Sagres is where Portugal runs out of land. The village sits on a bare, wind-scoured promontory at the south-western tip of Europe, and a few kilometres away the lighthouse at Cabo de São Vicente stands on cliffs about seventy-five metres above the Atlantic. The ancient world believed this was the end of the earth, and the Romans called the cape the Sacred Promontory. The sea here is deep blue and often rough, and the light has a clarity that comes only with a long fetch of open ocean.
History hangs over the headland. Prince Henry the Navigator is said to have gathered mapmakers, astronomers and sailors at Sagres in the fifteenth century, though historians argue about how much of the legend is true, and the fortress that stands on the cliff, a plain, square fort with a huge stone compass rose on the ground, makes a fine place to ponder the age of exploration. Portuguese ships sailed from nearby ports, around the African coast and on to India. Later, in 1587, Francis Drake sacked the fortress, and much of the building was damaged by the earthquake of 1755.
The surrounding landscape is the Vicentine Coast Natural Park, one of the best preserved stretches of coast in Europe, a long line of cliffs, hidden beaches and low scrub, with storks nesting on the rocks. Surfers are drawn to the beaches, and fishing for sea bass and bream from the cliffs is a local pastime. At the cape, a stall sells sausages and coffee, in a spot often advertised as the last sausage before America.
For riders, the roads here are not demanding, but they are open and windy. The road from Lagos, about twenty-six kilometres away, passes through Vila do Bispo with long, gentle bends and wide views, and the Atlantic wind can be very strong, so hold the bars firmly. Summer traffic builds, and the narrow road to the cape can be congested. Watch for sand on the surface and for fog, which sometimes comes in from the sea.
Fuel in Sagres is limited, so fill up in Lagos or Vila do Bispo. Sagres has several cafes and fish restaurants, and the sunsets from the cape are famous.
Be there for the sunset, and stay for the stars.