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Cabo da Roca

Cliffs of PortugalExtreme points of PortugalGeography of Lisbon DistrictHeadlands of PortugalPages with Portuguese IPA
Sintra
Cabo da Roca on sunset
Cabo da Roca on sunset

Cabo da Roca (Portuguese: [ˈkaβu ðɐ ˈʁɔkɐ]) or Cape Roca is a cape which forms the westernmost point of the Sintra Mountain Range, of mainland Portugal, of continental Europe, and of the Eurasian landmass. It is situated in the municipality of Sintra, near Azóia, in the south west of the Lisbon District. Notably the point includes a lighthouse that started operation in 1772.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Cabo da Roca (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Cabo da Roca
Estrada do Cabo da Roca,

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Wikipedia: Cabo da RocaContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 38.780833333333 ° E -9.5005555555556 °
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Address

Westernmost continental point of Europe

Estrada do Cabo da Roca
2705-001 (Colares)
Portugal
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Cabo da Roca on sunset
Cabo da Roca on sunset
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Nearby Places

Anta de Adrenunes
Anta de Adrenunes

The Anta de Adrenunes, located on top of a hill at 426 metres above sea level, in the municipality of Sintra, within Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, Lisbon District, Portugal, is believed to be a Stone Age burial chamber or megalithic monument. It is a structure consisting of a cluster of granite stones, between which there is a gallery about 5 metres high that is surmounted by monoliths that rest horizontally on vertical stones. The passage is thought to have served as a collective necropolis or dolmen during the megalithic period although no artifacts or burial chambers have been found to prove this. The site contains a geodesic landmark that has been inserted into one of the upper stones.Initial excavations by Joaquim Possidónio Narciso da Silva (1806-1896) found no evidence of funerary use. However, Da Silva presented the results of his research at one of the sessions of the International Congress of Anthropology and Prehistoric Archeology in 1871, referring to the site as a megalithic funerary monument. Later writers have argued that the site combines natural granite rocks, which are also found elsewhere in the area, with some architectural elements. They point to the layout of the rocks and their orientation to the sunset to argue that this suggests a megalithic structure that was probably of natural origin and was later worked on by humans. More recent excavations of the stones have provided some evidence of the intervention of humans, as granite wedges in the foundations of some of the stones have been identified. The approximately rectangular shape of some of the rocks also provides possible evidence of human intervention, although other writers have argued that the site is no more than a natural collection of rocks. Visiting the site requires a walk of about one kilometre from a tarred road. It receives relatively few visitors, although it is popular at the time of solstices and equinoxes.

Praia do Guincho
Praia do Guincho

Praia do Guincho (English: Guincho Beach) is an Atlantic beach located on Portugal's Estoril coast, 5 km from the town of Cascais, and is located in the municipality of Cascais, more precisely in the parishes of Cascais and Alcabideche, in the District of Lisbon. Guincho is situated close to several small villages, including Areia, Charneca, Figueira do Guincho and Biscaia. The beach, which has a shoreline of approximately 800 metres, has preferred surfing conditions and is popular for surfing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing. Strong northern winds are predominant during summer time (June–August) as well as smaller north-west swells, making this beach ideal for windsurfing and kitesurfing. During winter (especially December), the predominant winds are from the east, and swells increase in size, making it a perfect spot for surfing, with multiple beach-breaks providing powerful lefts and rights. There are also several surfcamps and surfschools in the area that provide accommodation and services including rentals, repairs and surfing classes. However, Guincho is situated on the western edge of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park and this designation has protected the beach from excessive tourism development, as has the fact that the waves and wind mean it is not suitable as a beach for swimming and sunbathing, particularly for people with young children.This beach was featured in the pre-titles sequence of the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, wherein James Bond rescues Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo from a suicide attempt and foils off two attackers in the surf; the beach still looks as it did in 1969. More recently, the beach served as location for the shooting of the film This Side of Resurrection, directed by Joaquim Sapinho.In the '90s, Guincho was one of the locations for the windsurfing world cup. Today, several sporting events are held at Guincho regularly, including the Portuguese National Surfing and BodyBoarding Championships.

Praia das Maçãs Prehistoric Monument
Praia das Maçãs Prehistoric Monument

The Praia das Maçãs Prehistoric Monument, also known as the Tholos of Outeiro das Mós, consists of an artificial Neolithic cave and a Chalcolithic domed or beehive tomb. It is situated close to the Praia das Maçãs beach, near the town of Colares in Sintra municipality, in the Lisbon District of Portugal. The area was discovered in 1927. As an important prehistoric sepulchral site, it was classified as a national monument in 1974. Surrounded by housing, the location has been designated as a special zone of protection, and construction is forbidden. Plans by Sintra and the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage to turn the complex into a museum area, first discussed in 2001, have not yet been implemented. For purposes of protection the site has been covered by sand and there is little presently visible. The artificial cave was probably dug into the rock in the second half of the 4th millennium BC or early in the 3rd. The tholos was added later. The site is seen as a good example of the practice of re-appropriation of symbolic locations, resulting in funeral practices of two different eras coexisting in the same space. After discovery of the site by an agricultural worker in 1927 there were limited excavations by the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology but little work on the necropolis was really carried out until archaeologists Vera Leisner, Georges Zbyszewski and Octávio da Veiga Ferreira excavated it, starting in 1969, after having seen items discovered unofficially by a private collector in the 1930s. Further work by Sintra Council was carried out in 1981. The Neolithic cave has a diameter of around 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and was originally covered with stone supports. The later tholos was composed of a circular chamber with a diameter of approximately 5.5 m (18 ft). Walls were constructed with limestone slabs placed horizontally. A pillar was raised in the centre to support a dome. An access corridor, about 3.5 m (11 ft) long, connected the chamber to a 2-metre-wide atrium. Items found at the site have included geometric microliths, arrowheads, polished axes, and cylindrical idols. These have been preserved at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in Lisbon, and the Regional Museum of Sintra.