Spots north of Peniche (Beginner+Intermediate)

[Lermontov]

Hey,

First post - thanks for help in advance!

We're on the hunt for a god surf town north of Peniche but - preferable - south of Espinho. We'll be staying a whole month in Peniche and will be moving north on our way home, but have some time to spare to surf somewhere else in between. We're a couple - one a decent intermediate and one upper beginner surfer. We've surfed quite a lot in different places - Lanzarote/Bali/Sri Lanka - so don't want uber-easy breaks. However, we are after a beach break, within walking distance of a town (we won't have a car but will have our boards) and without too many crowds.

Some places I'm considering but can't find enough specific info on the breaks are:
Praia da Tocha
Costa Nova

Any info on those would be appreciated.

Cheers all!

[jaffa1949]

Well you are looking for beach breaks from Nazare north to the Spainish border is a long long stretch of beach breaks, many of which you will not get to without a car. They are all sweet dependent and wind shaped hopefully with an easterly wind being off shore. If it is a straight westerly swell , you are looking at close outs also if there is size, long sandy beach systems general kilometer long long shore currents, of considerable strength and when the current heads offshore it is a monster rip!
How do you plan to get to to the small towns Pria da Tocha or similar?

Cost Nova is a little more accessible do yo plan to fly out of Porto?
Oh an if the ocean is huge, go and see Nazare in full flight, oops I meant full fright!
More detail maybe we can help more!

[jaffa1949]

Be aware too, being winter, no lifeguards, you are on your own surf safety, if things go squint!

[Lermontov]

Yo! Thanks for the info. I should've said that we're heading there in April-May, so (hopefully) Nazare et al won't be firing too much. We were looking at taking trains/buses up to the beach towns. I'm not averse to renting a car, but it's basically so we can get to Porto to stay a while and then fly out, so I'd prefer not to bother. Do you have any idea what Costa Nova's breaks would be like then? We've been Aveiro before and it's pretty nice, so wouldn't mind heading back.