ThePADDLER 28
My SUP adventure started
in Praia de Faro . Thanks to the Park 4 night app , I found a small beach there with free overnight parking , beach bars , restaurants , toilets and outside showers , so it was perfect . I bedded for the night , and in the morning , I awoke to the most beautiful and fabulous sunrise - with the airport in the distance and aircraft coming into land , it was spectacular .
PRAIA DE FARO
This sunrise paddle is beautiful and very emotional ; you will experience paddling past small fishing boats along an inlet from the sea with lots of fish and wildlife around you . If you paddle towards the right of the beach , there is a small remote island about 3k from where you started which is fantastic and a very special paddling experience .
Heading back on the road again , I headed for Lagoa to look for a campsite for a few days where I could relax and catch up on my washing – yes , even in paradise , this has to be done ! I also needed local knowledge of the area and the best places to paddle .
I found a campsite again using the park 4 night app and found a site with everything I needed , including a fresh , natural water swimming pool with crays and small fish , which was another experience I hadn ’ t tried . While there , my friend Marco back home , who lives and works in the UK , saw the photos I posted on my Instagram feed @ supdude . stu and contacted me .
Marco was born in Portugal in a place called Burgau and had extensive knowledge of the Algarve and surrounding area – it was his playground whilst growing up as a young boy , and he has been paddling there for many years since .
He said , “ Hey , Stu , you ’ re in Portugal ; that ’ s fantastic ; give me a few hours , and I ’ ll send you some information on the best places to paddle .” This was just what I needed , and I was so happy that Marco had contacted me . I ’ ve used some of the paddling locations and descriptions in this article Marco had written and sent to me .
After a few days exploring the area with Ella , I headed to Praia da Marinha ; you need to get there early as the car park fills up quickly , with the local police closing the road off .