Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Columbus washed ashore here after being shipwrecked by pirates. He went on to study
and sail with the Portuguese (and marry a Portuguese woman) before beginning his Amer-
ican voyage. When Portugal denied Columbus' request to sail west, Spain accepted. The
rest is history.
Beyond the buildings, the granite
point
itself is windswept, eroded, and largely barren,
except for hardy, coarse vegetation admired by botanists. Walk on level paths around the
edge of the bluff (a 40-minute round-trip walk), where locals cast lines and tourists squint
into the wind. You'll get great seascape views of Cape St. Vincent, with its modern light-
house on the site of an old convent. At the far end of the Sagres bluff are a naval radio
station, a natural cave, and a promontory called “Prince Henry's Chair.”
Sit on the point and gaze across the “Sea of Darkness,” where monsters roam. Long
before Henry's time, Romans considered it the edge of the world, dubbing it Promontori-
um Sacrum—Sacred (“Sagres”) Promontory. Pilgrims who came to visit this awe-indu-
cing place were prohibited from spending the night here—it was for the gods alone.
In Portugal's seafaring lore, capes, promontories, and land's ends are metaphors for
the edge of the old, and the start of the unknown voyage. Sagres is the greatest of these.
Beaches
Many beaches are tucked away on the drive between Salema and Cape Sagres. Most of
them require a short walk after you stop along N-125. In some cases, you leave your car
on access roads or cross private property to reach the beaches—be considerate. In Sale-
ma, ask at Pensión Maré or Salema Property and Services for directions to beaches before
you head to Sagres. Furnas beach is fully accessible by car. You can access Ingrina and
Zavial beaches by turning south in the village of Raposeira. Many beaches have bars (the
one at Ingrina beach is famous for its spicy garlic prawns—
camarão piri-piri
).
