The truth about surfing in Portugal's Northern Coast

Portugal has roughly 1,115 miles (1,794 kilometers) of coastline. It is considered one of the greatest surfing destinations on the planet. However, the eyes of the world are always focused on the same spots. And you know them already. That's why it's time to unveil Portugal's charming "ugly duckling."

Ericeira, the surfing capital of Europe; Peniche, Europe's most famous barreling wave; Nazaré, the biggest wave in the world; Azores, the surfing jewel of the Atlantic. And that's it. You've heard it multiple times: "Portugal is an amazing surfing country." Sure.

But the truth is that foreigners never get the whole picture. Not even one-tenth of what Portugal has to offer. In mainland Portugal, all they hear and get is the stretch of coast between Nazaré's Praia do Norte, and Lisbon's Costa de Caparica. And that's 90 miles (145 kilometers) of dreams promoted to exhaustion.