We are wandering again in Spain and Portugal

[Wanders from Glos]

I remember that hill with the cars parked being much steeper than it looks in your photo.
Great place for a stop over.

It felt steep to walk up!

 

[varaizian]

We docked in Santander to light misty rain. A word of warning customs were randomly selecting and pulling over motorhomes. They had two large green wheelie bins and were throwing food into them, I assume after a fridge and cupboard search. Fortunately we were not selected, although all we had were two apples! I've never seen this happening before.

We decided to stop at a small Lupo supermarket we have used before near Santilana del Mar and were pleasantly surprised but both quality and price. Also for my lactose intolerance, lots of different milks 'sin lactosa'. We bought a couple assuming it might be harder to get in Portugal. Then we headed south up through the hills onto the plateau where the rain had stopped but there was still a lot of cloud with the odd burst of sunshine. The aire in Palencia we had planned on stopping at was full and did not really look our thing, so we decided to press on to another one not far away in Ampudia.

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We were so glad we headed here the free aire is very good, with free services too. It is next to a small bullring and behind some trees is the most amazing castle from the C15th, no more than 200 yards away. The town is fabulous too and very old, with walkways covered by the first floor of all the buildings. It is a lovely town and not at all touristy. A great find and well worth visiting.

We decided not to eat out as we are both tired, instead we will get some bread and coffee tomorrow so that we put some money back into the town. Plus we need diesel .

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The clouds are rolling away leaving a starry night. I stepped out of the van to get a night picture of the castle.

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We stayed there late January or early February several years ago and it was bitterly cold so I left the heating on low overnight. I was certain that the gas bottle was full but it was empty in the morning! We had a quiet couple of hours heading south with only 1 bottle left. We did find a small garage with all the fittings who filled the empty for me so good relations were resumed!

 

[Hamiltonclan]

I bet you got off before us Are you heading into Portugal later or staying in Spain.

Setting off towards Porto Monday morning, stop on the way at Castelo de Castelo Rodrigo
Hopefully there by Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. Not sure where to stay in/around Porto yet

Ps. We were amongst the last 5/6 mh's on, down with the bikers, last few off the boat.

 

[berni109]

It's been mentioned on here a few times. The biograhical park ( or something like that) at aventsis is a really good place to stay if you can get in. We stayed then moved to a campsite. Would have been better to stay and get the bus.

Avintis biologico park - you never would have found it with my original guess

 

[Hamiltonclan]

It's been mentioned on here a few times. The biograhical park ( or something like that) at aventsis is a really good place to stay if you can get in. We stayed then moved to a campsite. Would have been better to stay and get the bus.

Avintis biologico park - you never would have found it with my original guess

Thanks Berni, read your post on that, looking favorite at mo

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[Wanders from Glos]

We stayed there late January or early February several years ago and it was bitterly cold so I left the heating on low overnight. I was certain that the gas bottle was full but it was empty in the morning! We had a quiet couple of hours heading south with only 1 bottle left. We did find a small garage with all the fittings who filled the empty for me so good relations were resumed!

Sounds like the nightmare scenario

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Setting off towards Porto Monday morning, stop on the way at Castelo de Castelo Rodrigo
Hopefully there by Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. Not sure where to stay in/around Porto yet

Ps. We were amongst the last 5/6 mh's on, down with the bikers, last few off the boat.

I think you you were in front of the boat, and we had a quick chat?

 

[Wanders from Glos]

It's been mentioned on here a few times. The biograhical park ( or something like that) at aventsis is a really good place to stay if you can get in. We stayed then moved to a campsite. Would have been better to stay and get the bus.

Avintis biologico park - you never would have found it with my original guess

Sounds interesting I have marked it on the list. Thanks

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Our meal last night was a real meat feast with no vegetables in sight. I had a steak in pepper sauce and Claire chose lamb chops. When it arrived there was no room on either plate for anything other than the meat, Claire's was five large chops cooked on charcoal. A further large plate of homemade and delicious chips had to be delivered separately. We washed it down with half a litre of house red, which was surprisingly good. To our further surprise we managed to eat everything. The price was €31.50 including a tip. I don't think you could have bought the meat for that in the UK.

We slept well despite a large group of Portuguese motorhomes eating a meal altogether at a long table. I think the combination of sun, walking and a lot of meat not to mention the odd beer and wine helped, but it was very quiet. In the morning it was quite fresh, but blue skies and warming up nicely. For once we stuck to the plan and headed for the hills and a campsite with a pool, so we could recharge our own and our electronic equipment's batteries.

The drive here was beautiful, partly along the Douro Valley with vines covering every bit of the hills. The roads were even emptier than Spain, I don't think we saw another car for many miles. We are at a lovely campsite in the middle of nowhere somewhere east of Viseu. The S4S link is below and we thoroughly recommend it, at €19 using ACSI.

https://www.searchforsites.co.uk/marker.php?id=20585

By lunch time it was very hot, over 30C and so we swam in the pool and relaxed in the sun, then cooked sausages for dinner on the Cadac.

Despite the palpitations of the wallet we have decided we will stay tomorrow as well and go for a bike ride in the hills, maybe a walk too.

 

[Ro55y]

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

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[Jay L]

Jealous, but I plan to retire 31/3/25 and will take ferry to Bilbao or Santander. Saw a nice camping on the coast but nothing after that, maybe meander to the Med. Happy travels!

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Jealous, but I plan to retire 31/3/25 and will take ferry to Bilbao or Santander. Saw a nice camping on the coast but nothing after that, maybe meander to the Med. Happy travels!

Thanks, enjoy your retirement

 

[Wanders from Glos]

A lazy day today and another hot one. Wildfires are a real problem here at the moment, we have seen a few in the distance and lots of appliances on blues, plus helicopters and planes carrying water. There has been a bit more wind today and they have got a lot closer, this is from the campsite. Fortunately the wind is blowing it away from us rather than towards us.

We got the bikes out and cycled into a couple of local villages. We always enjoy the out of the way villages, they aren't old or notable, just locals going about their lives. It feels like the real Portugal. This is Vila Nova de Paiva.

Cycling around we saw a lot these shed like structures. We thought they might be for storing grain as they are raised off the ground, but any of you locals know for sure?

The thing about Portugal we really like is how little everything costs. We did some food shopping today, and bought milk, four bottles of iced tea, some sun screen, fresh fish, chocolate, shampoo and a few bits and bobs, the total was €15. In the UK or France the fish would have cost that. Then we went for coffee, the waiter said €2 so I gave him €4 and he said no they are €1 each!

If you want a cheap break, come to Portugal. We will move on tomorrow and have a few options, see what we think in the morning.

Glos Wanderers
Previous trips:
France 2024
Germany 2023

 

[Westbarn1]

Following you....left Ampudia this morning, have now stopped in Tores Cannot decide whether to head into Portugal or a bit South to Salamanca next.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Following you....left Ampudia this morning, have now stopped in Tores Cannot decide whether to head into Portugal or a bit South to Salamanca next.



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Tricky decision, we can recommend Salamanca for a couple of days stop. Bragança was very nice too.

Glos Wanderers
Previous trips:
France 2024
Germany 2023

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[Lenny HB]

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

 

[Wanders from Glos]

An update on these narrow wooden constructions .........

We asked a local Portuguese person about them. They are used for drying corn, not just the grains but the whole sheaf. They place them in the hut and then the wind gets through the wood and underneath (because they are elevated) and the corn gets dried. Then it is stored elsewhere and more gets dried. Often these days they are used for drying wood for winter fires.

Glos Wanderers
Previous trips:
France 2024
Germany 2023

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Well today did not turn out as planned. We knew the wild fires were getting worse and hoped we could still make it to the coast around Figueira da Fox. We spoke to the campsite owner who thought there the motorway might be open near Viseu. The drive to the motorway was interesting and slow, coming very close to the fires, at one point it was still smoking at the side of the road. No photos unfortunately only videos and I haven't got a clue how to upload those.

To the south the smoke looked like fog, so we were not overly surprised when the police told us they had closed all routes, south, east and west. The only direction we could go was north west and if wanted to go south still take a large loop on small roads towards the border. The app Lenny HB recommended proved invaluable, because we were able to workout which roads were likely to be open, thank you Lenny. The picture below gives an idea of how surrounded we were, but also how bad it is in Northern Portugal right now. We feel desperately sorry for the people loosing lives and property. I served as a firefighter for 13 years and went to a few wildfires, the largest was 600 acres, which is nothing by comparison to this.

We stopped to have a think over a cup of coffee and decided to head to somewhere near the Spanish border through a round about route. It took nearly four hours to do just over 100 miles, but we are now in Guarda, the highest city in Portugal at 3300 feet. The old town is interesting if a little tired in places but we enjoyed a wander and drinking a beer in the main square's sunshine.

To be honest the photos make it look slightly better than it is, but things could have turned out a lot worse. We will wander back into the centre and see if we can get something to eat while we ponder whether to try and carry on in Portugal by working our way down near the Spanish border where the roads are still open, or whether to cut our losses and head towards Andalucia.

 

[Ingwe]

Great photos and well done for managing to turn, I’d imagine, a fairly stressful situation into an adventure. Hope all goes well from now on and thanks for posting. Looking forward to the next instalment. Be careful.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Great photos and well done for managing to turn, I’d imagine, a fairly stressful situation into an adventure. Hope all goes well from now on and thanks for posting. Looking forward to the next instalment. Be careful.

Thanks, we seem to have these events. We were in Iceland earlier this year and got out a few hours before the big eruption hit where we were!

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[Ingwe]

Thanks, we seem to have these events. We were in Iceland earlier this year and got out a few hours before the big eruption hit where we were!

Please tell us your next planned destination so that we can be sure to avoid it!

 

[Lenny HB]

No photos unfortunately only videos and I haven't got a clue how to upload those.

Upload them to YouTube then post a link, you can only upload very small videos direct to the forum.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

We went back into Guarda for dinner yesterday and found a small family run restaurant called Belo Horizonte. The lady of the house showed us to a table, she could easily have been over 80 and definitely wasn't much over four foot. The clientele were nearly all Portuguese plus a few French (there seem to be a lot of French motorhomes). The food was the usual huge Portuguese portions and was fabulous, Claire had Salted Codfish with cream and leaks (it tasted better than it looked) and I had Dourado. For desert I had a slab of yummy sheeps cheese and we washed it down with a bottle of wine and a bottle of water followed by two espressos. It was expensive for Portugal, around £45 but worth every penny.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

This morning we decided to press on in Portugal following the border with Spain so that we leave the fires behind us in the north and west. We saw a few blue lights but it went smoothly with holdups and very little traffic. We are now at the most fabulous town called Mavao, genuinely one of the nicest places we have been. The aire is next to a monastery and perched on a cliff top, 2,500 above sea level with views across to Spain.

After lunch we walked into the town originally built by the Moors in the C8th. You can walk around the walls enclosing the white washed houses with views across Portugal and Spain. The castle at one end cost a shocking €1.50 each to go in and was lovely, with nice gardens and it is beautifully restored. After, we had a beer and looked at the view before returning to the free aire for dinner. It looked like there were some nice restaurants, but we had some steaks that were at their eat by dates. Loads of photos to follow I'm afraid and none of them do it justice. It really is worth a visit if you haven't been.

Can you spot our van in the last one, by the monastery?

By the way does anyone know how to set up a signature?

 

[Riverbankannie]

If you do get back into Portugal, we enjoyed a relaxing time at the quiet dutch site here, just off the A2

Home - English - Camping Serro Da Bica

Portugal Camping Serro da Bica Peace, space and freedom ACSI… Read more

www.campingserrodabica.com

And also free stop by the cemetery (and a hilltop cool breeze) at Alte

https://maps.app.goo.gl/4iTbcwtx8B6rt9Sm8?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

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[Russell's Dad]

We docked in Santander to light misty rain. A word of warning customs were randomly selecting and pulling over motorhomes. They had two large green wheelie bins and were throwing food into them, I assume after a fridge and cupboard search. Fortunately we were not selected, although all we had were two apples! I've never seen this happening before.

Happened to me too. I got lucky as the fella clearly could not be bothered with doing the paperwork and let me go.

 

[jumartoo]

This morning we decided to press on in Portugal following the border with Spain so that we leave the fires behind us in the north and west. We saw a few blue lights but it went smoothly with holdups and very little traffic. We are now at the most fabulous town called Mavao, genuinely one of the nicest places we have been. The aire is next to a monastery and perched on a cliff top, 2,500 above sea level with views across to Spain.

View attachment 951978

After lunch we walked into the town originally built by the Moors in the C8th. You can walk around the walls enclosing the white washed houses with views across Portugal and Spain. The castle at one end cost a shocking €1.50 each to go in and was lovely, with nice gardens and it is beautifully restored. After, we had a beer and looked at the view before returning to the free aire for dinner. It looked like there were some nice restaurants, but we had some steaks that were at their eat by dates. Loads of photos to follow I'm afraid and none of them do it justice. It really is worth a visit if you haven't been.

View attachment 951985View attachment 951982
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Can you spot our van in the last one, by the monastery?

By the way does anyone know how to set up a signature?

We were there some years ago. Two French motorhomes arrived. One hit that fence, not once, but twice and made a mess of the back of their motorhome, but they didn't seem bothered. That's maybe why one section is missing .

For the signature you need to go into your account. Click on your avatar and select signature and fill it in with what you want.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

If you do get back into Portugal, we enjoyed a relaxing time at the quiet dutch site here, just off the A2

Home - English - Camping Serro Da Bica

Portugal Camping Serro da Bica Peace, space and freedom ACSI… Read more

www.campingserrodabica.com

And also free stop by the cemetery (and a hilltop cool breeze) at Alte

https://maps.app.goo.gl/4iTbcwtx8B6rt9Sm8?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

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

 

[Wanders from Glos]

We were there some years ago. Two French motorhomes arrived. One hit that fence, not once, but twice and made a mess of the back of their motorhome, but they didn't seem bothered. That's maybe why one section is missing .

For the signature you need to go into your account. Click on your avatar and select signature and fill it in with what you want.

Perfect thanks. I wondered about the fence

 

[Wanders from Glos]

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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