Sagres Market

Ponta da Atalaia Fisherman's Cliffs

The clifftop headland on the edge of Sagres town where local anglers cast into the Atlantic and the crowds never quite arrive. Between Praia da Mareta and the fishing harbour, Ponta da Atalaia is where Sagres actually meets the sea: bare limestone shelves, low salt-pruned scrub and men with enormous rods standing improbable watch above the swell. The views run west to the fortress promontory and on towards Cabo de São Vicente, and in October the headland is a front row seat for migrating seabirds. Sunset here is calmer and less staged than at the cape itself. Walk out from the harbour road or from Mareta in about ten minutes; stay well back from the undercut edges, as the wind gusts hard and the cliffs are unfenced.