Returning to Spain and Portugal 2024

 We make a picnic and set off on our bikes after breakfast. We’re heading to Praia do Malhao which Google maps says is a 20 minute cycle. Sadly we are very soon on unsurfaced roads which are dusty, sandy and very uneven. Progress is very slow. It’s certainly rural and through the poorer rural parts of the area. An hour later (!) we arrive at the beach hoping it will be worth it. Indeed it is. A large expanse of beach with cliffs, rolling surf and few crowds. We even pitch our new sunshade and get settled in for the day. There is a lifeguard but infact we’re not brave enough to venture in past our knees as the waves are so big and are breaking near the shore. We can cool off though. The hours while away and by 5pm the waves have abated a bit and we can manage a full exhilarating immersion. We cycle back along the main road. More traffic but much better and probably more like 20 minutes. We head into town for supper for our first evening meal out. Many places are closed on Mondays an...

 Happy birthday Mum! It’s a really cold night and I have not reacted well to the prawns. Delicious though they were. I don’t get much sleep and am feeling rather queasy all day. We pack up and drive about 40 minutes up the coast to Vila Nova Milfontes. An attractive quite developed seaside resort at the mouth of the River Mira. It’s not easy choosing a pitch at the campsite as there seems to be too much choice. Once established I have a sleep in the upstairs accommodation while Simon reads and has a bit of lunch. Then we cycle into the town and sit on one of the town beaches at the mouth of the estuary. Back to base as the temperature plummets. I’m not much fun today and Simon has to make do with bread and cheese for supper. Hopefully I’ll be better tomorrow. 

 Today we walk the Fisherman’s Trail and have a Fisherman’s lunch.  We cycle north for about 25 minutes to the small fishing port of Azenho do Mar. We leave the bikes and walk through the sandy cliff top dunes southwards on the Fisherman’s trail. Storks soar above us mingling with the hills before perching on their precarious nests. The coastline is rugged and reminds us of Cornwall on a sunny day. After about an hour we reach the headland at the mouth of the River Seixe and enjoy fine views over to Odeceixe where we were yesterday. We retrace our steps back to the port where we get at table at Cafe Palhinas. Recommended by Ben and Sally it is very rustic with plastic tables and chairs but in a magnificent position overlooking the sea. We have to wait for the Cataplana to be freshly cooked but it is worth it and absolutely delicious. The prawns are enormous! Then we cycle a bit further and walk down to a quiet and impressive beach Praia do Amalia where we while away a couple o...

 It’s lovely to wake up to the prospect of good weather although there seems to be an autumnal dew. After breakfast we set off in our bikes equipped for the beach. It’s quite a long cycle along the Seixe estuary but not too hilly except for the last bit which sends us up a steep one way system. The village is set up on the cliffs and we walk down on to the sand. There are quite big waves and the life guard is busy blowing his whistle. We settle at the far side but have to move several times due to freak waves and encroaching shade from the cliffs. Exhilarating dips in the sea intersperse the reading. Lunch at Restaurant Dorita overlooking the beach. Octopus salad, salt cod salad and delicious clams with coriander and garlic. Local cakes to follow. Back to the beach for a snooze and more reading: Sally Rooney for me, Robert Harris for Simon. As the sun fades and the temperature cools we cycle home. About half an hour, so not without its challenge. The campsite is still quiet and we ...

 Rather a grey morning but dry at least. The forecast is not good for this afternoon so we decide to move on a short way down the coast to Odeceixe. It’s only about 15 minutes away, our shortest transfer! We refuel with supplies at a good Intermarche at San Teotónio on the way. Not tempted by the Bacalhau. The campsite looks rather scruffy in the damp grey weather and seems spookily deserted. It’s hard to choose a pitch and I get a bit moody! Once in place under the pine trees we decide to cycle into the town which is only about 10 minutes away. We find a lovely restaurant Taberna do Gabao and sit in a very authentic Portuguese dining room. We choose the special of the day which is a delicious slow cooked lamb stew with fried bread, carrots and turnip. And a slice of sticky fig and almond cake for afters. It’s now raining properly so we get a bit wet cycling back up the hill. We read in the van until it starts to brighten up and we manage a swim in the pool to freshen up. A few mor...

 Rain overnight as predicted. And a grey mist fills the air as we wake. Nothing looks quite the same and it’s difficult to know what to do. We opt to walk and pack light with waterproof jackets and swimming costumes just in case. We head south along the Fisherman’s Trail and initially mingle with the stragglers doing the whole trail. It’s difficult to know whether to overtake or not but eventually we find our space. It’s quite challenging terrain through sand. Cliff tops covered in shrubs, some remnants of heather and other stuff turning autumnal in colour. The beaches look stunning but less glorious in the grey mist. We get to Carvalhal and sit against rocks reading our books. Occasionally we have to put on waterproofs and raise umbrellas. We find a restaurant for lunch in a nearby campsite which has sounded very promising on the website. In reality very disappointing. Nasty under grilled sardines and fried fish that seemed to consist of bones and heads more suited to making a fis...

 It’s our Anniversary. Simon is very smug as he has remembered to bring me a card. And a very apt one at that! I’ve left mine at home and he has to make do with a postcard! We’re a bit undecided about what to do but end up spending the morning on the town beach at Zambojeira do Mar reading and swimming. We then cycle about 3km north to a restaurant recommended by Ben and Sally: A Barca Tranquitanas. We have a glass of delicious pale Alentejan Rose wine, octopus salad for me and marinated anchovies for Simon. Then we share a freshly caught and cooked sea bream. All really delicious. For pudding we try a traditional Portuguese dessert made with leftover egg whites called Farofias. Very good. We are on the Fisherman’s Trail here, a seemingly very popular walking route and we are reminded of the Santiago pilgrims. After lunch we find a quieter beach Nosse Senhora and while away a few more hours before bread and cheese at base camp. It’s dark before 8pm now and we even eat inside the va...

 We’re on the road by 9am and I’m driving my first proper leg. Certainly rural for the first hour on small country roads through rustic villages with white and Alentejo blue houses, cork trees stripped of their bark and then vineyards. Mainer roads then lead us to Beja where we stop for a coffee and pastel de nata and a visit to the supermarket. Simon does the next leg, no toll roads yet, and we wind our way westwards to the coast at Zambujeira do Mar. The campsite is large and really pretty full. It’s hard to choose a spot but eventually we find a good pitch and set up home. Picnic lunch by the van and then we walk about 400m to the beach. Stunning. The sea is much warmer than the swimming pools we’ve been in. Waves like Cornwall but quite a bit warmer. Salad Nicoise of sorts sitting outside listening to the cicadas. This is hard to beat. 

 After breakfast we cycle off in walking gear and leave the bikes at the nearby village about 3 miles away. We the follow the marked track for the PR6 route which starts rather inauspiciously through a farmyard with a lot of well hung bulls on either side behind a fence and even worse the stiff carcass of a large cow lying on its side. After that the scenery improves and we walk through the rural outback with hay bales, olive trees, cork and holm oak trees. We see some cork trees with the bark removed labelled 20. We presume 2020 as we gather it takes 7 years for the cork bark to regrow. So clever. Dusty landscapes, the odd rustic dwelling and one hermitage. A quick picnic overlooking the lake and then a cycle home to relax by the pool for a few hours. Tinned beans and rice for supper. Washed down with some local wine. It’s been a lovely relaxing and authentic stay here. We’re heading to the coast for some seafood tomorrow.