Things to do when you don´t feel like surfing
You may not believe my words, but the majority of tourists in Peniche doens´t surf. Peniche has been know as a tourist destination for decades even thou you may just know it as Europe´s surfing Mekka.
Most of our guests don´t have a lot of energy left for other things after surfing. And if so the want to spare the power for tomorrow´s surf. But maybe your travel partner, girl friend, or mum isn´t too keen on surfing, but you don´t want them to get bored. No worries. There are many things to do in Peniche.
Skateboarding
Skateboarding in and around Peniche
Peniche
There is an old concrete park next to the city walls of Peniche. Unfortunately it’s a bit small and there are heaps of kids every afternoon.
Caldas da Rainha
The skate park in Caldas is way better. Concrete as well but pretty well taken care of. There are busses to Caldas da Rainha all day. Check for times at Rede-Expressos. The bus takes about 30 minutes and stops in Obidos.
Lourinhã
If you came on the bus from Lisbon you probably saw the skatepark in Lourinhã, the last stop before Peniche. It even has light at night and is not for pros only. Also good for cruising with the longboard.
Ericeira
On the Quiksilver Flugstore area there is a brand new fenced park. You might even catch some of the Portuguese pro surfers there working on their airs.
Skateparks in Lisbon
Parque das Gerações
To get to Oeiras catch a train from Cais de Sodré, or better get a car. It’s the best park in Portugal with a giant pool and a snake run to cruise. Better come early morning. Gets pretty crowded and hot in the afternoon.
Expo Skatepark
For the former world exposition right next to Oriente Station in Parque das Nações a nice little outdoor park was built. Not as good as Oeiras, but less crowded.
Longboarding
Longboard Skateboarding in and around Peniche
Skateboarding and Surfing go together like ham and eggs or whatever the saying is. It is the perfect counter sport to wave riding. Perfect workout for your legs and balance.
The skateboard is also a perfect way of transportation.
There’s a bike lane with smooth concrete between Peniche and Baleal. Even more fun is the road between Ferrel and Baleal, a bit declined and even for non pros. Just be careful with the cars.
The best roads are behind the golf resort. Almost no traffic and pretty steep. Only go if you know what you are doing.
We even have some free longboards to use for our guests. Better ask before you leave yours at home. The bearings tend to break quite often with sand and salt.
Biking
Bicycle riding around Peniche
You don´t see as many bikes in daily traffic as in other European cities, but for leisure the Portuguese love to ride bikes.
In the weekends the roads are full of race bikes and the downhill scene is steadily growing. There are not many official trails, but around Lisbon you can find some secret man made ones. If you know who to ask.
There are no big mountains around Peniche, but the cliffs along the north coast has a beautiful cross country trail. Starting in Baleal, via Almagreira and the golf resort in Praia d’el Rey you can make your way all the way up to the lagoon of Obidos. You can see Rico and Sebbo there every week. You don’t need a full suspension bike for the trip, a solid hard tail should do the job. Enjoy the view.
With a street bike, or even with the beach cruiser you can explore the area behind Baleal.
At our apartments and at the hostel there are some free to use bikes for our guests.
Hiking
Hiking and beach walks
Portugal doesn’t have mountains like Switzerland, but there are many squaremiles of completely untouched nature you can only explore by foot.
The most know trail, of course, is the Jacobs Trail in the north. The Atlantic Trail (Caminho do Altântico) leads from Saint Petersburg all the way along the coast to Cabo de São Vicente in the Algarve, Tejo Trail (Caminho do Tejo) from Lisbon to the Black Sea.
The bay between Peniche and Baleal offers a relaxed one hour beach walk at low tide. At high tide the sand close to the dunes is a bit soft and makes walking more difficult.
Starting in Baleal, via Almagreira and the golf resort in Praia d’el Rey you can you can discover the north coast all the way up to the lagoon of Obidos. At low tide on the beach, at high tide up on the cliffs. There are ways up to the cliff every other minute.
SUP
Stand Up Paddle Boarding
We are a surf school and not a SUP school. But still we make use of those summer days with tiny waves to paddle the round around the island. Right now we only have one paddle board. You are more then welcome to borrow it at the base. Hopefully this summer we will get some new boards. At the big parking in Baleal you can always rent SUPs. It is pretty pricy (15€+ per hour), but it will save you some power in your arms. Those boats are pretty heavy to carry.