We spent last weekend with my brother-and-sister-in-law in a tiny fishing village that goes by the name of Ericeira. My husband Che’s parents bought a house in Ericeira which has been handed down to him and his siblings.
Ericeira is located 50km to the northeast of Lisbon and 25kms from Sintra. It’s also north of Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of Portugal (and by definition Europe and the Eurasian landmass). By the way, according to Wikipedia, Ericeira has 6,597 inhabitants (2001) but in summer it more than doubles.
The Atlantic Ocean influences much of the weather all year round with clouds of moisture rolling up the mouth of the Lisandro River. My brother-in-law regularly complains of dampness, the type that keeps things moist and causes mildew to cling to the walls.
The town is picturesque with traditional narrow cobbled streets. Visitors are spoilt for choice with the many restaurants and coffee shops serving freshly caught fish and sea food which is also sold at the market in town.
In the summer the nightlife is vibrant. With loads of holiday rentals and hotels this is a nice base from which to explore the region. Information can be obtained at the tourist information centre close to the village square.
This being the European summer season Ericeira was pumping with music, festivals, markets and 1000’s of tourists, both local and foreign. At this time of year the country is very lively – the Portuguese are known for putting on good festivals and throwing good parties.
Lisandro Beach has a beautiful promenade with restaurants and coffee shops, surf schools and rentals for different water sports. I saw at least two surfing schools. Surfing is important to the local culture. Coxos Break Point is one of the best professional surfing beaches in Europe. In 2011 Ericeira was chosen to be one of the four World Surfing Reserves along with Malibu and Santa Cruz in California, and Manly Beach in Australia (Wikipedia).
Getting around is easy – walking! Everything is pretty much within walking distance although there are small tourist busses, taxis and other transport companies that are very active during the European summer.
Che’s family home is close to the Atlantic, thankfully away from the busyness of the village centre, on the southern edge of the village by Lisandro Beach.
The rains of the winter eroded much of the beaches in Ericeira (as they did much of the Portuguese coastline) so the sand-line is narrower than before, although still wide by many standards.
Click on the gallery below to see photos of Ericeira.
Wikipedia helped with the facts, numbers and such things, in this post. Just Google or Wikipedia "Ericeira".
