Central Portugal

The small town of Penela is located just to the south of Coimbra. For a small town it is full of historic monuments including the medieval castle and the churches of São Miguel and Santa Eufémia, all of which you can see in this photo.

Located just out of easy range of Lisbon, Santa Cruz beach is still a popular spot but less cosmopolitan than the beaches in the Sintra area. The beach itself is a huge stretch of beautiful sand backing on to the village of Santa Cruz at the southern end. At one end of the beach is a huge triangular shaped rock with an arch running under it.
There are plenty of facilities and the Santa Cruz has frequently received the prized Blue Flag award.

The Basilica in Fátima forms the centre piece of the Fátima Sanctuary complex. The shrine is set in what was initially a small village no one had really heard of. The one day three shepherd children claimed to have had visions of "Our Lady" and things took off from there. Declared a miracle the site became a major pilgrimage centre in the catholic world, with the most dedicated making the journey here on their knees - including the stone steps of the basilica.

The exquisitely ornate Baroque Joanina Library is part of the University of Coimbra - the oldest and most reputable in Portugal. It contains some 250 thousand volumes some of which are first editions of Portugal's literary masterpieces.

View of the old quarter in the small town of Pinhel. The town is set in fairly remote mountainous terrain at the head of the Coa Valley. The castle here was once strategically important.

Soure Castle is was built in the 12th century as part of a network of castles to protect Coimbra from the Moors. It has been listed as a National monument since 1949.

The walls of Castle Penela Castle, built to defend Coimbra from the Moors. The existing structure dates back to the mid 12th century and is built into the very granite of the hillside overlooking the village.

The 12th century castle at Leiria is perched overlooking the town. The current castle was built to defend against reconquest by the Moors, but the site is thought to date back to at least Roman times.
Within the walls of the castle is a 15th century palace.

Looking back from Baleal Island across the beach and towards the mainland. The island isn't quite an island as it is connected by the very popular Baleal beach. This is a bit of a surfing mecca with consistent waves whatever the conditions.

Looking out towards the island of Baleal across the beach of the same name. Situated at the far end of the bay from Peniche, Baleal is one of Portugal's best known surfing locations. It's also a great family beach in the summer months.