Sunday we packed our Campervan, Nellie and headed west and into Portugal for a few days. It’s around a four hour drive and somewhat of a convoluted route as you need to head up to Seville to cross the Guadalquivir river before heading west to Huelva and then along and into Portugal.
On crossing the border into Portugal, foreign vehicles are diverted away from the main motorway lanes to register for the toll system. The car number plate is then associated with a credit card and the toll for the bridge into Portugal can then be deducted automatically along with the road tolls on the A22.
Except that Portugal removed tolls from the bridge and the entire A22 along the southern coast. Apparently the EU (no doubt with pressure from Germany) were none too impressed that a) They financed a new Motorway to be built in Portugal and b) The Portuguese government then slapped a toll to generate revenue from the EU investment.
Anyway, for the moment, the tolls are gone.
We hadn’t booked anywhere for our first night which was in Albufeira. Whilst our destination was much further west, we did stay in Albufeira some 25 to 30 years ago – in fact our last visit to Portugal and we wanted to stay here again. We couldn’t actually remember where we stayed but we visited slightly out of season (maybe May or June time) and found most places closed.
How things have changed. Albufeira was busy – a little bit run down and perhaps a smaller version of Benidorm.
We found a pitch at Camping Albufeira (the site was mostly full and they don’t take advanced bookings) for the princely sum of 15 Euros. At that price, there is just no reason to wild camp. However, wild camping in much of Portugal is again allowed after a brief suspension and one can stay up to 48 hours in a municipality so long as the camper van or motorhome is fully self-contained.
It’s about a thirty minute walk into the town of Albufeira and that’s where we headed after checking in to the campsite. We looked around the town and drank Gin & Tonic at a bar overlooking the beach.
In the evening, we ate at the campsite restaurant which had a most impressive wood burning stove and lovely views across the campsite.
The stove was just perfect for the cool evening.
The next day we drove further west until we arrived at Turistcampo Lagos, near to Praia de Luz. A top-rated site at which we had managed to book a pitch for 3 nights. That was the longest stay available and the campsite was full. Our pitch was pre-allocated and wasn’t the best pitch we have had. Too much shade for the time of year. It was fully serviced with electricity, water and waste water disposal. None of which we needed nor utilised.
Tuesday we caught the bus to Sagres which is at the very Western tip of the Algarve and it is historically connected to the early Portuguese Age of Discovery.
Sagres is actually near the Western end of the world’s longest estimated straight-line path over land, at 11,241 km, ending near Jinjiang in China.
We weren’t particularly early in setting off and so by the time the bus had meandered its way to Sagres, it was already lunchtime. Being that it was a Tuesday (and Tuesday is our pizza night (Ember Pizza) at the Bridge Inn in Topsham) we felt obliged to eat Pizza.
We shared a delicious meatball Italian pizza before heading to the Fortress of Sagres, which was built to protect the strategic coastal position and the coves that sheltered shipping.
The church of Santa Maria, consecrated in 1519, to the invocation of Nossa Senhora da Graça (Our Lady of Grace) was constructed at the centre of the site, during the reign of King Manuel I of Portugal. The fortification was remodelled in the 16th, 17th and 18th century, after various attacks (including an assault by Francis Drake in 1587); its current form dates to 1793.
On the cliff edges were numerous fishermen; apparently there are several deaths each year fishing from cliffs above the sea…
Wednesday we headed into Lagos before spending the late afternoon at Praia de Luz. Again we used the bus services from nearby the campsite for our travels.
Lagos castle and the old medieval walls are located close to river Bensafrim close to the fort of Porta da Bandeira.
The Fort is located at the point where the Bensafrim River meets the Atlantic Ocean. This position was of great strategic importance, being close to the walls of the city but with easy access to the sea. In this way it could protect both access to the quays along the banks of the river and the south-eastern and eastern sides of the walls, and allow crossfire with the bastions of Lagos Castle and the city gates.
At the time of its construction it was considered one of the most advanced in the Algarve region
Some photos of Praia de Luz, where we enjoyed late afternoon drinks in the sunshine on a warm “winters” day.
Returning to Conil on Thursday, we were treated to a beautiful sunset. This might be the last one we see for a while as the weather is turning much wetter and unsettled for perhaps the next two weeks.
