Ericeira is an old Portuguese fishing village situated on the Atlantic coast north of Lisbon, which has kept its traditions despite the influx of summer visitors.
The unspoilt old town, a maze of whitewashed houses and narrow cobbled streets, is perched high above the ocean.
The smell of the ocean fills the air. The village has clean sandy beaches, rugged cliffs, amazing surf and fresh seafood. There is lots of sunshine and daylight hours.
The history of Ericeira dates back to around 1,000 BC. It has always been famous for bathing due to the high iodine concentration in the water. It has its own microclimate and is five degrees cooler than Lisbon, due to the cooling northwesterly breeze off the Atlantic.
Everything is pretty close by, making it easy to walk and enjoy the views. Sunsets are spectacular at around 9pm.
From the top of the 30 metre high stone-faced cliff, there is is a bird’s eye view over the busy fishing harbour below, where tractors have replaced the oxen that once hauled the fishing boats out of the water.
Around the harbour, fishermen clean their catch and mend their nests.
The fish market has an amazing selection of fresh fish for sale.
You can’t beat fresh sardines, salad and boiled potatoes washed down with a glass of local wine at a pavement cafe.
* STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS by Jean Hudson @jeansodyssey. Jean is a regular feature writer and photographer here on the Shipping News and our Shipping Correspondent. Discover more of her informative Places I Love stories as well as her other stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.
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