Luke Gartside

The crunch of the car bottoming out cuts through the still Portuguese dawn. Inside, we all wince. The road ahead is narrow, laced with rocks and flanked by a steep drop on one side. We’ve come too far to turn around now though. Behind us, a maze of dirt tracks in various states of disrepair slither back towards the main road. Ahead, the promise of hollow lefts with no one around. We plough on, following a precarious beeline, carved by an unlikely collaboration of fishermen, mountain bikers, van life hermits and surfers searching for a quiet corner. 

Everyone who lives in this part of the Algarve seems to have the same mixed feelings about these dirt track spot checks. They’re a pain in the arse, but they also keep the crowds at bay and help preserve the place’s quiet whiff of eucalyptus and rural rugged charm. 

Unlike the southern Algarve, with its brash Brits-abroad toy towns, sprawling villa complexes and endless golf courses, up here it’s mostly wilderness. Prior to the 21st century, very few people lived along this coast, thanks to poor soil, a lack of natural harbours, a history of brutal piracy and exposure to the Atlantic weather. In 1995 the Portuguese government seized on this, establishing the snappily named Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina as a means to freeze the landscape in time. 

Nowadays, it’s considered one of the last strongholds of truly wild coast in Europe, home to many exotic flora and fauna including wild cats, fishing eagles and the Eurasian otter. Then, of course, there are the dozens of excellent waves. 

I’d come over for a mid-winter strike mission, staying with British ripper Sam Hearn and his folks, the exceptionally hospitable Adrian and Sue. Sam’s shaper Kourosh and his girlfriend Ellen were also holed up there, following an extended van trip across the continent. In traditional surf family style, it seemed like the Hearns have always got someone crashing at the villa. Twenty year-old Sam, similarly, follows a classic surfer’s path; working all summer to get barrelled all winter.

He grew up in Exeter, accompanying his dad and older brother on weekly surf missions to the Cornish coast. Through his teenage years he dabbled in competition picking up four English Junior Titles and securing one of the best results in British history at the ISA World Junior Champs. Lately though, his focus has switched wholeheartedly to free surfing exploits; experimenting with different craft, stacking clips and getting endlessly tubed. As the trip drew to a close, I sat down with him to chew the fat on these subjects and more...

Continue reading in Carve Magazine Issue 221