Sesimbra is a fishing town that has become a beach resort without quite forgetting what it was. In the morning the boats come in and the catch is sold at the harbour, and by lunchtime the grill smoke is already rising from the waterfront restaurants. The black scabbardfish, the espada, and fresh sardines in season are the local specialties, along with swordfish. Above the town stand the walls of a Moorish castle, with a view down over rooftops to the bay, and a smaller sea fort guards the waterfront.
The town sits on the southern side of the Serra da Arrábida, within the natural park, and protected from the cold north winds by the ridge. That gives it a mild microclimate, and the sea is often calmer here than on the open Atlantic coast. West of town the land narrows to the cape known as Cabo Espichel, a windswept plateau ending in tall cliffs, with a large and slightly eerie eighteenth-century sanctuary and the long arcades where pilgrims once stayed. On the cliffs nearby you can find fossil footprints left by dinosaurs about a hundred and fifty million years ago.
The riding is a pleasure. The road from Setúbal crosses the Arrábida with climbs, hairpins and views, then drops to the sea, and the road onward from Sesimbra to the cape runs through open farmland and scrub with a wide sky. It is rarely fast, because of traffic in season, but it is varied and scenic. Summer weekends can be very busy, and the wind at Cabo Espichel can be fierce, so a windproof jacket is wise even on sunny days. Late spring and early autumn are the best times, with warm sea and fewer people.
Sesimbra has a population in the tens of thousands, so there is fuel, there are supermarkets, and the waterfront is lined with cafes and restaurants. The area has plenty of parking along the front, though it fills up on warm weekends. Pick a table with a view of the boats, order grilled fish and a glass of cold white, and let the sea breeze do its work. If you want a quiet moment afterward, head west toward the cape for the sunset.