Tavira to Vila Real de Santo Antonio

We left Tavira on Saturday after having two lovely sunny days where we cycled around the town and out to the salt pans in the Ria Formosa It was so nice on Friday that we had take-away BBQ chicken and chips for lunch sat outside watching the world go by. We decided on Saturday afternoon to head inland for a day or two and return to Tavira if we didn’t find water en route. We drove out to the Pego do Inferno (pool of hell) which was a small waterfall and had a walk around the area. We then drove onto Santa Catarina and parked alongside a stream by a local washing area. Mark was very keen and did a load of washing and hung it out while I cooked tea. The next morning we walked alongside the stream up into the countryside and up to the top of a hill where there were just a couple of houses on the top. The views around were lovely with hills behind and in front with the sea in the distance. We could see a hill in the foreground with windmills on it, so after lunch we walked up to the windmills. The views were even better from here as we were slightly closer to the sea and slightly higher too. We now have a very good supply of oranges, lemons and tangerines as we found some abandoned orchards on our morning walk. Later on Sunday afternoon we left Santa Catarina and drove back to Tavira via Moncarapacho, we had a brief walk around Moncarapacho but didn’t really like it so continued back to Tavira. Sunday was a lovely sunny day with no rain at all, so we hope this will continue.

After filling up with water we left Tavira on Monday morning and drove a few miles along the coast to the pretty tiny hamlet of Cacela Velha. We parked up and had a wander round, this appeared to be the last part of the Ria Formosa and we can, at last, see the sea easily. We then drove on a couple of miles further to Manta Rota which is a small town. The beach at Manta Rota is huge with lovely white sand and clean clear waters There was plenty of parking behind the sand dunes, hence there were loads of motorhomes parked up! From the carpark to the beach and along the top part of the beach are plenty of boarded walkways so we got the bikes off and went for a cycle round. Having spotted an English second hand bookshop while driving into the town we go and have a look, after a good long browse I left with a couple of books. I also bought a couple from the market in Tavira a couple of days earlier so have a good supply to keep me going for a while. It was another lovely warm sunny day and shorts and t-shirt are at last becoming the norm.

We stayed in Mana Rota until Wednesday lunchtime after enjoying glorious sunny weather and lots of walks and cycle rides. We even had a bit of a jog along the beach! On Wednesday morning we walked along the beach as far as Cacela Velha and hoped to get from the beach to the hamlet across the Ria Formosa but couldn’t as there was too much water to cross. After returning to the motorhome we then drove on down the coast to Monte Gordo which is the main tourist town on the Eastern Algarve and parked up with quite a few other motorhomes behind the sand dunes. We stayed at Monte Gordon until Friday and then moved on a couple of miles to Vila Real de Santo Antonio (VRSA).

VRSA is the most south easterly town in Portugal. From our parking spot next to the port, we can see Spain across the Rio (River) Guardiana and boats in the marina close by. A small ferry runs between the port and Spain. The weather for the last few days has continued to be beautifully sunny all day long. On Saturday we went to the monthly flea market which was held in a large square in the town, I bought a couple more books. We then went out for lunch and enjoyed a large jug of Sangria. On Sunday we cycled to the point where the river meets the sea and enjoyed views right up the coast to the west and to the north we could see the bridge that crosses over to Spain.

Olhao to Tavira

We stayed in Loule until Saturday, longer than we expected, but Friday was very wet from lunchtime onwards right through the night so we decided to stay put. There wasn’t much to see in Loule but we were able to stock up on food and water and spend some time on the Internet in the library. There were quite a lot of shops in Loule, Mark bought some new walking boots and I bought a European adaptor so I’m now able to fully charge my laptop via the mains when I’m in a library (much quicker than charging it via the 12V in the motorhome). Saturday was a nice sunny day, we had a browse around the weekly market then walked up to a church up on a hill with views over part of the town and the sea in the far distance. We then had an early lunch and drove onto Sao Bras de Alportel, had a walk around for an hour or so and then drove onto Olhao and parked up in the port area with lots of other motorhomes.

During the night it was very wet and windy which kept us awake half of the night. At around 5.30am we heard a knock on the door, it was a French man alerting us to a street lamp above us which had become dislodged during the storms and was hanging by a cable. Mark moved us forward a few meters to get us out of any danger. Luckily the light hadn’t fallen off or caused any damage by the time we left Olhao by mid morning. Olhao hadn’t impressed us during a walk around the previous evening so we decided to move on to pastures new. We followed the coast road and stopped at Fuzeta which was an improvement on Olhao. We went for a couple of short walks between rain showers! Olhao and Fuzeta (and many other towns and villages both to the east and west) are on the Ria Formosa which is a protected lagoon area which came about after an earthquake in the 1700s! Although the lagoon areas are often quite nice, it makes it difficult to see the sea.

On Monday we moved on again, calling at Santa Luzia en route. Santa Luzia was a pretty little village on the Ria Formosa, it was very small though so it only took about half an hour to have a look around. We then moved on the short distance to Tavira and parked up near to the town centre with lots of other motorhomes. Luckily Monday was a nice sunny day, so we enjoyed plenty of time out and about the town. There are loads of motorhomes parked up in several different areas of Tavira, it’s a nice town with plenty to explore. Tuesday morning was overcast, we did a bit of cycling around but got rained off unfortunately, it looks like it could be rainy for quite a few days, but at least it’s still quite mild and we definitely don’t have any snow! It's now Thursday and we're still in Tavira, it's been a lovely sunny day today (at last!)

And... more of the Algarve...

We decided to go Portimao for gas and return to Silves for another night, eventually leaving Silves on Sunday morning after stocking up with food. We decided to follow a route shown in a leaflet we picked up in Monchique, the first point being the Barragem do Arade, a dam surrounded by lovely countryside. We stopped for lunch, had a walk round then partially drove round the bendy narrow road alongside the dam and then onto the scenic country road to Sao Bartolomeu de Messines. Although we’ve seen orange and lemon trees throughout Portugal, this part of the Algarve seems to have more than ever, with fields taken over with hundreds and hundreds of trees. We’ve also recently started noticing almond trees as they’re in blossom at the moment. We have a bit of a walk around Sao Bartolomeu de Messines but there isn’t anything of interest to us so we move on to the next place on the route, Paderne. We park up, go for a walk and fill up with water.

The next day we drive on towards the castle which is a couple of miles out of Paderne, deciding to stop at a local washing facility when we see 4 or 5 other motorhomers there. It’s a lovely sunny but windy day, so we decide to do some washing, hang it out, have lunch then go on a walk. The pedestrian route to the castle is signposted, we walk through farmland that seems to have been abandoned. At the foot of the castle is a board giving a couple of walking options, we take the route that takes us along the river, across a ford, past a waterwheel, over a medieval bridge and then up the hill to the castle. The views around us were lovely, the only thing that spoilt it slightly was the sound of the motorway in the distance. We return to the motorhome just over 2 hours later.

On Tuesday we travelled a few miles on to Alte, a small, pretty village on a hillside. Unfortunately major road works were going on in the village centre with diggers and lorries everywhere while the roads were being re-cobbled. We have a good walk around, taking in the “small fountain” and the “large fountain” return to the motorhome for lunch and then go for another walk stopping along the way for a coffee and a traditional Portuguese custard tart. We found some lemons to pick so cooked some nice lemon and garlic chicken with potato wedges and salad for tea :-)

The next day we drove to the Rocha de Pena area and parked in the little village of Penima. The Rocha de Pena is a protected cliff area with a walk up and around it. We did the walk which took about 2.5 hours, longer than we expected as it was only 5km, but a lot of it was uphill and quite rocky. We didn’t start the walk until nearly midday, so we were starting to get a bit hungry! Luckily towards the end of the walk was a café so we stopped for a toastie and then continued. We then drove on towards Loule, attempted to get through a very narrow village road in Pena and changed our mind. Mark reversed into a narrow side road, but then when he tried to go forward the road was just too steep and wonky, the front passenger wheel just wouldn’t grip and just spun round and round. We decided to dump the water that we’d got onboard in the hope that getting rid of some weight at the back would allow the front wheels to grip, but no such luck. In the end we decided to look for help! Found a couple of Portuguese men who didn’t speak any English. Luckily one of them had a 4WD vehicle with a winch and was able to tow us up and out of our predicament. It was a quite stressful!! We gave them some money for their trouble, without their help we’d still be there…

We drove on towards Loule stopping off at Querenca, which seemed to be very quiet and deserted. There didn’t seem to be much to it apart from a church and a couple of cafes/restaurants, so we took a couple of photos and carried on our way. We eventually arrived in Loule early evening, parked up and will wait until tomorrow until we take a proper look around. Luckily we’ve got some drinking water to keep us going until we can find some water tomorrow!

More of the Algarve

The next day we moved on to Sagres which is right at the South Westerly tip of Portugal. It was quite disappointing and we really didn’t understand why loads of motorhomers are parked up there. We moved on the next day, Thursday, unfortunately it didn’t stop raining all day.

We headed along the east coast and drove through several small coastal villages before stopping at Praia de Luz. Parking for motorhomes was banned from the seafront, so we parked in a quiet residential area just behind. We went for a walk down to the beach and into the town, calling in at the local supermarket that sold a good selection of British products at extortionate prices! The next day was overcast, but dry, we walked up through the town up to the cliff to the east and then back past lots of big villas overlooking the town with the coast in the distance.

Saturday was a lovely sunny day, we had a long walk along the coastal path to Burgau (a village to the west of Luz) passing quite a few walkers going the opposite way. It was lunchtime when we got to Burgau so we stopped for a toastie at a busy café (full of brits) overlooking the sea then walked back. After recovering from our walk we ambled down to the seafront at Luz late afternoon, which was quite bustling. Luz has been a really nice place to stay, but we’ve decided to move on to Lagos tomorrow.

On Sunday we filled up with water and headed 10-15 minutes down the coast to Lagos, went via a couple of supermarkets to stock up and then headed to the marina and parked up close by with about a dozen other motorhomes. Lagos is larger and busier than we like, so we doubt we’ll stay long. First impressions are that it’s nowhere near as nice as Luz! We have a bit of a wander around the old town, most places were closed as it’s Sunday. Early next morning we decide that we’ll move on from Lagos, so we head to the beach at Alvor and then outskirts of Portimao. By lunchtime we’d decided that this part of the Algarve is far too built up and not very attractive unless you‘re on the coast, so we headed inland to the mountains to the town of Monchique. It was only about a 40 minute drive from Portimao, but it could be a world away. The drive to Monchique was quite bendy and scenic. We parked up in next to the aerodrome which was recommended by the tourist office, a couple of German motorhomes joined us. We stayed in Monchique a couple of days. The weather was quite changable, mostly sunshine and showers with some hail storms thrown in!

On Wednesday we filled up with water and headed to Silves. Silves is nearer to the coast, but far enough away to not be over commercialed! It's a really nice old town with lots of cobbled streets and pavement cafes. We visited the castle which has some lovely views over the town and the rolling hills beyond. Whilst up high at the castle, we spotted several areas where large groups of motorhomes were parked, so later in the day moved to a large parking area near the river. We went out on Wednesday evening to a traditional Portuguese restaurant, pictured on the right (Mark had sardines and I had chicken piripiri) and some very nice Vino Verde (green wine). It's a Portuguese wine that is slightly sparkling and tastes a bit like champagne.

Thursday rained pretty much all day, although it stayed warm. Friday is dry and warm but overcast. We'll probably be moving on later today as we need to start our search for some gas before it runs out...

Onto the Algarve

Saturday was another lovely sunny day, we filled up with water then made our way to the campsite to use the launderette. We left the washing and then went to the market and supermarket. After lunch we drove out to a nearby port before returning to collect our nice clean washing.

Sunday was the warmest day we’ve had since Christmas, we went for a bike ride down to the harbour and then over to the other side of the estuary. The main road was luckily nice and wide and very quiet but quite hilly! We then turned off onto a country road down to the coast and continued cycling over a boarded walkway over the sand dunes. We stopped at lunchtime for a picnic in the sand dunes (picture to the right shows the view from our picnic spot) overlooking the estuary and Vila Nova de Milfontes. On returning to the motorhome we had a couple of cups of tea and recovered from our cycle ride, according to the sat nav we had cycled just over 11 miles! So we think we’ll be saddlesore tomorrow… Mark was looking a bit pink after being out in the midday sun! Inside the motorhome it was 30 degrees C, opening the sky lights soon cooled it down. Later in the afternoon we went on a short bike ride up to the lighthouse, chained up the bikes and went for a walk along the beach and into the sand dunes. As always, lovely views whichever way we looked. Picture to the right shows the view from the motorhome at sunset.

By Monday we decided to move on from Vila Nova de Milfontes, we drove about 20 minutes down the coast to Almograve and had an early lunch before starting off on a walk. We’d picked up a route map a couple of days earlier from the tourist office in Milfontes for a 5 mile walk. Although it wasn’t a very long walk, it was quite hard going as the majority of it was over sand dunes and beaches. We then drove onto Zambojeira do Mar, a small town on the coast for the night.

It rained heavily in the night and was very windy too! By mid morning it calmed down and it turned into quite a nice day, cloudier than recently but nice and mild. We left Zambojeira do Mar and headed down to the Algarve stopping for shopping en route finally stopping at Vila do Bispo (mostly because it’s got free wi-fi in the town centre!!) The wi-fi is a bit sporadic though, so apologies if I don't reply to all emails!

Back to the coast

Monday started as a chilly, dull, grey day and pretty much stayed like that all day! We decided to move back to Alcacer do Sal for a day or two as we didn‘t really like it at the barragem, so moved on after readjusting the satellite. We managed to get the UK channels we wanted at the barragem and tested the same settings when we got back to Alcacer, it still worked! We had perfect BBC, ITV, etc etc both sound and vision! But by the evening, unfortunately we had less luck, we could only receive the vision (in a very pixelated form) and hardly any sound. So we’ll try again in the morning to see if we have any luck. So we’re back to watching Portuguese TV through the analogue aerial, at least there’s a National Geographic program on everyday at 9pm for 45 minutes which keeps Mark happy! By Tuesday we manage to get sound and vision again after some more tweaking. It’s definitely not a case of being able to turn the TV on and it works… that would be a luxury! Even when we manage to get the TV working, we’re very limited to how much we can watch it at the moment as we have to rely on how much our leisure battery is charged. As we haven’t been driving much lately, we are solely reliant on the solar panel for energy, and as the sun hasn’t been shining much lately we don’t get much charge! Luckily the sun shone all day on Tuesday so we had quite a lot of charge for TV viewing in the evening.

Unfortunately on Wednesday morning we find that the gas is low a couple of days earlier than expected, so we can’t even boil the kettle for our breakfast cuppas as the flow is so slow! So we fill up with gas, water, food and head on our way through the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, through loads of pine trees growing out of the sand (pine kernals are one of the main crops grown in the area, together with rice). Cork oak is also grown and along the way we see lots of trees which have been partially stripped of their bark for cork. We stop at Carrasqueira, an old fishing village with several traditional houses made out of rushes and wood, we have a bit of a wander round then head onto Troia, then Coasta de Santa Andre finally ending up at Sines late afternoon. Some parts of Sines are quite nice (the old town) but newer parts have quite a lot of graffiti. The next day is lovely and sunny and we go for another walk around the town, have lunch and then head on down the coast. Much of the coastline of Sines is industrial (power stations and petrol), but once a few miles down the road we entered the national park that stretches down to the western Algarve and the scenery was really beautiful. We drove past lots of secluded, unspoilt beaches until we reached Porto Covo, we parked up on the outskirts of the village along with 7 or 8 other motorhomes. We were up on cliff looking over to the Sines on our right and Porto Covo on our left. We then went for a long walk into the town then back along various beaches. Porto Covo is a traditional village with nearly house painted in traditional white and blue, it's nice, but doesn’t have a lot going on, so we‘ll be on our way tomorrow.

On Friday morning we drive just 20 minutes down the coast to Vila Nova de Milfontes, which is partly on the coast and partly on the estuary of the River Mira. It’s a medium sized town which is well kept and has a nice feel, so we’ll stay here a couple of days we expect. There‘s quite a few motorhomes parked up along the sea front (parking overnight is banned but it looks like no-one takes any notice of that!). We had a long wander round the town and visited both of the campsites in search of a launderette. One of the sites has a self-service launderette and will let non-campsite users use it, so we’ll be heading there tomorrow. The last couple of days have been lovely and sunny, so the solar panel has been working well for us. In the evening we walked into town and found a nice bar with wi-fi, so have been able to upload the blog!

It’s now 4 weeks since we arrived at Dover ready to set sail on Saturday 13 December 2008. So far we have driven nearly 1900 miles and have followed to route shown in yellow on the map below.