28th January
We packed up and left fairly early. Eric and Sue were crossing to Spain anyway so were able to give us a lift. The border was quite long - the Spanish were pulling over every single car to search it. Stupid. We got to WEX and found he was still there and in one piece! We had a quick cup of tea and said goodbyes and thankyous to Eric and Sue before setting off in the direction of Portugal. Annoyingly there is a huge delta on the coast which means you have to drive north to Seville and around rather than directly north west. This meant the drive was quite long and there wasn't much to comment on. After Seville we decided to cut back down to the coast and through a National Park in search for a wild camp. I should have learnt from last time - there were fences everywhere and no hope for camping. We passed through a small town called El Rocio which had dirt tracks and every building had posts outside for the locals to tie their horses up. Although, sadly the weather had turned pretty grim so there were no locals, or horses, to be seen. Eventually we made it to the seaside town of Torre de la Higuera where we spotted two other campers in a car park. It was nearly dark, rainy and extremely windy so we pulled in near them for the night. When the rain stopped we had a quick look at the beach - there was a big rock shaped like a champagne cork and would probably be very nice if the weather was better. We went back to the van and had an early night.
El Rocio with hitching posts. ^
Torre de la Higuera. ^
29th January
We awoke to clear blue skies! We went for a coffee in the small cafe in Torre de la Higuera before driving to the border. The drive was lovely; it went straight through sand dunes and bright green trees. We stopped once or twice to have a wander along the boardwalks that ran through the forest and to look at the gorgeous sandy beaches backed by yellow sandstone cliffs. After Huelva we joined the motorway that ran all the way to Portugal. The drive was easy and there was no stopping at the border. As soon as we'd got in to Portugal we left the motorway and followed the small road that follows The Algarve all the way along. The first town we passed had several campers in it but we carried on down the coast to Nagoa where we joined some other campers in a nice grassy patch with horses as company. It was windy but the sun was shining and we took the boardwalk through the reeds down to the beach. It was a stunning beach and we strolled along it and back through the town. The town seemed almost completely closed down - we assume it's only open in season - but we found another car park full with hundreds more campers! They have taken over! Anyway, we had a lovely day and in the afternoon Pete even plucked up the courage to go for a swim! It was bloody cold but he seemed to enjoy it. We also picked some prickly pears and rolled them in the sand to get the spikes off. It took a while and even though the colour of them is amazing, the taste was not worth the effort!In the evening we ate, drank and played cards before watching a movie on the laptop.
Nice beach in Spain. ^
The bridge between Spain and Portugal. ^
Nagoa and prickly pears. ^
30th January
We decided to move on in the morning - this spot was nice but we thought we could do better! We got to Tavira and stopped to look around. It was another sunny day and the houses were lovely - covered in tiles and painted bright colours. We stopped for a coffee in a sunny square and wandered the streets a bit longer. We'd left the van outside a market and before heading off we went in to have a look. We got some veg and then spotted the fish stall - sardines were 2 euros for a kilo! So cheap! We got half a kilo - which was still way too much for the two of us. We followed the coast, looking for places to stop. Around Faro there weren't any beaches we could drive to as it was all marsh land. We couldn't camp anywhere but we stopped for a walk in the marsh as it was so pretty with tiny yellow flowers everywhere. We drove on, passing Faro, and got to a beach near Vale do Lobo. It was in front of a resort so we didn't know if we could camp there but we stopped for lunch anyway. Pete grilled the sardines Portuguese style - with lemon and oil - and we ate them with bread. It was very yummy. After lunch we carried on - going much further than we'd planned. It was a bit stressful following tiny, wiggly roads down to the coast (and back if we could't stop there), especially as WEX is having trouble changing gear. In the end we got to a beach called Rocha Baixinha (just before Albufeira) which had a nice dusty car park surrounded by grass and forest, and with a couple of other campers. The beach was another gorgeous one - fine white sand with red cliffs behind. We went to the beach and did handstands and collected shells and then we played frisbee in the field behind. Great evening and day.
Tavira. ^
Beautiful saltmarsh. ^
Lunch! ^
Rocha Baixinha beach. ^
31st January
We stayed here another day. We had a bit of a lie in - sitting in bed reading and drinking tea. We had lunch sitting outside in the sunshine and then we got too hot sitting by the van so we put on our swimming costumes and went to the beach to sunbathe! On the 31st of January! Pete even went for a swim. It was fantastic. At sunset we walked all the way along the beach until it met a river and then came back along the top of the red cliffs. It was a lovely walk. We played some more frisbee until it got dark and then had an evening in the van playing cards. Good day. In the night it rained alot.
We stayed here another day. We had a bit of a lie in - sitting in bed reading and drinking tea. We had lunch sitting outside in the sunshine and then we got too hot sitting by the van so we put on our swimming costumes and went to the beach to sunbathe! On the 31st of January! Pete even went for a swim. It was fantastic. At sunset we walked all the way along the beach until it met a river and then came back along the top of the red cliffs. It was a lovely walk. We played some more frisbee until it got dark and then had an evening in the van playing cards. Good day. In the night it rained alot.
Sunny lunch. ^
Swimming and sunbathing. ^
Evening stroll. ^
Our camp. ^
1st February
We didn't want a stressful drive today so we decided to just drive to the western end of The Algarve - where I'd read it was much less developed. It was a quick drive to Lagos, where we stopped for a look at the market and got 5 kilos of oranges for 1 euro. After Lagos it started to get a bit more wild (although actually the whole Algarve wasn't anywhere near as built up as we'd expected anyway.) We looked at a couple of beaches and then found an amazing cove with huge yellow cliffs where we stopped for lunch. The beach was one of the most beautiful we've seen, even if our sandwiches were a bit sandy. We didn't stop to camp though because the car park wasn't very nice. We drove on and just over the hill we found the perfect stop. There was a big river mouth coming down to the sea with a dusty area and several other campers (the beach is called Boco do Rio.) We parked with our door opening out to another beautiful beach. We spent the afternoon reading and relaxing in the sun and the evening having a drink and watching the fishermen.
2nd February
We woke up and watched the sunrise over the sea. It was a bit overcast but still warm and we went for a walk up the cliff with lovely views up the coast. The sun came out in the morning and we walked each way along the beach, climbing over the stones. The day was relaxing, except for when the police came and we (and the other campers) thought we might get moved on. They eventually left and everyone went back to chilling out. One camper arrived and got stuck in sand, which Pete helped to push out. This place was everything you could want in a free camp and as it was Sunday there were a few locals out fishing and walking and enjoying the sun as well. A great day. In the night it rained again and we had to move as the huge waves were getting seriously close to the van.
We didn't want a stressful drive today so we decided to just drive to the western end of The Algarve - where I'd read it was much less developed. It was a quick drive to Lagos, where we stopped for a look at the market and got 5 kilos of oranges for 1 euro. After Lagos it started to get a bit more wild (although actually the whole Algarve wasn't anywhere near as built up as we'd expected anyway.) We looked at a couple of beaches and then found an amazing cove with huge yellow cliffs where we stopped for lunch. The beach was one of the most beautiful we've seen, even if our sandwiches were a bit sandy. We didn't stop to camp though because the car park wasn't very nice. We drove on and just over the hill we found the perfect stop. There was a big river mouth coming down to the sea with a dusty area and several other campers (the beach is called Boco do Rio.) We parked with our door opening out to another beautiful beach. We spent the afternoon reading and relaxing in the sun and the evening having a drink and watching the fishermen.
Lunch. ^
View from the van at Boco do Rio. ^
2nd February
We woke up and watched the sunrise over the sea. It was a bit overcast but still warm and we went for a walk up the cliff with lovely views up the coast. The sun came out in the morning and we walked each way along the beach, climbing over the stones. The day was relaxing, except for when the police came and we (and the other campers) thought we might get moved on. They eventually left and everyone went back to chilling out. One camper arrived and got stuck in sand, which Pete helped to push out. This place was everything you could want in a free camp and as it was Sunday there were a few locals out fishing and walking and enjoying the sun as well. A great day. In the night it rained again and we had to move as the huge waves were getting seriously close to the van.
Sunrise. ^
Our camp. ^
Walks. ^
Chilling. ^
3rd FebruaryWe moved on today and started with a stop in Sagres. There wasn't much going on in the town but we stopped for a coffee and custard tart (a Portuguese speciality.) We then drove out to the lighthouse that is on the most south-western tip of Europe. It was extremely windy and very beautiful - an empty plateau with huge cliffs dropping in to the Atlantic. We drove down small lanes across the barren landscape and followed the coast on top of the plateau, with incredible views out to sea. The landscape was rugged and there were huge black rocks with massive waves crashing against them. A really amazing place. We kept on stopping for photos and also stopped for a very scenic lunch. We carried on and stopped for a walk on a huge bay that had red cliffs, black rocks, pink stones and white sand. It was lovely. Further up the coast the rock completely changed and became black with white lines - like someone had scribbled on them. We found one beach (just south of Odeceixe) which we decided to stop at. The weather had turned a bit miserable so we hung out in the van to wait it out. When the drizzle stopped we walked down to the beach to have a look (and collect lots of the pretty stones!) Just as it was getting dark a car pulled up and parked next to us. It put us a bit on edge as we were now alone after free camping in company for so long. They didn't leave and after a while we decided to move as we couldn't relax with them there. We drove the short drive to Odeceixe and found a couple of campers pulled up on the edge of the town. We parked next to them and had a great nights sleep - it was so quiet without the waves crashing a few meters away!
The most South-western point of Europe. ^
On the most South-western po
So many nice beaches! ^
Camping at the beach. ^
Sunset. ^
4th FebruaryWe woke up quite early and went out into the town. It was very quiet and a pretty little town. We stopped for a coffee in a local cafe, where an old lady started being sick and they had to call a doctor. We subtly left. It was another day of slow driving and stopping at awe inspiring beaches. One big bay in particular was lovely with layers of volcanic looking rock jutting out in to the ocean. The weather though wasn't great and when we drove in to Porto Covo and saw an aire with a few other campers we thought we might as well stop. We had hot dogs for lunch and waited out the rain. In the afternoon we ventured out into the town - one street with a few nice shops. The beach was another amazing one and the huge black clouds above added to the wildness of it. We had a really nice evening drinking gin in the van and chatting and when we'd finished the gin we thought we'd go and see if the one bar in town was open. It wasn't too late and the bar was full with old men watching TV, boys playing pool and a couple of families. And the beers were only 1 euro! We had a lovely time, smiling at the locals, and headed back to the van when they closed.
Odeceixe. ^
Some nice beaches and some stalks. ^
Hotdogs for lunch. ^
Porto Covo camping. ^
5th February
A long drive today. We had decided to avoid Lisbon so wanted to head inland. John (Pete's brother) had recommended a lake that he had stayed on in summer, so we thought we'd head there. We did a few hundred kilometers but it was all easy and didn't feel too long. And alot of it was very pretty - we are liking Portugal more and more each day. The village John had told us about was called Martinchel (on the lake near Tomar.) We got here in the afternoon and managed to find a small track leading down to a lovely secluded spot we could camp for the night. The lake was truely beautiful - very lush and green with pretty islands in the middle -and smelt amazing as there were eucalyptus trees everywhere. We explored a few tracks leading down to the water but otherwise hung out and read. We'd been shopping in the day and treated ourselves to a chicken - Pete cooked it with leek, onion, garlic and white beans and it was delicious. Another great nights sleep in the silence of the lake.
A long drive today. We had decided to avoid Lisbon so wanted to head inland. John (Pete's brother) had recommended a lake that he had stayed on in summer, so we thought we'd head there. We did a few hundred kilometers but it was all easy and didn't feel too long. And alot of it was very pretty - we are liking Portugal more and more each day. The village John had told us about was called Martinchel (on the lake near Tomar.) We got here in the afternoon and managed to find a small track leading down to a lovely secluded spot we could camp for the night. The lake was truely beautiful - very lush and green with pretty islands in the middle -and smelt amazing as there were eucalyptus trees everywhere. We explored a few tracks leading down to the water but otherwise hung out and read. We'd been shopping in the day and treated ourselves to a chicken - Pete cooked it with leek, onion, garlic and white beans and it was delicious. Another great nights sleep in the silence of the lake.
Lovely wild camping in Martinchel. ^
6th February
When I had come to Portugal with my family when I was young we had gone on a walk to find 'the lost villages'. We had never found them and I wanted to go back and try and find them with Pete! The walk was near Lousa (near to Coimbra), so that was our destination today. After a cup of tea we set of. We stopped for a look around Tomar in the morning, to see the Convent of Christ - the headquarters of the Knights Templar. The convent was pretty cool and the town was lovely to wander around. We carried on afterwards and got to Lousa fairly quickly. I'd looked up a campsite in a village a few kilometers away and we drove there to find it was closed. The area was stunning but it was absolutely pissing with rain so we stopped to have lunch and decide what to do. We ended up using the satnav to find another campsite (we needed a shower!) and drove to Coimbra to find it. It was a four star campsite so we turned instantly around and followed the satnav to another site instead. We drove on along a beautiful, but very wiggly road and found a road block. They could have warned us! Not knowing what to do, and feeling pretty blue in the rain, we decided just to try the four star campsite. It ended up not being too expensive anyway so we pulled in and each had a scolding hot shower. The day carried on being grim but at least we were clean and could use the internet.
When I had come to Portugal with my family when I was young we had gone on a walk to find 'the lost villages'. We had never found them and I wanted to go back and try and find them with Pete! The walk was near Lousa (near to Coimbra), so that was our destination today. After a cup of tea we set of. We stopped for a look around Tomar in the morning, to see the Convent of Christ - the headquarters of the Knights Templar. The convent was pretty cool and the town was lovely to wander around. We carried on afterwards and got to Lousa fairly quickly. I'd looked up a campsite in a village a few kilometers away and we drove there to find it was closed. The area was stunning but it was absolutely pissing with rain so we stopped to have lunch and decide what to do. We ended up using the satnav to find another campsite (we needed a shower!) and drove to Coimbra to find it. It was a four star campsite so we turned instantly around and followed the satnav to another site instead. We drove on along a beautiful, but very wiggly road and found a road block. They could have warned us! Not knowing what to do, and feeling pretty blue in the rain, we decided just to try the four star campsite. It ended up not being too expensive anyway so we pulled in and each had a scolding hot shower. The day carried on being grim but at least we were clean and could use the internet.
Tomar. ^
Covent of Christ (Knights Templar HQ.) ^
Campsite in Coimbra. ^
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