Portugal - so sad

[OldCodger]

They are scum & use illegal & criminal methods to obtain money

It is because they are an EU wide company who breach gdpr / data protection by using info in one country in others & info from one company in all there others. They are also TFL's registration company so it would be quite easy to receive the portugese) insert name of any country here) veicle details & then use the uk arm to request details for the owner.

AS above.Yes they can it is just the methods of obtaining the details that are mired in criminality & deceit

2 above, Portugal supplies info the epc .eu who ask epc.plc ,who contact dvla etc; etc. There are plenty of breaches of info in their methods. That 's apart from the back handing of the Belgian court official found to have made 26,000 applications for belgian driver info, all illegal, on EPC's behalf before they then moved on to the similar Italian official,now also out of business
#backhandersrus,

I suspect it is even simpler than that. No data needs to leave the UK. The Uk company buy the debt, pay the Pt authorities who give them just the number plate. i.e. No PII transfered. Then the UK company uses its resources to track down the vehicle and Roberts your Fathers Brother.

The interesting challenge would be to see if it is the vehicles registered keeper who is liable or the driver. How could they prove who the driver was?

 

[varaizian]

Ships in the night then. We leave 23rd March. One tip. Forget using the toll roads the others are more than adequate and not at all busy. If you want tips about TC drop me a pm, we are on our 6th winter visit. Love it.

7

Totally agree about the friendliness of the Portuguese, and, yes, we have found many off-site locations while we've been here, but they are few and not necessarily where you would choose to stay.

As I said I'm happy to pay for campsites/Aires, but this is now the highest season - more so than any other time of the year - and Portugal's clamp down on wild camping means that they are absolutely rammed.

Staying off-site in Portugal now means spending the night with many others, and that's not my idea of wild camping. And the reason for that is that everyone has to choose their location very carefully, or just hope that they will be lucky and the police don't come calling in the middle of the night.

The comments in SfS and P4N detail exactly how and where the local police line their pockets if you choose badly. Cash fines. Always. (I wonder why?)

And the non-motorway road surfaces are truly atrocious - nobody will convince me otherwise.

I'm afraid it all adds up.

Portugal is still a wonderful country to visit, but it's nothing like as wonderful as it was.

And that's just sad.

Maybe they will learn from their mistakes - but I won't be coming back to find out.

Portugal won’t miss you. Go somewhere else. Yes, it is busier nowadays, but nowhere I have been is “rammed”. The roads I have used have been better than Spain. It is clearly not for you. Duck and weave elsewhere elsewhere is my advice.

 

[tomgrey]

There are certainly a lot of MOHOs here at the moment. Mostly are not British. It is a lovely place and today (Algarve) was wall to wall sunshine. Tonight the temperature will dip to about 12c (cool enough for a good night's sleep) and hopefully tomorrow we will be back up to 20c, which is about equivalent to a summers day in blighty. Driving on the roads here is a pleasure, hardly ever too much traffic and general condition of roads is much better than UK.

 

[GoldenVision]

7

Portugal won’t miss you. Go somewhere else. Yes, it is busier nowadays, but nowhere I have been is “rammed”. The roads I have used have been better than Spain. It is clearly not for you. Duck and weave elsewhere elsewhere is my advice.

And that's exactly what I said I would do

Goodbye Portugal - no longer wonderful.

I won't miss you... or your roads... or your money-grabbing police...

 

[OldCodger]

And that's exactly what I said I would do

Goodbye Portugal - no longer wonderful.

I won't miss you... or your roads... or your money-grabbing police...

Oh come on. It’s still rather nice. Even if it’s not what it used to be

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[Toady]

Cracking day here in Tavira. What’s not to like??

 

[DandJ]

....and another one here today near Loule...with tomorrow looking great too. Odd, a near 500 mile professional cycle stage race around the entire Algarve seemed to find lots of well surfaced roads. It really isn't all doom and gloom folks.

 

[seasideBill]

Does anybody know why the Portuguese sound a loud siren at 12noon every day? Only clue I’ve seen so far is it’s something to do with lunch? Seems a bit weird, can anybody throw a light on this daily event? Heard in Albufeira.

First day we heard it we thought Putin might have kicked off

 

[Dorset Diver]

Does anybody know why the Portuguese sound a loud siren at 12noon every day? Only clue I’ve seen so far is it’s something to do with lunch? Seems a bit weird, can anybody throw a light on this daily event? Heard in Albufeira.

Spot one Bill. It's the call to lunch.

 

[seasideBill]

Spot one Bill. It's the call to lunch.

Great idea…. albeit a bit early for me. They should have one for happy hour later in the day.

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[Nigel Crompton]

Civil defense alert test. Like wot we used to have in the UK in the 50's and 60's
Possibly, as a tsunami warning ... Lagos has evacuation route signage on the seafront ...

 

[OldCodger]

Does anybody know why the Portuguese sound a loud siren at 12noon every day? Only clue I’ve seen so far is it’s something to do with lunch? Seems a bit weird, can anybody throw a light on this daily event? Heard in Albufeira.

First day we heard it we thought Putin might have kicked off

Lunch Siren. Theres a factory 5k from us. Goes off at 12:30 and 5:30. Shortly afterwards there’s a stream of cars down the road.

 

[Barryh]

Lunch Siren. Theres a factory 5k from us. Goes off at 12:30 and 5:30. Shortly afterwards there’s a stream of cars down the road.

Blimey that brings back childhood memories. The morning, dinner time and finishing time sirens at Fletchers paper mill near us could be heard for miles.

 

[Dorset Diver]

Great idea…. albeit a bit early for me. They should have one for happy hour later in the day.

In the bundo it's the call to the workers to get to the Adega where they can get a three course lunch with wine or beer and water at the government controlled price. Visitors are very welcome and the places we have used have always served really good fare. The last one we used served a really substantial veg soup with bread, a grilled belly pork with rice and chips, apple pie, a flagon of water as much red or white wine as you want, and a super strength thimble of coffee. 5.30 euro per head. None of it fancy but all very tasty and the locals could not have been more friendly.

 

[nicholsong]

In the bundo it's the call to the workers to get to the Adega where they can get a three course lunch with wine or beer and water at the government controlled price. Visitors are very welcome and the places we have used have always served really good fare. The last one we used served a really substantial veg soup with bread, a grilled belly pork with rice and chips, apple pie, a flagon of water as much red or white wine as you want, and a super strength thimble of coffee. 5.30 euro per head. None of it fancy but all very tasty and the locals could not have been more friendly.

Is there a website or other way of finding them please?

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[Dorset Diver]

Is there a website or other way of finding them please?

Not that I'm aware of but most places have them. You just have to keep an eye out.

 

[JJ]

One goes off every day in Silves at midday.

I used it as the sign for me to get out of bed...



JJ

 

[GoldenVision]

Oh come on. It’s still rather nice. Even if it’s not what it used to be

It is definitely still rather nice. But so are many other places with a more welcoming attitude to Motorhomes (UK excepted, of course).

 

[OldCodger]

It is definitely still rather nice. But so are many other places with a more welcoming attitude to Motorhomes (UK excepted, of course).

Well our visas are approved. We’re on our way to living there.

 

[GoldenVision]

Well our visas are approved. We’re on our way to living there.

A different kettle of fish entirely

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[varaizian]

Going back to #152 I was rather tart with you; for which, in hindsight, I apologise. Having travelled slowly through Spain, down the Atlantic coast of Portugal and across to Praia de Luz it was mostly much busier than previous years. We crossed the Algarve only stopping once but without being too coastal. We have been turned away from full sites 3 times in Spain; even from previously quiet inland aires in Murcia! Now heading back home inland across to SW France so do not anticipate any further problems but have come to the conclusion that the days of freewheeling trips are over and, because we don’t want to book everything in advance, our casual meanderings around southern Europe are over. We will stick to France; but how hard is that?

 

[varaizian]

Well our visas are approved. We’re on our way to living there.

Very happy for you; have a great time.

 

[OldCodger]

Very happy for you; have a great time.

t’est en France? Tu habite la? On cherche la pour nos meme..

 

[Razamataz]

Spot one Bill. It's the call to lunch.

 

[varaizian]

t’est en France? Tu habite la? On cherche la pour nos meme..

Apologies for slow reply. A very good friend died last night and we are rushing to get home now. French funerals happen in the same week.
Yes, we bought our house in ‘89 and moved there permanently 18 years ago. We qualified for Withdrawal Agreement residency so no need for visas.
Portugal is warmer, has wonderful food and the people are mostly delightful but…..that language!

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[dpsuk999]

Spot one Bill. It's the call to lunch.

I wondered what the noise was coming from number 8 every day around midday

 

[OldCodger]

Apologies for slow reply. A very good friend died last night and we are rushing to get home now. French funerals happen in the same week.
Yes, we bought our house in ‘89 and moved there permanently 18 years ago. We qualified for Withdrawal Agreement residency so no need for visas.
Portugal is warmer, has wonderful food and the people are mostly delightful but…..that language!

Sorry to read about your friend. My condolences- the older Portuguese speak French so several discussions with tradesmen are in French. (I’ve lived and worked in France as well)

Our choice of locations for our retirement was Limosin or Central Portugal.

 

[varaizian]

Sorry to read about your friend. My condolences- the older Portuguese speak French so several discussions with tradesmen are in French. (I’ve lived and worked in France as well)

Our choice of locations for our retirement was Limosin or Central Portugal.

We have found the same. My wife had a very animated conversation with a small, gnarled Portuguese man (she is only 4ft 11ins too) about his time in Paris laying tiles!
The Limosin can be very cold and quiet in winter. I think you have chosen well.

 

[OldCodger]

We have found the same. My wife had a very animated conversation with a small, gnarled Portuguese man (she is only 4ft 11ins too) about his time in Paris laying tiles!
The Limosin can be very cold and quiet in winter. I think you have chosen well.

We are in Tomar. We lost all the lemons on our tree to frost last year

 

[AlanandMayya]

I will be keeping my fingers crossed that my Fulli tag works. We’ve not been to Portugal before so I hope it does otherwise it does sound like a bit of a palaver but I’m sure we’ll survive!

We are heading to Romania in September/October but it’s on an organised tour. Really looking forward to seeing your country. It sounds beautiful. One of our sons has worked with a number of Romanians over the past few years in London. I had no idea until then that Romanian was one of the Romance languages I thought it had the same root as the Eastern European languages. How ignorant was I. Matthew can speak Spanish and they were working with the homeless.

Whoops, I’ve gone off on a tangent!

But that’s what van life is all about isn’t it. Enjoying going off at every available tangent! Bravo!

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