Praia do Pinheirinho

Praia do Pinheirinho is what Comporta looked like before the world arrived, and it is the beach on this coast that most rewards a good eye. It sits on the wild strip that runs down toward Melides, reached along a sandy track through the pines, and it opens onto one of the simplest and most beautiful compositions in the Alentejo: tall dunes furred with silver grass, then a long clean line of pale sand, then the open Atlantic and nothing else. There is no promenade, no row of buildings, no clutter in the frame. For anyone who cares how a place is put together, that emptiness is the whole design, and it is rarer than any beach bar.

The pleasure of Pinheirinho is space and light. The beach runs for kilometres, so even on a warm August day you can walk a few minutes and have your own stretch of sand and your own patch of sea. The dunes give it structure and a little shelter, the pinewood scents the air behind you, and the light does the work: soft and pearl grey at dawn, hard and bright at midday, then long and gold in the late afternoon when the whole shore turns warm. It photographs beautifully because there is nothing to tidy out of the shot. Come for the atmosphere of a truly wild beach rather than for a scene.

The honest caveats are all about self reliance, and they matter. There are no facilities here at all, no bar, no loungers, no showers and no lifeguard, so you bring water, food, shade and everything else, and you carry it back out. Access is the filter: the track suits a high clearance or four wheel drive vehicle, satellite navigation is not always to be trusted, and the last stretch may be on foot, so allow time and do not attempt it in a low car after rain. The water is open Atlantic, cool and often lively with surf and current, so it is a shore to respect rather than a sheltered pool, and you should swim within your depth and never alone. Treat the conditions as typical rather than guaranteed.

Come to Praia do Pinheirinho for wild sand, big light and near total solitude, and save the serviced day for its neighbours. For the famous beachfront dining and the wide surf beach go to Praia do Pego, for the long family friendly sweep try Praia do Carvalhal, and for another quiet dune backed strand see Praia da Aberta Nova. For the full picture start at the best beaches in Comporta, for day beds and dining see the Comporta beach clubs directory, and for more empty sand read the most secluded beaches in Comporta.