Palheiros da Tocha

In this old fishing village of Praia da Tocha, in the Municipality of Cantanhede, it is still possible to find traces of the old Palheiros (straw lofts) where, in times, fishermen kept the material used in the daily work of the summer months.Despite the tourist demand have brought, over the last years, the inevitable urban growth, which has been developed without affecting the identity of the village. Measures taken to preserve the architecture Xávega are clearly evident in the recovery of the fishermen palheiros (straw lofts), now transformed into holiday homes, using local and characteristical materials in most current forms of construction.The first palheiros (straw lofts) fulfilled the function of storage room for fishing material or as storehouse for fish salting, as well as temporary housing for fishermen who lived in the village during the season (April to October). Unlike other beaches on the central coast, the Palheiros of Tocha managed to keep, until later, part of their primitive characteristics, preserving its palafitte aspect, i.e. stake ahoy, inclined to the outside, giving base of sustenance of the palheiro.