Thursday 26 March 2015

Nice as it is here in Portimao, we must start heading north or we’ll be rushing, so after servicing the van we said our goodbyes and headed out. First stop was to refill the gas bottles and we were surprised to find they were almost empty – we seem to have used a lot more than were expecting so keep an eye on that. Then the usual tramp round Lidl to restock the fridge and cupboards before crossing to the commercial centre (shopping mall to you) to find a Vodafone shop to top up the internet.

So with plenty of fuel, we headed west, our target being the “Lands End” of Portugal at Sagres. Looked in at the “new” aire at Alvor to find it was almost empty, surprising, as was that at Lagos, a little further along the coast. We surmised that the hordes of French, who were in the Algarve rather than going to Morocco, were now on their way home for Easter.

And so on to Sagres. There’s really not a lot there and it was really rather quiet, although the motorhome parking was full. Found a spot to park up for an hour to take photos and have lunch, but it was very windy so we pushed on.

Sagres

and the other way

Lands End a la Portugal

Deciding to go up the middle, rather than the coast, we spotted an aire that promised superb views over the Algarve. “Try to visit when clear skies are forecast” said the book, it being an observatory on top of a mountain. So we programmed TomTom and set off – and the sky gradually clouded over as we approached the mountain. Quite a steep climb, with glimpses of potentially superb views – until suddenly we were enveloped in thick mist. Thankfully the satnav coordinates were spot on, because we couldn't see more than a few yards and would have easily missed the parking.

A cup of tea and a rethink. It was now late afternoon and finding somewhere else to stop was becoming a problem. But a quick check showed that Portimao was in fact only 40 mins away – we’d come in a big loop – so decision made! Welcomed back by our friends, we adjourned to the café for tea, not being interested in cooking now.

What the heck, we’ll stay a couple more nights as the weather forecast is definitely scorchio!