Martinhal

This long sandy beach is speedsailing and freestyle nirvana. The Nortada blows strongest and most reliably in this part of the Algarve – it’s bolt offshore here, flattening every ripple. The wind is therefore a little gusty inshore, but you can stand up quite a way out on lower tides. Gets busy on the beach and in the water in high summer – although when it's windy the swimmers and sunbathers get sandblasted away! Winter’s a completely different story: north-east to south-easterly Levante means chaotic waves and strong currents – it stays sailable for a couple of days before the seas get too rough.