Monday 23 September: to the sea

 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. 





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