
Explore all posts from the Portugal tour.
Day didn’t start well, we made a mistake going onto the toll road and failed to get a ticket. Went off at the next exit and was fined nearly 86€. Finally made it to Évora late afternoon. All the sites cost money so we didn’t see much. Back in time for rum!
Visited the National Palace of Mafra. Nearly 3 hours of culture without the normal tourist crowds. Pays to be here out of season.
Spent a fantastic 4 hours at Buddha Eden, unbelievable amount of works of art. Drove onto Mafra.
Cycled around the Peniche peninsular in the morning, stunning coastline. Spent the rest of the day laying on the beach watching the surfers.
Busy day, Alcobaça for GPL and InterMarche for washing and some provisions. On to Óbidos, a hilltop walled town, lovely. Ended up at Peniche next to the surfing beach for the night.
Drove down the motorway at great expense to Nazaré to see if there were any surfers to watch. Calm day so a walk along the very long beach and back in time for tea.
Decided not to let Colin Co-Pilot navigate today and took the small roads down coast, one word, bumpy. At Lavos Praia where the motorhomes look like they are taking root. The recent storm certainly has left its mark on the landscape.
Had a scenic drive through the hills down to Aveiro. Parked under the motorway and had a lunchtime wander through Aveiro’s canal network. Sunny day so we drove to the beach at Praia da Costa Nova.
Only drove about 40 minutes to the spa town of Sao Pedro Do Sul. Had a good wander around the spa centre with lots of old people waiting for something. Cycled into Pedro town in the afternoon until it looked like rain.
30 mile ride on an old railway track starting just behind where we’re parked. Got back about about 2pm and Kay decided she was going to brave the hairdresser!
Decided to take the Electronic Toll Road today, £3 added to my credit card in an instant. Big shop at Lidl but we’re now full. Had a wander around Viseu before the rain started again.
Drove to S Salvador do Mundo for a fantastic view over the Douro River but not the weather for great photos. Then all the way down the hill to Celorico Da Beira, a hilltop town with a castle.
Delayed our departure due to the rain. Once we got going, very scenic drive along the Douro river then up into the clouds towards S J Da Pesqueira. There were some beautiful views to see but not today. Waited for the drizzle to ease off and had a 2 hour walk to town and back.
Survived tropical storm Leslie last night although not much sleep was had. We stayed another day to go on the vineyard tour at Quinta Da Pacheca.
Drove for about 2 hours up and down the hills alongside the Douro river. Best drive of the trip. Parked up alongside the river and went for a ride. Kay’s nose sniffed out a vineyard and we’re booked on a tour for tomorrow. No tours today as a wedding was taking place while we were there.
Drove an InterMarche to wash the bedding and then on to Castelo De Paiva following the Douro river some of the time.
Metro into Porto after the heavy rain overnight. 6 hours of walking around Porto seeing the fantastic architecture.
Tried to fix the sliding cupboard catch, after an hour, failed. Filled up with LPG, diesel and food and drove to the outskirts of Porto.
Had a very scenic drive through the National Park with spectacular views down to the reservoir and the deep gorges. We ended up parking close to the beach after checking it out on our bikes.
Drove across the border into Portugal and up into the Penada-Geres National Park. Parked up at Montalegre with its imposing castle.