Sagres & Cap St Vincent
A trip to Sagres and Cap St Vincent takes a full day but is very interesting
Sagres
is about 100km from Loulé. The quickest way to get there is to
take the IP1 as far west as it goes and then carry on to Sagres along
the N125. At Sagres there are the ruins of Prince Henry the Navigator's
15th Century school set on dramatic clifftops and the giant pebble wind
compass, Rosa dos Ventos (pictured here). The present walls surrounding
the area are the remains of a 18th Century fort. There are great walks
on the high cliffs, good for wild flowers and birdwatching and in the
summer Sagres is very popular with surfers. There are plenty of small
restaurants and bars around or a picnic on the clifftops can be pleasant.
At
Cap St Vincent there is a huge lighthouse on what is the most southwesterly
point of the European mainland which is particularly wild and barren.
On the road between Cap St Vincent and Sagres there is an old fort which
has been converted into a bar/restaurant with two bedrooms, Forteleza
do Beliche, which is charming and has a tiny chapel in a grotto in the
grounds with wonderful views.