Duna de Cresmina is located in the Natural Park of Sintra-Cascais and it is an amazing natural area of beauty side by side the famous Guincho Beach. The Guincho-Cresmina dunefield is an unstable system due to the prevailing northwest winds bringing the sand from the Guincho beach to the area and later returning the sand to the sea about 5 km southwest at the Oitavos-Guia area. Due to the constant drifting of sand particles caused by the strong wind it has been measured that the dunes are moving apx. 10 m each year in north -south direction. The dunefield is fragile but very important since it protects inland terrain from the rise in sea level. A well-preserved diversity of dune plants, along the several stages of dune succession, is the best guarantee to slow down the movement, preventing these to invade and destroy crop and property. Raised wooden walkways are installed to prevent people walking in the dunes. They are almost 2km long and enable visitors to see native plants that are only found in the area, together with the fauna and flora that form a delicate ecological balance with the dunes. Walking along the wooden path one can also enjoy beautiful views over the Atlantic Ocean, the Sintra mountain and even almost see the most western point of the continental Europe (Cabo da Roca). This is an ever-changing landscape caressed by the sun and the salty winds and one of my absolute favourite places in the world!
In the beginning of October 2018 a fire on the southwest slopes of the Sintra mountain reached all the way down to the dunefield and a small part of its vegetation was burned. With the regeneration force of nature it will soon recover.
