9. The Algarve beckons...

---

Its always exciting when driving off to new location. Leaving Lisbon it was extra exciting as we would be driving over the Vasco de Gama bridge, 7.6miles long with 2 elevated sections for vessels to pass under. Later we would meet a Portuguese man, (who incidentally works and lives in Luton, who said when it opened in 1998 15,000 people had a street party on it, with tables joined end to end over the whole length of the bridge!

It was time again for a bit R+R again. So we headed for a campsite inland that was situated on the edge of a reservoir and was as close to nature as you could get. The receptionist said you could pick your own spot as long as you are 10 metres apart. Well, we could have had 100 metres there was so much space, so we picked a spot with a great view of the water. Just ideal for a spot of alfresco dining. Freshly bought sardines and giant prawns bought from Lidl’s (the Motorhomer’s go to friend) were dispatched to the grill. Then they came…Wasps! They just went mad, even the heat from the grill didn’t put them off. There must have been between 40-50 of them, and we thought they went mad for jam. They took no notice of Alison’s marmalade wasp trap. The 2 days we booked there resulted with us eating in the safety of the camper. There was a restaurant, but I saw people mostly ate inside.

Such a shame it was a beautiful location. There had in the campsite reviews talk of a pool, one of the reasons we came -there was no pool. But you could swim in the reservoir which had a mini man-made beach for such an occasion. Alison bravely ventured in, but I ducked out as there had been little fresh rain and the water level was low, so it didn’t appeal.

We headed south-west towards the coast, it was a beautiful drive with many ruler-straight roads fringed with trees that had been harvested for their cork. We were aiming for Sagres, Portugal’s Lands End, and the south-west point of Europe. It was here that this rocky promontory was the last bit of land the ancient Portuguese explorers would have seen of their home country, when setting out to explore the world.

With the wind in our sails, or rather a tank of Diesel in ‘Django’ our faithful camper, we think of our selves as explorers, not tourists - that’s other people. However, the wheels have fallen off, not literally, but in our search for a good quality motorhome stopover we have arrived at Algarve Motorhome park in Falesia. This is not a campsite but an Aire. Now Aires can be basic, just a car park, some have basic facilities water or a toilet. This is a very well run and equipped Aire with good toilets, showers, washing machines, and very important- pump our facilities. But best of all, according to guidebooks, Falesia beach is the best beach in Portugal, and we backed on to it. Why did I say about the ‘wheel falling off our adventuring?’ its because not only have we landed on a beautiful beach, but we are an uber cab distance from Albufeira the hub of everything the tourist would want and we’ve become – Holidaymakers! I won’t go into gratuitous details, but it goes like this, sunbathe, swim, sunbathe, swim, stroll through gift shops drinkypoos, eat, drinkypoos with music, next day same, but add in boat trip to dolphins and caves. Honestly though we could have been pulled behind a speedboat on various inflatables, parasailed, done coasteering, water parks zoos and pedaloes with slides in the shape of a racing car, toucan or unicorn. If money and time was no object, we probably would have done it all, but now we’re back on the road.

We take the coast road and visit the marina of Vilamoura. A totally different resort this is high end, even on a short walk to the marina, apart from the many superyachts, there was a Bentley, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsches to name but a few. The only restaurant open for morning coffee on the harbourside spoilt the illusion, it did seem to remind me of a ….Weatherspoons? Eastwards we travel through Val de Lobo a very pretty and well kept resort with many golf courses. Some places like the last, we just put our noses in to have a look. One such top stop was Olhao, for a coffee and croissant, a much expanded town with a large marina and a quaint old town.

Probably like other countries these large resorts were once small fishing villages that grew vastly with the coming of package holidays in the ’70’s. It’s so difficult to see how villages used to be. That was to change…

At this eastern section of the Algarve towards the border with Spain, we pass through the quaint village of Luz which still holds on to its old-world charm with pretty painted cottages. A little further on was our stopover for the night. Another Aire from the same company as Falesia. A little quieter and more space around us, but it was straight walk into the centre town. We’d read it was a lovely town but didn’t realise what a wonderful vibe it had. With a river running through it to the sea, with restaurants either side, and stalls thrown in selling their wares, adding to the atmosphere. The downside of coming in August is that many people are on vacation, the upside is you might be lucky to see a free concert. It was great listening to Samba on a warm summer evening. One strange thing we hadn’t seen many Indian restaurants in Portugal but we counted five. It wetted our taste buds so had to indulge. How we had missed a good curry! Just off the coast by a few hundred yards is the Ria Formosa lagoon and islands. You can catch a short ferry boat ride to enjoy the wonderful sandy beaches.

Although expanding, Tavira retains a lot of its old-world charm. Apart from climbing the castella in the high part of the town we went to see a Camera obscura that is housed in a water tower next door to the castella. One of the best I had seen.

We needed to escape the sun for a couple of hours so dashed into the Cinema in the modern shopping centre 5 mins from our campsite. Tom Cruise is on his latest Mission Impossible (in English). It was an implausible yarn, but oh boy, was it good fun.

We finish our tour of Portugal by visit Santa Luzia just outside Tavira famed for its octopus fishing industries. It again has kept its charm, me and Alison could quite imaging living there or at least have a holiday home there. Ali had even eyed her ideal property (see picture).

Thoughts of Portugal

We have thoroughly enjoyed our tour around Portugal. The people are lovely as is the countryside and coast. Our favourite part was our stay in Mogadouro, and, driving the quiet but perfectly formed IC 5 road, swooping up and down over the mountains and incredible bridges before picking up the N222 taking us through vineyards and picture postcard villages that would run parallel to the Douro River to atmospheric Porto. Oh, and not forgetting our overnight stay in our campsite at the Quinto. I must mention Lisbon it has an amazing-but edgy, buzz.

Apart from surfing I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Algarve but there is something for everyone. The lively fun-packed resort of Albufeira, the classy Vilamoura Marina for the boaters. Pristine resorts like Vila da Lobo for the sporty golf and tennis enthusiasts. Finishing with our favourite Tavira and surrounding area.

It was a shame that we had problems finding good campsites here, although we have only paid between 10-20 Euros a night. The Portuguese have in the last couple of years banned wild camping, so hopefully the campsites may improve.

Next stop Spain and a dilemma…

Our original plan was to see the historic towns of Seville, Cordoba and Granada. The temperatures are expected to be in the high 30’s C. So, do we head on regardless or head south towards the Spanish coast where temperatures should be cooler…mmm

---

Photos

Drinks with a view
with thanks to Debby x

Vasco de Gama Bridge
all 7,5 miles of it

Cabo de Sao Vincente
On the edge of Europe

I know that face?
Sand carving at Albufiera

Albufeira Marine
Most boat trips start here