Monday 30 September: Praia do Malhau

 We make a picnic and set off on our bikes after breakfast. We’re heading to Praia do Malhao which Google maps says is a 20 minute cycle. Sadly we are very soon on unsurfaced roads which are dusty, sandy and very uneven. Progress is very slow. It’s certainly rural and through the poorer rural parts of the area. An hour later (!) we arrive at the beach hoping it will be worth it. Indeed it is. A large expanse of beach with cliffs, rolling surf and few crowds. We even pitch our new sunshade and get settled in for the day. There is a lifeguard but infact we’re not brave enough to venture in past our knees as the waves are so big and are breaking near the shore. We can cool off though. The hours while away and by 5pm the waves have abated a bit and we can manage a full exhilarating immersion. We cycle back along the main road. More traffic but much better and probably more like 20 minutes. We head into town for supper for our first evening meal out. Many places are closed on Mondays and we’re fancying something plain like chicken and chips. We make do with steak and chips which does the job pretty well and we even find a gelataria for an ice cream afterwards.