Salema and more Lagos

Regional and Municipal markets are popular throughout Europe - and here in the Algarve area, is no exception. Lagos has a year-round Saturday market that takes place in a covered shed-like building next to the bus-station. Local farmers sell everything from strings of hot chillis and home-made jams to fresh produce, flowers and live chickens. It’s a good place to see some of the older, more traditional members of the surrounding communities - the serious, but charming old men are usually dressed in vests and caps, while the ladies in their aprons are willing to chat and, maybe if you’re lucky, let you sample their wares. The market runs from early morning to around 2pm.....but once the “for-sale” items are gone......they’re gone....so don’t be too late!
The Mercado Municipal is also easy to find - it’s in a large building on the main road, the Avenida dos Descobrimentos - opposite the Marina. The ground floor has 33 fish vendors and 4 butchers. There’s a huge variety of freshly-caught fish, but word is that for the best choice, go at 7am - although we cannot confirm this! The next floor up has a smaller group of stalls, selling fruit, vegetables, nuts, olives and oils, etc. The top floor has a restaurant with a lovely harbour view. The market is open Mon-Sat from 7am - 2pm, with no fish sold on Mondays.
For those whose interest is in spending some time on a beach, the area around Lagos is famous for them.....all along this Atlantic coast are long stretches of sand, plus many small, sheltered coves that are backed by steep, rugged cliff formations. From where we’re located we can easily reach one of the long beaches, Meia Praia. A 15 minute walk takes us along a quiet road, past some low-rise buildings, including a few hotels, before crossing over a railway track - where there’s a warning sign saying “Do Not Ruin Your Holiday” .....a sure reminder to look and cross carefully! It’s then only a short path over some low lying sand-dunes to reach this 4km long stretch of golden-coloured sand, where - due to its size - the atmosphere is low-key, with plenty of space, even in high-season. We decided that before we found the perfect spot to spend our “lazy beach-days” we’d check out the territory - discovering that from where we entered the beach we could walk all the way to the town harbour - which we did! It’s a great beach walk....and there’s a few bars and restaurants along the way, giving a place to rest and refresh if needed. Once the harbour-wall is reached, there’s a choice of either a road around to the marina, or a water taxi over into the old town......or turn around.....from here there’s chance of a 4km walk to the mouth of the Odiáxere River to reach the Eastern end of the beach - which we decided not to do......we had plans for a much longer hike in the near future!
There are many ways to reach and see the amazing natural wonder of Ponta da Piedade - from a bone-rattling tourist trolley to a boat or kayak trip, there’s lots on offer - it’s even a stop on a local bus route....but for our first (but certainly not our last) journey there, we went on foot. This “treasure of the Algarve” has often been featured in travel articles - the beach there has even been described as “the most beautiful beach in the world” by some of them. Our walk took us along the river and past the harbour before we started to climb upwards towards this headland, south of Lagos. After winding our way through some guest-houses, hotels and campgrounds (plus one empty and sad-looking shell of a failed luxury hotel complex), we turned away from the lure of a couple of gorgeous-looking beaches - which we decided we would return to - and entered an area of scrubby fields. At this point we were happy that we’d chosen to go on foot - a long line of cars were lined up in both directions on the road that we were now on. Caused by a van that was stuck in the dusty scrubland that borders this narrow road - we had plenty of room to squeeze by, but the cars did not......kudos to all the drivers and passengers who either helped out or waited patiently in the sweltering sun!
Once reached, it’s difficult not to be awed by all the beauty that nature has created here. We stood atop the high red and yellow limestone cliffs, spending quite some time just gazing across the calm blue-green waters at these rugged formations. ***a note for anyone who dislikes heights - there are many paths along these cliffs, but few with any kind of guard or barrier. Drop-offs are steep, so care is needed when walking along the edges - which can be difficult to remember when entranced by the scenery - or when taking photos! *** After a long time wandering the cliff-tops we headed down to the caves and beaches below.
Long ago the local fishermen gave names to these towering cliffs, caves, beaches and bays - Chaminé (Chimney), Submarino, and Gruta dos Amores (Cave of Love) - are just a few of them that present day fishermen are more than willing to show visiting tourists aboard their small, brightly coloured boats. We descended a long narrow stairway where these boats can be hired for a journey through the giant, towering sculptures.
Depending on tides there’s a beach at Ponta da Piedade, where many people take the opportunity for a swim in the crystal-clear waters. Kayaking through and around the area is also popular. Leaving that for perhaps another time, we walked back up the steps - with frequent pauses to admire this idyllic place. For anyone needing rest or refreshment, there’s a restaurant, a souvenir shop and toilets at the top of the steps. Close by is the lighthouse - completed in 1913, it’s not open to the public - but is an impressive sight, standing 164 feet above the sea.
Deciding that we still hadn’t seen enough of this spectacular scenery, we continued past the lighthouse along a wooden boardwalk, that is quite new. This walk took us along the edge of the cliffs in a westerly direction, giving views of the other side of Ponta da Piedade and more cliff formations - plus picture-perfect coves and beaches far below. It’s also a great spot for bird-watchers who may be able to see some of the Peregrine-Falcons and other birds that inhabit this breathtaking coastal area. After walking as far as the boardwalk would take us, we turned around and found a cross-country path through some towering bamboo and ruined buildings back to the small, dusty access road. Although our walk turned out to be a lot longer than planned, we had no regrets....this “hidden treasure of the Algarve” did not disappoint!
For our first out of town trip we travelled 18km to the village of Salema on a local bus - which takes about 45 minutes, due to it servicing a few other small villages along the way. ***Note for anyone taking this route - the bus which (sometimes) continues on to Sagres, has 3 potential stops marked on the timetable as Salema (X), Salema and Salema (X)....Salema (X) is actually the roundabout on the main road where the turn off is for the village. The walk down (or back up) is only about 1.5 km, but the road is narrow, winding and steep - with no sidewalk or space of any kind for pedestrians.....so it’s best to check the timetable carefully - not all the buses go in or out of the actual village! ***
With a bit of advanced planning, we took an early bus - which went into the village - arriving in time for us to see the fishermen - who were bringing in their catch - having their boats dragged up onto the beach by a small tractor. We were lucky enough to watch this traditional scene, as one fisherman tossed his pots overboard onto the sand, before carrying them up to a covered area, which used to be the marketplace. Although this market is not used today, it’s still where the octopus are “coaxed” out of the pots and weighed before being transported elsewhere for sale.
Salema is a tiny, perfect place - a fishing village which still retains its traditional character - touched by tourism - but not spoiled. The small whitewashed houses here have bright blue trim - to ward off evil spirits - and the characteristic latticed chimney pots of the Algarve. The road into the village is lined with these houses...and...it leads to the beach which, given the size of Salema is large. Each end of the beach has cliffs of red and yellow limestone, typical of the area, and the water here is calm and clear.
With just 3 or 4 streets in the village, there’s only a few cafés and restaurants - a couple of which are across from - and steps to - the beach.......we breakfasted at Boia Bar, which is one of them. Indoors there’s a good sized dining-room on one side and a more casual café section on the other - both overlook the sand & sea. We sat outside at one of a few allotted tables...just a few feet from both sunbathers and fishermen who were mending their nets and painting their boats. In addition to the exceptionally good scrambled egg and bacon baguette, the coffee here is also excellent - go hungry, portions are large! The staff are friendly and seem to know the “regulars’ - joking around with them and knowing their preferences.
Difficult as it was to leave this lovely spot, we gave it up and walked through one of the back streets that runs uphill from the beach. After passing a few bars that were closed at this time of day, we passed one of the 2 small grocery stores in the village....and then it’s just small houses, many of which are used for holiday guests. Just a little higher up there are some lovely views over the area, in addition to the remains of a few dilapidated old buildings. We circled back down through a series of steps and small laneways, finding that although the beach now had more people on it - it was still pretty quiet.
We had a final walk along the seafront of the village before consulting our timetable and heading back to where the bus drops off and picks up.....it was of, course, late - but did eventually show up and make it’s way back through the neighbouring villages towards Lagos. Unfortunately when we were about 7km away from “home” the bus broke down! The driver made a few attempts to restart it, but then gave up, made a quick phone call, but told the dozen or so of us passengers nothing. After about 15 minutes of us all sitting quietly, one young man got up from the rear of the bus and asked very politely what was happening....the bus driver would not answer him - but to be fair the man was speaking English, not Portuguese! After about another 15 minutes a middle-aged German woman, who told us she was concerned about a connection she needed to make, also summoned up the courage to approach the driver. She also asked him in English what was happening and to please call her a taxi - he did respond to her (in English), saying that although he didn’t know the number of any taxi, help was coming.....at this point he seemed to forget any knowledge of English - and again, stopped talking.
Although by this time a majority of the passengers, who were tourists, could still see the amusing side of this situation, the temperature inside the bus was getting hotter - one guy got off for a smoke and a young “surfer/backpacking couple” got off, walked a few metres away from the bus, and stuck out their thumbs! After almost an hour, the bus driver was finally “bullied” into telling us that help was coming “in a few minutes.” This information/miracle was made possible by an elderly Portuguese woman who had been sitting just behind the driver - silent all this time - who then decided to “tell him off!” With very little knowledge of Portuguese, most of us didn’t know the words - but her message was loud and clear!
The journey ended happily when another bus arrived to rescue us........it delivered everyone safely back, in air-conditioned comfort, to Lagos. The German lady made her connection - we last saw her running towards her other bus....and the backpacking couple never did get that lift - they had given up trying and after a while, looking disappointed and mildly annoyed, they’d returned to join the rest of us in our wait!