Diary - March 2013

1^st March.  We plan to walk the cliff paths today at Praia da Marinha taking a picnic lunch with us.  This line of coast has numerous sink holes and hanging valleys which make for very dramatic coastline scenery typical of the Algarve.   We saw loads of spring flowers on our route and walked some quite scary narrow paths on the cliff edges where we saw pristine beaches that could only be reached by boat.  The weather was lovely and it wasn’t long before we reached the next village of Praia de Benagil and a pleasant coffee taken in another beach bar gave us the energy to make the return journey.   

     

Les eating lunch

2nd and 3rd March.  We are now back inland in Silves as we are warned that the weather is likely to be bad for the next few days.  There have been bad storms and floods in Madeira which are heading our way so we are planning to get to a campsite for some protection.  Today, however is still warm and we have been lucky to find a traditional fish restaurant near the castle buzzing with people. Looking inside it seemed that there were lots of us Motorhomer's enjoying their lunch and we were right! the waiter obviously thought we fitted in well so we were given the "Caravaners Menu".  This consisted of a three course meal with wine, coffee and port, all for 7.50€.  We really couldn't eat a thing more and in fact felt a bit squiffy as we walked back downhill.  It seems the townsfolk don't mind us at all and might even be relying on this winter trade just to keep going in this tough economic climate. Long may it last!    

4^th March.  What a terrible night last night! Heavy rain and strong winds rocked the van almost all night.  We woke to a packed but waterlogged Aire in Silves where loads of vans had appeared so they would not be too exposed on the beaches.  We heard later that our friends Colin and Pam had moved at 1.30am because of dangerous winds down at Sagres on the extreme west coast.  As it was raining I decided to chance having my hair cut in the hairdressers attached to the swimming pool complex, just near to where are parked.  She told me she was going to cut it first, then wash it! She changed her mind on this tactic after seeing my hair - so she then washed it……. then dried it again to almost fully dry, then it was cut and the final blow dry took about 30 seconds.  (Charge 5€ for the final dry)…… Anyway after at first feeling a bit worried as to the outcome – it actually looks OK …just.

5^th to 7^th March.  We are in Portimao for a few days staying near the beach called Praia da Rocha and the marina.  The weather is predicted to quite windy with heavy downpours for the next few days so decided to stay put here.  The wide sandy beach is very attractive with cliffs at the back but is a massive Atlantic sea rolling and roaring up the beach and onto the lighthouses at the harbour entrance when the wind is up so it's quite noisy too.  We cycled the 2 miles into Portimao mostly along the cycle track but the sprawling town looked rather down on it’s luck so we didn’t linger.  Les spent some time washing the roof of the van so it's bound to rain again soon.   We had noticed sardines on the menu at the beach bar near us and as the bar also has Wifi we just had to try lunching there - chips too ! (don't get a chance to cook many of those in the van).

8th and 9th March.  The weather is still very rainy and windy.  We have been told by other English folk, who set up their caravan last October and have been coming here for many years, that this is a particularly bad year....trust us!  Well, the temperature is very nice at around 18° but we are hoping this changeable weather doesn't go on for too long, we're getting a bit fed up with it now...and there is a distinct a lack of photo's I'm afraid.  So we are now having a bit of luxury in a campsite with full 'mod con's'  for a few days so we can do a bit of washing and get electrical equipment and the batteries topped up.  There is a cycle path to a small beach nearby so maybe we will get a chance to stretch our legs.

10^th to 11^th March.  We stayed put in the campsite as the weather is so changeable but ventured out to Silves again on the Monday to do some shopping and so we would be in position to make out last visit to Les’s uncle John and Avril.  There are two reasons for the family visit……….OK, three then!

1.  Avril has decided that their 16 year old computer is really past it’s best as they now have broadband and, as Les is around to assist in setting it up, it would be a good time to get a Laptop - lucky old Les. 
2.  Les had ordered a new Galaxy phone and MiFi device (so we can get online more often) and they are being delivered to Uncle’s address..... so it’s not all bad then.
3.  John makes fantastic sausage rolls……..yes, it's getting better by the minute.

Can’t wait for tomorrow now! 

12th March.  At last a photo for the blog is below.  Les's Dad has kindly sent out the items that were ordered from the UK.  John has his freesat box, Avril  has her laptop (purchased here in Portugal) and Les also has his new toys, I will be using MiFi I suppose so I can share that...... now  it's just a matter of setting them up.  As you an see John is feeling pennyless and it seems it's all out fault for suggesting they could do with new gadgets in the first place!  

Setting up always takes longer than you think it will so we have been here all day and I have had the chance to do some washing.....I never pass up an offer of that!  Avril has done well with her laptop and learnt how to use the Windows 8 operating system and the new printer will prove much better than her previous 16 year old model.  John promises to get to grips with the Freesat box in the near future but at least it is set up and seems to work well.  We have chicken pie for dinner and a proper bed for the night - hooray!

13^th March.  After spending the morning with the family and saying our farewells we set off westwards to continue our trip.  We may see them again next year if we decide the weather in the UK is far too cold for us in winter. The sun is out again and looks to be so for the next few days.  

14^th March.  We have now left the eastern Algarve travelling thorough Lagos, as we had been there before 10 years ago, to tiny Luz for lunch.  It’s a small bay with Jurassic type cliffs and a lovely sunny beachfront. Les had been here 24 years ago and mentioned a walk he had done with Allan up to the obelisk on top of the cliffs – we wonder if Allan remembers this now?  We had also came to this area with Ross when he was about 13 to our ‘time-share’ swap at Parque de Floresta and noticed even then the motorhomer’s parked up a bit further on at Boca Do Rio so we made for that hoping to do some walking and maybe make a visit to Parque de Floresta to see if the place had changed at all. 

Luz

15^th March.  Boca do Rio is an isolated bay with stony foreshore and small stream running through the valley.  There are walks up the cliffs on either side of the bay so we walked west over to Salema for a coffee.  The old village has very tiny steep lanes with terraced former fisherman’s cottages.  A few fishing boats still operate here but there are also holiday apartments on the other newer side of the village which still retains it’s old charm.  When we walked back over to our idyllic parking spot we saw this somewhat individual van approaching and being driven by a young girl apparently travelling alone - such a change from the boring old white vans we normally see!  Parking so close to the sea does have it’s disadvantages I suppose, it was quite noisy at early morning high water but I think we will manage.

The natural scrubland here is covered with wild flowers and herbs such as thyme, lavender and sorrel.  Such a sweet perfume as we wandered through the small pathways.  We also saw orchids and poppies and more rock roses.  

           

16^th – 17^th March.  Another day spent in Boca do Rio where we were ‘serenaded’ by this Hurdy Gurdy music machine that one of our neighbours just happened to have in his boot – as you do! I think it needed a bit of TLC but it was sweet while it lasted.

I then cut Les’s hair again – quite short this time so hopefully it will last quite a while. We then decided to move a little further away from the sea - it’s quite noisy at night and there is a lovely view of the valley anyway.  Next morning, early, at 7.30am the police arrived taking photo’s of the vans and asking for passport details.  It seems we are jinxed – we were leaving today anyway, and other folk have been here for 3 weeks, no trouble. 

'Spot' made some stirrings today insisting we go to Ingrina beach for lunch as he wanted to stretch his legs!  The rain stopped so he got his wish and we were able to take some photo’s. I’m not sure whether Les was enjoying the experience or not? 

                

  Later onto Sagres for the night, the most south-westerly tip of Europe hoping for quiet winds.

18^th March.  Obtaining water for our tank was becoming a problem today, but we remembered seeing a couple of motorhomes parked up near a ‘font’ a few miles up the road.....  Hooray! Lots of water for us to fill up with and to last us the next few days.  Unlike France there are not so many water service points in Portugal but the smaller villages still have their washing areas, probably not used much nowadays except by us itinerant travellers! 

Me posing!

Les doing the work! 

We are travelling north now up the west coast which is well known by the surfing set.  We are now  in Carrapateira for a few days where there are a few parking places right up on the cliffs – OK for a lunch stop but we thought could be a bit windy at night.  Nothing for it then but to mix with the surf dudes (nice young men) further down and along the beach and hope they don’t notice! – fat chance.  So nice to see a few younger folk for a change living the life and doing their own thing. 

19^th – 20^th March.  We stayed on for another day at Carrapateira but as the wind had set in we only managed a short stroll along the beach but noticed that Sue and Rick our new English buddies had arrived.  A rain shower prevented us from making contact but the next morning we mentioned to them that where we would be going for lunch to another beach a little further north. Having parked up at this idyllic spot and with the weather sunny we soon decided our loo cassette would last just one more night and we would stay here.  Two hours later we saw Sue and Rick arriving along the coast track on their bicycles and after seeing the lovely beach and parking, they too brought their van round to join us. It wasn’t long before the boules came out for our first game since we came away(with proper rules this time and everything). By the way we lost – but not by much.      

Bordeira beach in the distance

Bordeira beach

    

Just near to our parking spot

Wild Antirrhinums

21^st and 22^nd March.  A couple of days back in Lagos as the weather looked a bit iffy.  When it brightened up we cycled the 1.5 miles into this lovely town (our favourite town on the Algarve).  A short stroll around and we came upon an electrical shop selling LED lighting on a strip which we could cut to length and replace our florescent bulbs.  Of course the chap didn’t speak much English but we managed to understand each other after a while and left with one metre of the stuff together with four connectors for a princely sum of 30€.  We are really happy with our DIY job as we have replaced four lights and this will save us battery power while camping on beaches and the like.

Easter comes to Lagos

                      

23^rd March.  We set off north again after lunch as the wind and rain seemed to have eased.  On the way we called into Aljezur a town with an old Moorish part on the west of the river, with castle ruins and newer part to the east.  We noticed a few vans parked up in an area between the market and the river, which was a deep orange colour and was in flood after all the recent rainfall.  A notice on a small new replacement footbridge nearby told the tale of the old Roman bridge being washed away in the floods of 1947 – so perhaps this is not the place to stay the night after all!     A short stroll up in the old town found us outside a small furnished house which had been bequeathed to the town by a Portuguese artist and luckily there was a guide to show us round.  It was exquisite with marble tiling and statuary and a fantastic view of the valley, we felt very privileged to have an insight into his world. 

                      

Our overnight stop at Odeceixe proved to be a very bad mistake as we were awake nearly all night with the gale-force wind and rain buffeting the van.  We even contemplated leaving at 3 o’clock in the morning but weren’t sure where to go so had to sit it out.

24^th  - 27^th March.  Well, we made it through the night but having checked the map we decided to go down to the village early to have a look around. Bliss …… there was hardly any wind in the village and we found a nice café in the sun to while away an hour or so. On leaving, we marked out one or two parking possibilities for another time down by the river and mostly out of the wind.  Bearing in mind that this coast takes the brunt of the Atlantic gales we headed off for Vila Nova de Milfontes further north which looked to be more sheltered, for our next stop. There is a parking place on the south side next to the river and a campsite near the town where we could sit out the predicted rainy weather so here we stayed for the next three nights taking in the lovely views during the day and catching up on the lost sleep of the previous night.   

One of the metal sculptures that caught our eye just near the lighthouse represents one of the navigator/ explorers of the new world made form a variety of metal objects …… quite imaginative!

 28^th March.  It said in our Lonely Planet Portugal book with regards to Vila Nova de Milfontes “ you might drop by for a day and end up staying for a week”…….. well, we did just that, almost ….. staying there for four days - but now we are just up the coast at Porto Covo.  It’s a small village set in a (would you believe it) cove, with an interesting coastline and surrounded by lush green fields grazed by a few cows.  Quite bucolic really.  We have had lunch up by the cliffs and now settling down for the night in the small village Aire with about 15 other motorhomers and as it’s the Easter school holidays we have noticed more Portuguese families holidaying around us here too.  More and more Portuguese arrived later in the evening until we were completely surrounded.   

    

 29^th March.    A very rainy day today but we ventured into the little village, bought some strawberries in the market and were pleasantly surprised by the tiny cove and former fishermen’s cottages which make up most of this place.  With all the rain it reminded us of perhaps a Cornish or Devon seaside cove in summer, all that was needed was a cream tea shop! We spent the afternoon tucked up in the van reading and doing the crosswords we brought with us – not at all cold at 20° but too damp to go out all the same.

Porto Covo

30 March.   The forecast was for better weather today so we have moved on to Lagoa de Santa André just south of Lisbon. We are parked just behind the sand dunes but can still hear the sea and have a pretty garden of wild coastal plants to sit in.   The waves are massive here and at high water they surge into the lagoon in a cascade of turquoise – a very powerful sight.  After our early afternoon walk we spotted a Portuguese couple who had managed to park in the wrong place and  get themselves stuck in the sand.  Within minutes there were six or seven willing volunteers offering advice, solutions, bits of equipment and as a last resort, their muscle power – all secretly pleased it wasn’t them this time.  After half an hour the couple were free so all ended well.

When the sun was out!

31 March.  Back to rain again but we sat the morning out hoping it would clear.  After lunch the wind became stronger so having had such a bad experience by the sea a few days ago we decided to move inland a bit through lovely countryside to a parking area beside a mining museum at Lousal. Looks like today will be a washout as it’s 5 o’clock and still raining!