In 2009, I visited Praia do Canal in Aljezur (Portugal). The site continued to be very difficult to access; only a jeep-type car could get close; the distance was considerable along the nearby beach, some kilometres. Perhaps because of this remote access, Praia do Canal, despite being in the Algarve, the most touristic region in Portugal, continued to be a deserted place, unspoiled by human presence.

Being there in summer for many hours without seeing anyone was possible. I have known Praia do Canal since the 1970s, and I've always found the place enchanting and magical. It is one of the few beaches in mainland Portugal, practically without sand and full of pebbles, where you have to walk with shoes on and not barefoot. The pebbles, very rounded due to millions of years of marine erosion, are of somewhat different shapes and dimensions, and some have white inclusions of another mineral.

The image was captured in the morning, with the sun on the right, creating a fascinating play of light and shadow on the pebbles. The sky was completely clear and the sea calm, typical of an August day in the south of the country.