in the company of Nature alone. During springtime, the coastal sand dunes are full of colour, thanks to the many wildflowers that are in bloom. Due to the recent rain, the landscape and atmosphere looks and feels fresh.

Colourful sand dunes.
Fragile.

There are several nice and easy walks around this area, but this time I chose the trail between the beaches of Almograve and Foz. This is a short walk, but it takes you along the sand dunes, with the ocean as a constant company. The littoral is characterized by the contrast between the golden and rusty sand dunes and the blue ocean water, with the dark cliffs in between. This coast is well known by its geologic features, notably the numerous folded rocks that are easier to see at low tide. The weather was a mix of sunshine and brooding rain clouds, with numerous heavy showers.

Geological textures.
Springtime in the dunes.
Sometimes the sun will shine.

The golden light of the low afternoon sun was illuminating the landscape, enriching it colours. The wind was moving the clouds fast; one minute I was drenched by a shower, the next I was photographing a wonderful rainbow. I also spent some time photographing the many flowers around me, framing them with a little bit of the background to provide some context. The dramatic light was available, and I was making the most of it.

Foz beach at low tide.
Catching the sun.
Folded rocks in Foz beach.
Double rainbow. Assembled panorama with 3 photos.
Low tide along the coast.
Long exposure of the coastline between Foz and Almograve beaches.
Moving sea and clouds.

I stayed in the area until sunset, photographing the seascape under the fast changing light conditions. I had with me a wide angle lens and a short telephoto lens, and I used both to frame a bit differently. In the horizon, the dark clouds and heavy rain showers were passing quickly, adding a bit of drama to the scene.

Passing rain.
Sunset.
Approaching clouds.
Soft sunset.

I walked back to the car park near Almograve beach already at night, but I was glad to have visited this location with such interesting weather conditions. No matter how many times I return to this area, I often come back with some new interesting photos. And if not, I always enjoy walking along these dune trails.

The Vicentina coast in Spring

After a (second) long period of confinement, from January to April, the Portuguese government has started to ease mobility restrictions a little. As a result, I was able to spend a few days of vacation in my house in Longueira, in the Alentejo coast. As you know, this is one of my favorite regions in Portugal, and I often spend time there with the family, hiking, photographing, or merely resting.

The coastal area between Sines and Sagres is part of the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentina Coast Natural Park, as illustrated in the figure below. During this trip I wanted to go back to a few places that I have not visited for several years, namely in the vicinity of the town of Vila do Bispo. This entire coast has many beautiful and wild beaches, some of difficult access, requiring driving through dirt tracks.

Simplified map of the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentina Coast Natural Park. Several places of interest are numbered.
On the way to Vila do Bispo, it is worth to stop in the village of Rogil.
Windmill at Rogil.

The geomorphology of the area is characterized by a high coastal plateau, a remnant of the latest deglaciation period, when the sea level dropped significantly, exposing the very old Paleozoic rock formations to erosion. The result is an almost flat and uplifted terrain, with gentle hills, here and there deeply cut by small rivers that flow towards the Atlantic ocean. There are many hiking trails that belong to the Rota Vicentina network; they are the best way to explore the area in detail, allowing magnificent views over the landscape.

Near Vila do Bispo, the Algarve coast reaches its highest altitude, at 156 m above sea level. Due to the strong and shifty winds, care is recommended when approaching the cliff’s edges. My first stop was at the Cordoama viewpoint, which is reachable by car. From here, looking North, one can see a series of beaches, like Cordoama, Carrapateira, and Arrifana. Looking towards the South, the magnificent beach of Castelejo lies down below.

As I wanted to try some long exposures, I walked a little bit downhill to get some protection from the wind. I then proceeded to set up my tripod as low as possible, and made several photos. The weather was nice, sunny but with some fast moving clouds; these beaches are very popular with surfers, which looked quite small when seen from this vantage point. For this trip I carried my Fujifilm kit, consisting of a couple of cameras and lenses.

The small village of Bordeira.
Cordoama beach.
Cordoama beach.
Castelejo beach.

One of the consequences of the constant wind is that there are hardly any trees near the shore. The land is covered with shrubs and small plants that are able to resist the climate. The rain quickly escapes towards the deeply cut creeks, leaving the soil dry. This leads to a normally bleak landscape, but during the Spring the hills come alive with myriad wild flowers of various colors. I spent some time photographing this colorful landscape, dotted with yellow, pink, purple, and white patches.

Fields near Vila do Bispo.
Fields near Vila do Bispo.
Fields near Vila do Bispo.
Fields near Vila do Bispo.
Old way of life, Vila do Bispo.

After leaving Cordoama, I drove north and stopped near the villages of Bordeira and Carrapateira. These are only separated by a couple of kilometres, and along the road the fields are covered with flowers, including red poppies, one of my favorites.

Spring fields.
Spring fields.

In Carrapateira, the beach is large and very sandy, located at the estuary of the small Bordeira river. Again, the (windy) view is wonderful and I spent the rest of the day time photographing, before driving back home to Longueira. There are so many things to see, photograph and experience in this region, that many more days are required to explore it fully. After the confinement, I was just happy to be able to return to the region, even if only for a short visit. This is truly a special place.

Carrapateira beach.
Carrapateira beach.
Carrapateira beach.
Carrapateira beach and village.
Carrapateira beach.

Pego das Pias in the Spring

I recently had the chance to revisit another favorite place of mine, Pego das Pias, in Odemira. I wrote about it before:

My previous visits were made either in the Summer or during early Autumn, so the Torgal river was mostly dry, with no flowing water. However, this time I visited in early April, after a Winter with abundant rainfall. My expectation was to find the river bed with plenty of water, and I was not disappointed. This small river runs along a narrow valley surrounded by high hills; in the Spring, the vegetation is luxuriant and green, with many cork oak, pine and ash trees, among others. After hiking a few hundred meters along the trail, the only sound comes from bird song and the wind blowing through the trees.

After a while, another sound becomes perceptible, and that is of running water. I head to the river bed, which is surrounded by trees and ferns. Setting up the tripod, I start making some photos, framing the small river and its banks. The weather is overcast, which is good to tame the scene’s contrast. There are also many flowers along the way, covering the schist terrain: rock rose, marigolds, and many others.

Along the river bed.
Spring time greenery.
Lush greens.
Fresh flowers.
Reflections.
Tree roots.

I finally arrive at the large pool of Pego das Pias, having found no other person along the way. The sense of isolation and being only surrounded by nature is quite dominant. The large quartzite rock that lies in the middle of the pool casts its reflection in the quiet waters, which makes for a nice photo. The river here becomes trapped between the quartzite rocks, that have been cut by water over millennia.

Pool reflection.
Waiting.
Small flowers.
Inside the canyon.
Flowers and rocks.
One of the “pias”, an erosion feature (lower bottom left).

I walk a bit further upstream, where several rocks have created a few small rapids. The water is fresh and clear, a perfect habitat for the elusive otter, that only comes out at night. I make more photos framing the river, and playing with exposure times to achieve different flowing effects in the water. Before heading back, I simply sit down overlooking the pools and relaxing. This is indeed a wonderful place, and I am glad I could see the transformation brought on by the presence of abundant water and Spring.

Flowing water upriver.
Rushing.
After the rain.

In terms of photographic gear, I only carried my two Fujifilm cameras and couple of lenses, one wide angle and one telephoto. Plus the tripod, of course.

Spring is here.
Pink bell flowers.
“Esteva” in bloom.