Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 14/15/16/17th May As we drove into Vila Cha, we didn’t realise we were going to stay here for four nights, our longest stay at any site so far on this trip. Alf on the steeply shelving Vila Cha beach Two hours earlier we had been having a morning coffee at … Continue reading Reasons to be Cheerful in Vila Cha

Monday 13th May Monday 13th May is a day that will live long in our memories, it's one of those days where things happen of their own accord, with remarkable results. During our tapas at Carvalho’s wine bar last night, we had planned to drive further up the Douro today, to have a look at … Continue reading Pinhão – The spiritual home of the Foz!

Sunday 12th May We drove for a couple of hours north east (staring into the brilliant morning sunshine), over majestic hills, at one point passing a signpost saying we were 1000m high, and down into the Douro Valley.  Underneath the arches in the shadow of Sandeman The Douro Valley is synonymous with wine and particular … Continue reading Underneath the Arches

Saturday 11th May The sun was shining but there was a cold northerly breeze keeping the edge off the temperatures and England were playing the second ODI against Pakistan. It was definitely a good blogging day. A, L & W went off on the bikes to give me and the dogs a bit of peace … Continue reading Blogging and Bacardi

Friday 10th May - Day 15 It was another grey start today, but we didn’t care, we had a plan. A quick drive up the coast of 80 miles or so would see us at Praia de Mira and into a better weather pattern. On the way there was a bit of motorway jeopardy as … Continue reading Praia de Mira

Thursday 9th May Thursday morning dawned disappointingly as forecast. The sky was full of low dark clouds and there was a wet mist rolling in as Alf and I took our morning constitutional. The mist turned to drizzle, and the drizzle turned to rain. It was a good day to spend driving and today we … Continue reading The Land of the Dinosaurs

(Andy Foskett; 2019) Wednesday 8th May - Day 1 Porto Covo is the furthest south we are going to travel on this trip, we are only 37° away from the equator. This morning it doesn’t feel very tropical my dog walk along the coastal footpath is in low, grey cloud only improved by the sight … Continue reading “Just a cloudy day in Paradise”

Tuesday 7th May - Day 12 Thank you to all of you who spotted the typo in the last entry. It is your contributions that makes blogging such a collaborative task! We are in Portugal! More specifically we have arrived in Evora. Evora is a charming little town (actually it is a city, but it … Continue reading Evora

Monday 6th May Caceres was shrouded in mist as we drove out of the city. By the time we arrived in Merida the mist had cleared, and the sun was just deciding whether to bother making an appearance. We had found some great on street parking, through the Park4Night app, for a quick visit to … Continue reading Merida, Moors and Motorway Madness!

Sunday 5th May Andy, Lesley and Wendy took the opportunity this morning to enjoy for one last time the National Park and took the dogs for a walk, leaving me to catch up with the blog. All too soon we were saying farewell to the birds and other assorted wildlife of Monfragüe and continuing our … Continue reading Cartographic Consternation in Caceres