The Algarve.......Gods Waiting Room

So the Algarve has finished Portugal for us, we tried honestly, but for us it has nothing to offer.
We are leaving God's Waiting Room🤔😂

We decided to go for a plush campsite in Espiche
Location: geo:37.10157,-8.73816
It was an ACSI site, pretty big with loads of facilities, pool, spa, bar restaurant and to be fair it was very good. But you could have been anywhere, not within walking distance of anything much so we ended up moving on after 1 night.
So off to Lagos we head. Its OK but nothing of any character. Got ripped off again for lunch, Portugal really isn't a good value destination, unless of course........more of that in a minute.
Onwards to Alvor, we’ve heard and read good things about Alvor. So we head to a camperstop. Oh my God! We’ve seen a few of these camper van stop overs but this one takes the biscuit. It’s a hot, dusty car park next to a few newish  purpose built beach bars. It’s absolutely rammed. It’s basically a refugee camp with satellite TV. So there is a way to do Portugal on a budget, plenty of signs up outside the bars in town advertising beer for 90 cents a pint. Apparently plenty of Brits park up there for the winter. When it rains it turns into a mud bath so they'll collect pallets to stack around their MH to stop them getting trench foot I guess. Take a look at the photo, grim or what!?

Not for us. So we move on. We'll try inland. It looks promising even though there's no sea. We eventually end up on a campsite that’s obviously pretty new. Run/owned by a French couple who are really trying to make it a wonderful place. It's a work in progress, but cheap and good.
But that's it for the Algarve, shame that it's been a let down for us but we did try. So off to Spain in the morning.

Wild Camping

Near EM 1257
Location: geo:37.04574,-8.881147
Next to a beautiful bay:
Praia da Ingrina
EM 1257
Location: geo:37.0463,-8.879164
I think its fare to say Marie has had enough of tracks today😂 I tend to agree actually. But I'm seriously impressed with the Sprinter off road. No drama, even on some pretty tricky tracks. It doesn't like axle twisters though.
We got to see the moon rise, and then a sun rise. That's a first for us and pretty stunning. A wonderfully peaceful nights sleep. Followed by a nice and slow awakening. I did think about trying to catch some fish, but if seemed too much effort.
Mid morning we headed towards the most westerly tip of Europe. Odd that. We'd already been there in Spain😂
It was crap. As interesting and as touristy shite as lands end. I literally couldn't be bothered to get out of the van to take a photo. So you'll have to take my word for it.
Anyway, things are looking up since we've now been sampling some 50% proof local hooch.

Zambujeira do Mar

We're now here:

Zambujeira do Mar
Location: geo:37.524117,-8.785393
A strangely soulless village whose only purpose is to act as a tourist location. A few apartment blocks, a few unfinished apartment blocks and a few upscale houses on the periphery. Then a few bars and restaurants and shops selling the usual tourist crap. The sort of stuff you could by in Rhyl  if you were so inclined. So we're really not feeling it.
We had lunch at a fishing harbour, which looked really promising. Turbot, salad, chips etc.
Best bit was the litre of fizzy white wine for €3.50 . The rest was mah and the bill €46. Not what I’d call a cheap lunch, who said Portugal was cheap!? We’ve definitely not found it to be the case, have I mentioned fucking Brexit before🤔
It's a tricky thing to define value, it really doesn't feel like we're getting value for money here. Let me try to explain. We could spend, let’s say €100 on a meal / night our and be delighted, and say wow that was amazing. Or we could get charged €20 for something and walk away feeling like you’ve been mugged. Get it? So up to now we’ve been mugged 8 times out of ten in Portugal. Not impressed.
So now look at those photos. Stunning yes? Well we'd agree........but. Why aren't we “feeling” it!!??
The Atlantic coast is stunning, beautiful, wild, incredible. But. Yep that word again. Why isn't it grabbing us, engaging us, hooking us? Maybe because home (the Llyn Peninsula) is so much better? OK minus the 30C sun. Look up the word Hiraeth. Maybe the Peloponnes and the Llyn Peninsula have ruined our travels for ever. I hope Not!
Anyways, Portugal. You have another couple of days to hook us. We're off further south to the Algarve. Unfortunately that word doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. It sets a mental picture of leathery old Brits  grilling themselves for 12 hrs a day whilst swilling English beer and smoking themselves to death on cheap fags. Let's hope and wish for more. If not we're moving east back into Spain. If that doesn't work we'll be in Morocco sooner than planned!

The Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina

Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, it's a wild coast😀
We haven't travelled far today, maybe 35km from:
Vila Nova de Milfontes
Location: geo:37.725277,-8.782282

To

Zambujeira do Mar
Location: geo:37.524117,-8.785393

Had an amazing lunch at:
Longueira/Almograve

Location: geo:37.65493,-8.782217 at a random bar / restaurant that looked busy with locals so we just pulled over. I had pork tenderloin with clams cooked in garlic butter. Who'd have thought such a combination would work! But wow it did. Half the price of last night and twice as good😂

Washing Day

We travelled maybe 40km south, stopped off at:
Porto Covo
Location: geo:37.85171,-8.79183
For breakfast. It was an OK breakfast and an OK town. Umm that's about it.

Carried on to a campsite in:
Vila Nova de Milfontes

Location: geo:37.725277,-8.782282.
We really needed to do some Washing! The bed had a good portion of beach in there😂

Shame the pool closed today, it looks very inviting. Ah well, south we go. I'm not too sure what we'll find once we hit the Algarve. We're looking forward to calmer seas and fully open tourist infrastructure. But concerned that we'll be surrounded by leathery brits cooking themselves in the sun and singing "bring out the barrel"🤔😂 I wonder if they have Watneys Red Barrel on draught? Hopefully, and from what I've read I'm being more than a little disingenuous😎

We walked into town last night and had very good dinner, thought we'd treat ourselves. It was good but apart from the wine you wouldn't know you were in Portugal, and the price was pretty much UK money.......fucking Brexit😐

Wild Camping Spot Thursday 28th and Friday 29th September

Eventually found a beautiful spot for a couple of days. The oceans a bit wild but it's an impressive spot.
Slightly challenging to get to but got to test the Sprinter in soft sand. Very impressed, no real drama and it was very soft and pretty deep, enough for the sump guard to be dragging at times. We're just North of a town called Sines.
Just got given some home brew brandy by some guys fishing on the beach. Remarkably good😁
Probably heading south a few Kim's tomorrow.
My Position

Location: geo:37.992195,-8.853456

Europe Autumn 2017

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😎