Peniche is just the “Surf & Camper” hometown of Portugal. It feels a little bit like coming to Bangkok, after being for weeks on a little, lonely island. Somehow it feels good and at the same moment, you wish the get the loneliness back 🙂
We booked 2 nights at the Surfers Lodge Peniche including some lessons. It was nice to have for 2 nights a big room, a hot shower and biggg breakfast. As well the surf guides were great. Nevertheless, the Lodge is a bit overpriced from my perspective, even in Off-Season.
Peniche is a good spot for surfing for sure! And you can go out every night. The water usually is pretty crowded with a lot of beginners and the weather is often foggy. But! The conditions are much more predictable than at several other spots in Portugal.
I enjoyed the short while we stayed, but was very happy when we were back on the road, to find less crowded places!
Looking for less crowded places? Even in Ericeira, another famous area for surfing, there are so many spots, that it will never be as packed in the water as in Peniche. And the landscape changes! Scenic cliffs, hidden bays and a lot of areas close to the beaches where you can park overnight. You will meet a lot of like-minded people, and as long as everyone takes care of the nature and his/her trash, the police might continue to overlook the many wild camping cars…
Klaus the camper van 