Paul do Mar

In the south-west of the island, a parish of the municipality of Calheta shaped by the sea: a "paul", a valley sheltered by imposing rocks on one side and washed by the ocean on the other. An important fishing centre — the fish makes the restaurants' reputation — the village had a tuna-export cannery from 1912, whose chimney still stands. As at Jardim do Mar, the waves draw surfers; the Porto and Ribeira das Galinhas beaches line the seafront and its bars. You get down by road or by the Caminho Real do Paul do Mar (PR 19) from Prazeres, 534 m of paved steps. Limpet festival in July.