Portugal, Part 2

21st October, 1999

We rose early and headed south.    We particularly wanted to look down at the Duoro as we crossed it close to where we had parked the previous day near its mouth in Porto.  The rain  and the traffic were heavy and in the spray and hassle we missed it - much to our consternation.   With the exception of La Rochelle we had not been anywhere that we had previously visited and we were looking forward to seeing Lisbon, of which we have fond memories. 

As we neared Lisbon, however, it was clear that we would have a wet visit and we decided to stick with our memories and headed for the Algarve.  We made good progress on the motorways and only the last  100Km or so were on a single carriageway.  The first sight of the sea was at Albufeira and we decided to stop at the campsite nearest the motorway.   This stage had been the longest of the journey so far, and possibly the longest we had done towing the caravan anywhere.

We had refuelled on the way and, when we went to move off again, there was that awful click when we tried to restart.   The 'Irish Screwdriver' was needed to persuade the starter motor and again when we arrived at our camp.   It was almost dark when we arrived and completely so by the time we had set camp.  We pitched next to Roy and Mary, Brits who regularly over-winter in the Med.  Their caravan dwarfed ours and they were obviously well-prepared for a long stay.  They had arrived at Santander a few days earlier and were heading for Malaga.  Roy told us that on New Year's Eve there would be a firework display 100 miles long either side of Malaga.  Our evening meal was quickly cooked and eaten, the night's sleep most welcome.

22nd October, 1999

On the Friday morning, we set about catching up with the chores that had been neglected during the wet weather.   We got together all the dirty washing and took it to the site laundry, then took a reel of film to reception, where we were assured the processed pictures would be delivered the same day.  There were a few Brits in camp and we made conversation with one near the laundry who told us the whereabouts of the local Internet shop and gave us the number of a local Brit mechanic who he was waiting for to fix his dead battery.

After lunch, we restocked at the supermarket before going off to explore Albufeira and find the Internet shop to catch up on our e-mail.   After receiving directions from two sources, we thought we should have no difficulty.  However, the maze of streets around the town square proved more difficult than we expected and we had to admit defeat.

At one stage, we finished up high above the old town from where the picture, above left, was taken.  We returned to camp and dined in the camp restaurant, which was a most impressive place, perched high above, within an impressive sports complex. Overall, it was a very good camp and, considering it was out of season, fairly busy.

23rd October, 1999

On the Saturday, we found the Internet shop and caught up with the F1 news.   After lunch, we decided to head west as far as Praia da Galé. 

The beach was long and almost empty.  Behind it were large sand dunes which, despite the well-advertised penalties, seemed to be the favourite haunt of the off-road vehicles.  We photographed ourselves and the beach and its cave, shown below.

We returned to check our films and laundry and found out that we should not necessarily rely on promises where machines are involved as both the film machine and the washing machine had broken down.  We returned to our caravan to find a New Zealand flag and German registered car opposite.  By chance Alan and Carolyn had pitched opposite us without realising.  We greeted each other like long-lost friends and ate our separately-cooked dinners together in our caravan as, by then, it was dark and beginning to rain.  Alan and Carolyn had been to Lagos, where we had previously holidayed, and had in mind to head east to Seville then south to Morocco.  We too had thought of Morocco and agreed to stay in touch via the internet to try to arrange a trip together because we all felt a little nervous of going alone.  Roy and Mary had also mentioned Morocco and suggested Tarifa as a jumping off point.  We agreed to look for each other in Tarifa.   

24th October, 1999

We woke up to yet more rain and decided to try to catch up on our journal, which was well in arrears.  Alan and Carolyn went to see Albufeira and to find the internet shop, which was shut.  They set off after lunch for Seville.  We, however, could not leave as we still did not have our film back.

25th October, 1999

We continued our meandering in the general direction of Faro and, trying to find our way up a high vantage point, got well lost in narrow twisty lanes with sharp drops to their sides.     Much of the land now seems disused though we saw evidence of former workings everywhere, even on the steepest slopes.    The old broken pump, below left, was typical of the area.   Our map shows a viewing point, São Miguel, north-east of Faro and we were determined to drive up to it.   However our map does not show all the tiny roads and it took us ages to find the road to it.    The hilltop is 410 metres high and sprouts several large TV and communications antennae.   The road to the top is one of the most hairy we have undertaken being steep, narrow, blind,  in poor repair and with no edge protection.    As there is nowhere to turn round till you reach the top, once started you must finish.   The views, however, are stunning.   Below middle is the view out to sea with the sand bars that distinguish the coast east of Faro.     Below right is the view down the road to Spain which (film processing permitting) we intended to travel.     We were surprised to see that even this steep hill shows signs of ancient terracing almost to its summit.

We descended the hill and drove into Faro.   By now we were in the evening rush and, after cruising the narrow streets for a while, we returned to camp where we were relieved to find our film was ready.  

Last updated:  18/03/01