Surf in Ericeira

The coast faces west to north-west and picks up almost every Atlantic swell, so there is nearly always somewhere to surf. North of town, Ribeira d'Ilhas is a long right point over reef and cobblestones that works best around mid tide on west to north-west swells; it suits confident intermediates on normal days and hosts the WSL Challenger Series. A little further north, Coxos is a fast, hollow right over rocky shelves, strictly for experienced surfers, with urchins, a tricky entry and a protective local crew.

Pedra Branca, a short and shallow left at the south end of Praia da Empa, is a bodyboard favourite, while Reef, Cave and Crazy Left are also expert reefs. São Lourenço, the northernmost of the reserve's breaks, is a right reef that holds big swells. For learning, go to Foz do Lizandro, a sand-bottomed beach at the river mouth 2.5 km south of the centre; Praia do Sul, the town beach, mixes sand and rock and suits improvers. Offshore winds come from the east. September to November is prime time, winter brings the biggest and cleanest days, and summer is small, busy and best for beginners.

Surf photographers commonly work Ericeira, and the cliff-lined bays make it easy to shoot without getting wet. The beaches face west, so in the morning the sun is behind you and lights up surfers' faces; late afternoon turns the line-up backlit, good for spray and silhouettes at sunset but hard for crisp action. At Ribeira d'Ilhas, shoot from the beach in front of the point or from the car-park level above the sand, with 300–600 mm to fill the frame.

At Coxos, the cliff tops by the car park look down the line and 200–400 mm is usually enough. At Foz do Lizandro you can walk close to the peaks with a 200–500 mm lens, which makes it the easy place to photograph friends in a lesson. Shooting from the water is only for strong, experienced swimmers: the reefs are shallow, the rips get strong and the line-ups are crowded. The classic Ericeira frame is a clean north-west swell peeling along a point with the cliffs behind it.

Ericeira is about 45 km from Lisbon, roughly 40 minutes by car on the A8 and A21 motorways; Carris Metropolitana buses leave from Campo Grande in Lisbon and take about an hour on the faster lines. Ribeira d'Ilhas and Coxos are 3–4 km north of the centre off the coast road, and Foz do Lizandro is 2.5 km south. Car parks fill on summer weekends. The town has surf schools, shops, board rental, plenty of accommodation and a campsite on its northern edge.