Praia do Barril

• In the town ofSanta LuziaSanta Luzia sits on the Ria Formosa a few minutes west of Tavira, and it is Portugal's octopus capital: the village fleet fishes with pots, the quays are stacked with them, and the restaurants along the ria-front turn the catch into everything from grilled tentacle to octopus rice. The tradition goes back generations, to when the pots were terracotta alcatruzes, and it still sets the village's rhythm: boats out early, catch landed, lunch service busy by one. The village itself is a single line of white and pastel houses facing the lagoon, with palm trees along the front and tide flats where the boats settle at low water. The barrier island opposite carries two beaches: Praia do Barril, reached from neighbouring Pedras d'el Rei by footbridge and a miniature train across the marsh, with its anchor cemetery, ranks of great rusted anchors from the old tuna fleet half-buried in the dunes; and Praia da Terra Estreita, reached by small boat from the village quay in season. Tavira's churches and old town are ten minutes away. Santa Luzia suits food-first travellers: come hungry, eat octopus metres from where it was landed, and walk it off on the island sand.

Praia do Barril, on Ilha de Tavira, is reached by footbridge and miniature train from Pedras d'el Rei, and known for its cemetery of anchors. Hundreds of rusted anchors lie ranked in the dunes, a memorial to the tuna fishery that worked from here until it collapsed in the 1960s, and the old fishermen's buildings still stand behind the beach. From Pedras d'el Rei, near Santa Luzia, you cross the footbridge over the lagoon and either ride the little train or walk the kilometre of track across the marsh. The sand beyond is long, white and open. It suits families, and anyone who likes a beach with a story built in.