So this is another retrospective start / post.
In fact over 3 weeks late. I think meeting a couple who parked up to us for a couple of days at Praia da Lagoa Praia da Lagoa de Santo André
Location: geo:38.11464,-8.798343
May have spurred me into action again, thanks to Dan and Verity and their blog beastcreations.com
We spent a great couple of days here. A great beach bar, fresh water (more about that later) and toilets. Quite a few motor homes parked up including some Brits but Dan and Verify were the only sociable ones.
Ah water. So the water pumps running continuously, seems like there must be an airlock. We couldn't have used 80 litres in 3 or 4 days surely, and the gauge is saying 100%. So I start dismantling the water system, until it dawns on me. Yep the tanks empty, doh!
We move on early'ish, for us anyway. Work men starting to resurface the car park at 7:30am helps. Breakfast in Santiago do Cacém
Location: geo:38.01826,-8.69437
And found an Aldi and a waste point, happy days.
Then back to the coast, just a few kms south of where we had been the night before. Aim today. Not to spend the night on a car park, even though as car parks go it was pretty good.
So we follow a few tracks down to promising looking beaches. First one is pretty perfect. But a hire camper van has bagged the prime spot. Try again.
This time we end up on a track with deep and VERY soft sand. At times deep enough for the sump guard to be dragging. Rather than risk driving for maybe nothing Russ walks the final km. Decision. Not worth the risk.
3rd time lucky, we find a pretty perfect spot. Down a slightly challenging track but directly on the beach. Nice, we'll stay a couple of nights before moving south of Sines. Apparently a town that’s just industrial so worth by passing.
So, the retrospective bit.
We’d stopped off at Camping Pelinos-Tomar
Pelinos 77
2300-093 Casa das Abobreiras
Portugal
GPS: N 39°38'17" W 8°20'12"
Plan was just 1 night but we ended up staying 4. Great place, lovely owners, great bar and lots to see and do in the surrounding area.
Best excursion:
https://m.facebook.com/pages/Restaurante-O-El%C3%A9ctrico/300511373424435
Otherwise known as the Happy Hippy. Loved it. To be honest the food wasn't the greatest but the experience and the wonderful lady who greeted us and looked after us made it very special. It's a truly weird place, but in a good way.
Prior to that we stopped off at the Venice of Portugal
Aveiro
Location: geo:40.6405,-8.653793
We liked it, not so much the camperstop. Rammed full of French motor homes under a fly over, smelling faintly of piss.
So what is it with motor homer's?
They spend North of £60k and then seem determined to spend their time parked up on refugee camps. They’re determined to never spend a penny on sites but are too scared to venture anywhere away from their fellow cheap skates. Case in point:
We’re parked up on a huge car park outside a prettified tourist village in Spain. No one else there, very rural and safe.
Next thing 2 German motor homes park up either side of us. Maybe within 2 metres away. They’re actually together but for comfort want to stay close to use. Rather than the 2 or 3 hectares available. Just weird.
From what I can tell most see to wear the cheap skate as a badge of honour. Don't get me wrong, we like free camping, or even better wild camping (there is a big difference, and most who free camp like to claim they're wild camping) but car parks/refugee Camps!!??
We do like to mix it up with sites as well. Around here usually less than €17 a night.
There are of course exceptions to the above observations, people who like to get off the beaten track. This being their primary motivation, over and above saving a few euro's. You know who you are😎
