Algarve | Seeing Coastal Geography in Action
It’s hard not to overstimate just how stunningly beautiful this stretch of the Algarve coastline really is… from Sagres to Lagos you’re hit by one highlight after another…. ochre cliffs that hold grottos/secluded caves only accessible by boat or glorius wide expanses of sand that seem to stretch beyond the horizon they are that long!
This region to the south of Alentejo (an area famed for its wonderful cuisine) is a well kept secret as most people flock to the warmer waters near the packed tourist resort of the South of the Algarve… but Portugal‘s magic is never more abundant than in places like Ponta de Piedade… where better for a family road schooling there way across Europe to find opportuntiies to see subjects like Geography in Action!!! Coastal processes caused by erosion and deposition were everywhere as the children leapt into action with their new found friends, the Banks children!
This part of the coastline features heavily in our ‘Western Algarve’ Beaches guide and it’s surely easy to see why…. A group of rocks named (Piety’s Point) it has the most amazing walkways/ladders/cliff-side steps that traverse the viewpoint taking you down to the waters edge and allow you to climb to the top of the various’stacks’ for a better view!! (if only we’d had our climbing gear like at Eidfjord in Norway)
In fact the Huffington Post (no less) opted to write an article… an amazing series of rocks/caves and beaches that make it the best shoreline on Earth – high praise indeed!!! For us, it was a brilliant chance to let the kids run wild and explore the outdoors… something that seems sadly lacking at home and was a key reason behind our decision to ‘road school’ across Europe!! We wanted them to be out exploring and discovering for themselves rather than spending time behind a screen or staring at yet another PowerPoint!! As teachers we realise the constraints of the classroom so simply opted to chose another path… for right or for wrong, we hope it is exactly this type of opportunity that broadens our girls’s horizons and makes them enjoy discovering new experiences.
Roadschooling done, time for Body-boarding
With all of the kids fully up to date with the nature of coastal erosion process, the transformation from caves to stacks or stumps… and with a little bit of geology thrown in… we decided they’d had enough and opted for an afternoon on the beach at Dona Ana… this amazing beach, perhaps one of the Algarve’s finest... is only stone’s throw away and with the Adria motorhomes parked nearby… we unloaded snorkeling gear, body boarding gear and even a couple of air sofas (check out our Coulon Post for more info)… an afternoon of family fun followed before heading back for a well earned BBQ under the stars!!!
All on the 1st December after the girls started the day unwarapping their first Advent calendar!!!! Madness!!!
Piety’s Point
so where did we park the bus for the night?
Our Newsletter
