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Naturist
news from the Alentejo, Portugal, August 2010.
Beach trip.
With
temperatures routinely
reaching 35 - 40° C in the shade most days since mid June, we took
the opportunity to go in search of some cool sea breezes in a break
between bookings. With a few days at our disposal we decided take our
motorhome and check out some naturist beaches a bit further afield but
still within a reasonable driving distance of Naturest.
First stop, ( 3 hours comfortable driving) was Cuesta Maneli on the
Playa da Castilla in the Doñana Natural Park on the Costa de la
Luz in Spain. There is a good sized parking area (€2 per day) from
where a boardwalk takes you the 1200 metres over the dunes to the
beach. There are a number of nature information panels along the
walk, it was fascinating to discover that Iberian Lynx still roam
free in this region. Along the way, painted markings on the boardwalk
indicated that nudists should turn left and textiles turn right at the
beach. The boardwalk divided at the top of the beach with two stairways
(One for nudists, one for textiles?) bringing you down on either side
of a beach bar, which served refreshments at good prices - no rip-off
tourist prices here. It was great to be able to relax naked on a beach
such a short distance from such facilities.
"Cuesta
Maneli, Playa de Castillo, Costa de la Luz, Spain."
Access to some other "naturist" beaches
between Huelva and the Spain-Portugal border was not easy in a
motorhome, as this section of coast has been heavily developed in
recent years and is now quite often referred to as the Spanish Algarve.
We wonder if the beaches mentioned on the FEN (Federación
Española de Naturismo) website are still available for naturists.
Access to Praia do Barril, an official naturist beach in the eastern
Algarve on the Isla de Tavira, involves a ferry and a train ride.
Parking for a motorhome in August was non existent. So we headed for
the far end of the Algarve to find Praia do Barranco ( about 2
hours drive from Naturest), which is in the process of being legalized,
a few
kilometres northwest of Sagres point. The beach is at the end of a 5 km
dirt road. Here we certainly found the sea breeze we were looking for,
of sorts! A strong wind, (very strong at times) was blowing down the
valley on all three days of our visit. The beach was in an super
location although its naturist designation was not sign posted.
There were a few naturists on the beach but the area of the beach not
covered at high tide was filled with textiles. Early in the day it was
possible to step out of the motorhome and walk naked from the car park
to the beach, although we are sure it would have been no problem at any
other time, but we do not like to impose our lifestyle on others.
"Praia do Barranco, Vila do Bispo,
Algarve - deserted at 9 am in mid-August."
Tanned.
It is not only sun loving
naturists that turn a nice golden brown in the summer at Naturest. Here
and elsewhere in southern Portugal from June to August the cork is
stripped from the "sobreiros" (cork oak trees) every 8 - 9 years,
leaving
their trunks in various shades of tan.
"Cork harvesting at Naturest."
Healthy
eating!
All
meals at
Naturest are
like a plain salad, served without dressing.
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2010 - 2011 Ray & Marnie Gloster