#portugal #sintra #cabodaroca
Location: 18km west from Sintra, 15km north from Cascais and 40km west of Lisbon.
November 2021
Walking tour in Cabo da Roca.

The Cabo da Roca is the wild and rugged headland that marks the most westerly point of mainland Europe. These windswept cliffs and barren lands were believes to be the edge of the world up until the 14th century, and even today the region possesses a remote and untamed atmosphere.

This isolated ambience of Cabo da Roca is enhanced by the very limited development within the area where there is a lighthouse, a coffe shop and a gift shop and nothing much else. The wind blasted landscape is the primary draw of the Cabo da Roca, and is ideal for tourists who appreciate nature’s raw beauty.

Leading from Cabo da Roca are numerous paths but all either head in a northerly or southerly direction.

To the north is the Praia da Ursa beach (1,3km) accessible by well-worn footpaths. This beach is regarded as one of the hidden gems of the Serra de Sintra region, with a picturesque natural setting, golden sands and unique rock formations.

This beach owes its name, Praia da Ursa (Bear Beach), to the huge, bear-shaped rock that dominates the sand, side by side with another rock formation that received the (also very appropriate) name of Giant.

The setting is so idyllic that it's hard to believe it's real and not a fanciful cinematographic creation.

There are several trails that give access to Praia da Ursa, but the easiest is the one that starts from the road that leads to Cabo da Roca (a few dozen meters before reaching Cabo). Coming and going is just 2.6 km.

The first 900 meters of the trail, until you reach the point where you get the first glimpse of Praia da Ursa, not only do not present great difficulties but will also offer you overwhelming coastal landscapes, where you can stay at this point and take beautiful pictures.

The main difficulty of the Praia da Ursa trail is the last 400 meters. To access the small sandy beach of Praia da Ursa, it is necessary to descend a winding cliff and every care is taken to avoid a fall that spoils the experience. We strongly advise against going downhill on rainy days.

Footpath from Cabo da Roca to Praia da Ursa:
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The southern footpath follows the cliffs passes the Praia de Assentiz beach (800m) and the Praia do Louriçal beach (1km), before the main path heads inland and very small trails continuing along the coastline.

The Cabo da Roca lighthouse was the first purpose-built lighthouse in Portugal and was completed in 1772 but its present form comes from 1842. The lighthouse stands 150m above the ocean and with this height the 1,000 watt light can be seen 46km away.

The incessant winds make it inhospitable to most plants and any one should be short and able to survive in high saline conditions. The dominant plant is the Hottentot fig.

The Cabo da Roca headland is marked by a stone monument. The inscription on the side of the monument is a quote from Portugal’s most famous poet, Luis Camões (1524-1580), who brilliantly described the area as “Where the land ends and the sea begins”.

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