We are wandering again in Spain and Portugal

[Lenny HB]

The castle at one end cost a shocking €1.50 each

Obviously you didn't ask for the seniors discount.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Obviously you didn't ask for the seniors discount.

They couldn't believe I was old enough, nice people I thought.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

We managed to stick to the plan for once today and have finally made it to the algarve. We are at the camper stop or aire in Tavira. I don't normally give sites you pay for a plug, but this one is very good. It is spotless and our pitch has a water tap and electric, four days costs €37 including electric. There wasn't a package option with no electric, so we will use it to get everything charged.

It's been an admin day today, with shopping, washing, fixing, and financial jiggery pokey to do. So only one picture today. Think the forecast is a bit iffy tomorrow, but in theory we will cycle out for an explore. My main priority while we are here is to see some flamingos in the wild, so I can tick them off on my app. Sad I know.

 

[Peter and Julie]

Will have a look thanks, good suggestions. We are still in Portugal just.

Road (loosely termed) is similar to a farm track We were there a couple of months ago. 10 meter US RV. Nice owners, Showers great. Was very hot so we didn't move around too much 44c at the time.

 

[Westbarn1]

Still (loosely) following you, we are still in Salamanca, but will cross over to Portugal in a few days and head slowly South. Is your stop in Tavira at the Algarve Motorhome Park, Rue Vale de Caranguejo? Thanks. John.

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[Wanders from Glos]

Still (loosely) following you, we are still in Salamanca, but will cross over to Portugal in a few days and head slowly South. Is your stop in Tavira at the Algarve Motorhome Park, Rue Vale de Caranguejo? Thanks. John.

Yes that’s where we are. We were warned it gets very busy, by the end of the day there were a few spaces left but obviously not the best ones. Their website gives a live count of the number of free spaces.

If you are crossing over have a think about Mavao, if you like quant old towns.


https://algarvemotorhomepark.com/en/parques/tavira-autocaravanas-portugal-algarve/

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Road (loosely termed) is similar to a farm track We were there a couple of months ago. 10 meter US RV. Nice owners, Showers great. Was very hot so we didn't move around too much 44c at the time.

Not so hot now, but still very pleasant. There is the threat of rain today, but it seems to be nothing significant.

 

[Westbarn1]

Mavao, already noted and on my list for a stop Thank you.

 

[glastry]

If you download the "Fogos.pt" app, it gives you the up to date info on the fires.

Thank you Lenny HB

 

[activecampers]

Thanks for posting, adding the interesting names/places to our POI list. No idea if we'll visit them but good to "know" of good stuff in an area.
So keep them coming
The campervan parks look quite suitable and good value (we hate campsites, but well positioned safe parking areas always welcome)

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[Wanders from Glos]

This morning the blue skies turned dark and it rained for a couple of hours. We were still able to sit outside and enjoy a coffee and it gave me time to sort out mundane life jobs like the car insurance.

The rain stopped and we went for a wander around Tavera. It is like a lot of Portuguese towns, lovely whitewashed houses, interposed with one that has gone to rack and ruin. There is a castle and church, and lots of streets with nice shops and restaurants of all sizes and standards. Experience has taught us it is often better to chose somewhere to eat a little out of the centre. Today's was called Come Na Gaveta, literally meaning food from the drawer, apparently because shop keepers used to put their food in a drawer when a customer appeared. The food was superb, based around the idea of tapas.

The meat plate is a beef dish called Pica Pau (literally woodpecker beef), that was beautifully cooked. The other is tempura Octopus, that was equally yummy. Of course washed down with a nice red wine and finished with an espresso. I think we were lucky because the restaurant soon filled up and there was a constantly flow of people being turned away. For Portugal it was expensive around €49, but in the UK that standard of meal would be more than double.

Some pictures of Tavira showing how changeable the weather has been:

There is a free music festival this weekend so we sat and listened to a group of teenagers, doing pretty good covers of Pink Floyd, Hendrix and the like. There were three guitarists and they were exceptional. So the plan is to sit in the sun at the van for a few hours, cycle back in a watch the sun go down from a bar on the salt flats and then go back and watch some live music.

Not seen any flamingoes yet!

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Thanks for posting, adding the interesting names/places to our POI list. No idea if we'll visit them but good to "know" of good stuff in an area.
So keep them coming
The campervan parks look quite suitable and good value (we hate campsites, but well positioned safe parking areas always welcome)

Thank you, glad you are enjoying it. Most of the places we have visited are from other blogs and recommendations. Like you we prefer camperstops or aires, unless we feel the need for a swimming pool!

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Flamingos

 

[Jane And Rog]

We had a nice easy drive to Evora today. It is one of those places all the guidebooks say you must visit while you are in Portugal. Perhaps it is because we liked Mavao so much or maybe it is our third town in a row, but although nice enough we weren't excited by it. We are on the fee aire about 15 minutes walk from the centre. It is fine, but maybe slightly edgy, for example a beggar came to the door of the motorhome asking for money.

The town does have some nice squares with plenty of places to eat and some very Portuguese side streets. We stopped at a lovely bakery and bought almond cakes, they were delicious.

View attachment 952438View attachment 952439

There is a fine Roman Temple, supposedly to Diana, but I don't think they have managed to prove that through any documentation. As a bit of a history geek I was keen to see the baths unearthed in 1987 but unfortunately the building was being renovated so it was closed.

View attachment 952440View attachment 952441

The highlight for us was the church of Sao Francisco, with its crypt lined with human bones. Weird but fascinating and quite busy. Lots of American tourists saying 'owgh my God.

View attachment 952443View attachment 952444

Oh and there is an impressive viaduct, that was never finished due to 'imponderable events' according to the map from the tourist board.

View attachment 952445

We were intending to get to somewhere near the sea a few days back but were knocked a bit of course by the fires. We have loved the towns, especially Mavao, but we want some sun, sea and sand. Can't control the first one, but the second two we can, so tomorrow we will get up early and drive to somewhere like Tavira. But, of course, we often wake up and do something different!

Love the bones - reminds me of Sedlec on our last trip. Will have to see this! Loving your trip so far, thanks.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Love the bones - reminds me of Sedlec on our last trip. Will have to see this! Loving your trip so far, thanks.

Thanks, high praise, you both write so well.

There's a similar chapel in Rome, I can’t remember the name. When we went there with our girls when they were younger it’s all they wanted to see. Never mind the coliseum or Trevi Fountain.

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[GeeCee]

We managed to stick to the plan for once today and have finally made it to the algarve. We are at the camper stop or aire in Tavira. I don't normally give sites you pay for a plug, but this one is very good. It is spotless and our pitch has a water tap and electric, four days costs €37 including electric. There wasn't a package option with no electric, so we will use it to get everything charged.

It's been an admin day today, with shopping, washing, fixing, and financial jiggery pokey to do. So only one picture today. Think the forecast is a bit iffy tomorrow, but in theory we will cycle out for an explore. My main priority while we are here is to see some flamingos in the wild, so I can tick them off on my app. Sad I know.

View attachment 952954

Thinking of going there next week. Did you have any difficulty getting a pitch only I've heard it gets very full?

 

[Joethejoiner]

Yes that’s where we are. We were warned it gets very busy, by the end of the day there were a few spaces left but obviously not the best ones. Their website gives a live count of the number of free spaces.

If you are crossing over have a think about Mavao, if you like quant old towns.


https://algarvemotorhomepark.com/en/parques/tavira-autocaravanas-portugal-algarve/

Sorry can't find a Mavao , do you mean Marvao ?
If so are the black pigs next to the aire still there ?
May be following your route in a couple of weeks time though will be getting ferry to Dieppe .
Thanks for great info , keep it coming

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Sorry can't find a Mavao , do you mean Marvao ?
If so are the black pigs next to the aire still there ?
May be following your route in a couple of weeks time though will be getting ferry to Dieppe .
Thanks for great info , keep it coming

My apologies yes I do mean Marvao. There appear to be a number of alternative spellings! No sign of any pigs, perhaps they have been eaten, they do like their meat here.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Thinking of going there next week. Did you have any difficulty getting a pitch only I've heard it gets very full?

We didn’t have any problems. Their web site is really useful because it has a live update showing how many pitches are free. There is a link to it on post #66 or there abouts. The best choice seems to be between about 11 and 3pm.

 

[Joethejoiner]

My apologies yes I do mean Marvao. There appear to be a number of alternative spellings! No sign of any pigs, perhaps they have been eaten, they do like their meat here.

Yea was there many years ago pigs were were right next to the aire .
I got a bit lost trying to find aire and did a couple of circuits of very small village square , in the middle of a funeral !

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[Wanders from Glos]

Yea was there many years ago pigs were were right next to the aire .
I got a bit lost trying to find aire and did a couple of circuits of very small village square , in the middle of a funeral !

Oh my that is very narrow roads to meet a funeral on.

 

[DerfelUK]

Watching this carefully as it will, in 10 days be our first time in Spain and Portugal as we move up from southern Italy and French Riviera....heading to Algarve....

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Watching this carefully as it will, in 10 days be our first time in Spain and Portugal as we move up from southern Italy and French Riviera....heading to Algarve....

There are some good blogs on here for Spain, have a look at Lenny HB jumartoo suavecarve DBK to name just a few

 

[gwyntaxi]

We are wandering again tomorrow morning. I wasn’t sure where to put our blog this time as we plan to visit Portugal, but we love Spain so much we will probably dip in and out of both countries. Anyway, if Jim thinks it is in the wrong place he can always move it. We have four weeks, so to save time travelling through France we are catching the ferry to Santander from Plymouth, arriving lunchtime Thursday. The ferry is expensive (and a bit dull) but gets us there. Andrew retires at the end of February (although it is his third attempt at retiring so take it with a pinch of salt ) so it’s probably the last time we use the ferry as we will have more time to travel through France.

What does everyone do about fresh water, do you have a full tank on the ferry? I am inclined to fill up so we can stop anywhere, but for some reason worry about it the weight moving around on the ‘high seas’. I'm not sure I am being logical though since it moves around on the road.

As usual there is in an outline plan of places we want to visit but experience tells us we will end up deviating from the plan pretty quickly. We will be chasing the sun and don't mind it hot, so a lot will be determined by the forecasts, fortunately they look quite good at the moment. We try to alternate between historic towns or cities, rural areas and the coast, but it is always variable. Andrew quite likes a spot of bird watching and is hoping to see a few species he can tick off on our annual list so we will head towards some places where birding is known to be good. We increasingly tend to avoid sites, except when we want some R&R around a pool. So it will be aires and camper stops, unless a place we particularly want to visit only has a campsite. Annoyingly we have an upgrade to lithium coming but we have dithered so long about what to do we have run out of time before we go. We do have 150kw solar and a 95ah lead acid battery though, so should be fine for a couple of days. The only thing booked is a site near Porto towards the end of the trip and we are already wondering if it was a good idea, we don't like the constraint of having somewhere to head for on a certain day.

The plan will be to drive for about 100 miles southwards in Spain, heading roughly towards Braganca in Portugal. Then get some fuel and do some shopping. After the shopping we will chill out at an aire, maybe in a nice town we can explore, we are think possibly Palencia, but who knows.

We encourage ideas, comments and suggestions and hope you enjoy the blog.

Glos Wanderers
Previous trips:
France 2024
Germany 2023

We

We are wandering again tomorrow morning. I wasn’t sure where to put our blog this time as we plan to visit Portugal, but we love Spain so much we will probably dip in and out of both countries. Anyway, if Jim thinks it is in the wrong place he can always move it. We have four weeks, so to save time travelling through France we are catching the ferry to Santander from Plymouth, arriving lunchtime Thursday. The ferry is expensive (and a bit dull) but gets us there. Andrew retires at the end of February (although it is his third attempt at retiring so take it with a pinch of salt ) so it’s probably the last time we use the ferry as we will have more time to travel through France.

What does everyone do about fresh water, do you have a full tank on the ferry? I am inclined to fill up so we can stop anywhere, but for some reason worry about it the weight moving around on the ‘high seas’. I'm not sure I am being logical though since it moves around on the road.

As usual there is in an outline plan of places we want to visit but experience tells us we will end up deviating from the plan pretty quickly. We will be chasing the sun and don't mind it hot, so a lot will be determined by the forecasts, fortunately they look quite good at the moment. We try to alternate between historic towns or cities, rural areas and the coast, but it is always variable. Andrew quite likes a spot of bird watching and is hoping to see a few species he can tick off on our annual list so we will head towards some places where birding is known to be good. We increasingly tend to avoid sites, except when we want some R&R around a pool. So it will be aires and camper stops, unless a place we particularly want to visit only has a campsite. Annoyingly we have an upgrade to lithium coming but we have dithered so long about what to do we have run out of time before we go. We do have 150kw solar and a 95ah lead acid battery though, so should be fine for a couple of days. The only thing booked is a site near Porto towards the end of the trip and we are already wondering if it was a good idea, we don't like the constraint of having somewhere to head for on a certain day.

The plan will be to drive for about 100 miles southwards in Spain, heading roughly towards Braganca in Portugal. Then get some fuel and do some shopping. After the shopping we will chill out at an aire, maybe in a nice town we can explore, we are think possibly Palencia, but who knows.

We encourage ideas, comments and suggestions and hope you enjoy the blog.

Glos Wanderers
Previous trips:
France 2024
Germany 2023

I would like to go for a couple of months in the autumn too but prefer to save my 90 days for the colder months i.e. Jan/Feb/March....Just my preference really.

 

[varaizian]

I've been following this thread avidly but without saying much and I am thoroughly enjoying it. We've just started thinking about our winter trip over a similar route but will give a miss to some of the very high spots shown which will probably be very cold by then. We only have Ericeira (to visit a long-standing friend of my wife's) and Vila Nova de Milfontes (a favourite) pencilled in at the moment. There is always more to learn so thanks very much. Entering Portugal near Chaves would be a first.

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[Wanders from Glos]

We

I would like to go for a couple of months in the autumn too but prefer to save my 90 days for the colder months i.e. Jan/Feb/March....Just my preference really.

I can understand that. We plan a six week trip to Cambodia and Vietnam in March after I retire. January is for skiing In the future we could see ourselves wintering in the South of Spain, possibly Portugal. Probably Spain to be honest.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

I've been following this thread avidly but without saying much and I am thoroughly enjoying it. We've just started thinking about our winter trip over a similar route but will give a miss to some of the very high spots shown which will probably be very cold by then. We only have Ericeira (to visit a long-standing friend of my wife's) and Vila Nova de Milfontes (a favourite) pencilled in at the moment. There is always more to learn so thanks very much. Entering Portugal near Chaves would be a first.

Glad you are enjoying it. Yes definitely too cold in the hills, already fresh at night and in the morning. We plan to stop in Chaves on the way home.

 

[activecampers]

I can understand that. We plan a six week trip to Cambodia and Vietnam in March after I retire. January is for skiing In the future we could see ourselves wintering in the South of Spain, possibly Portugal. Probably Spain to be honest.

We love Asia - many months backpacking the area. Cambodia we love.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

We love Asia - many months backpacking the area. Cambodia we love.

Claire travelled before we met and spent quite a bit of time in Thailand, but neither of us have been to Cambodia or Vietnam.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

The weather has been a typical balmy late summer or early autumn day. Mostly sunny and not too hot, in the mid-20s with a nice breeze. We decided to catch the boat to Ilha Tavira, which in truth is a long sand sit separated from the town by a narrow stretch of sea.

The only way across is water taxi (likely to cause palpitations of the wallet) or small passenger ferry. Plus to get to the ferry we had to cycle pass flamingos, what's not to like. The crossing is €1.90 return and takes about 10 minutes, which is passed looking at the view.

The beach is wide long, bringing to mind the beaches in Brazil. Perhaps that is why the Portuguese colonised it!The sea was perfect for swimming and not too cold for those of a wimpy persuasion... like me. There is a small hub of restaurants offering assorted fish based meals, so we may go back tomorrow and have lunch there.

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