And on the way we found the place to have our gas bottle refilled and for only just over 6€ (less than £5 - now that's cheap!) This means we can stay on camperstops with no electric hookup again. Thanks to John and Gill for the recommendation!
On our first night in Alvor we treated ourselves to a pizza in one of the many restaurants in town followed by a coffee and a walk along the harbour front.
The next day we headed out on our bikes to cycle along the many coastal boardwalks around Alvor stopping, of course, for a coffee along the way.
Back at the site, we had mainly English neighbours who are staying on site for the winter. The Algarve has a lovely temperate climate to get away from the cold English winter with its short days, I can definitely see the attraction!
But we wanted to find an area away from the resorts so using our app Park4night we head to a mini campsite 6 miles north of Albefeira.
The campsite is called 'Motorhome friends' and the site is actually in their garden with lovely views of the surrounding countryside. Mareilla and Pedro, our hosts, made us very welcome and
we had use of the toilet and shower in their house ( heaven after some of the places we have been to!)
We were also invited to coffee an Almond liqueur while Pedro showed us a video all about the site and the surrounding area, he is Portuguese and he spoke to us in English and French to the other couple - very impressive to be able to speak in two other foreign languages, switching from one to the other!
 |
| Paderne castle |
Of course we explored the area and nearby is a ruin of a Moorish castle, a Roman bridge and an
ancient mill as well as a small town nearby for a coffee and cake, but this time we went out on foot as some of the paths were not so well suited to bikes.
Paderne castle is one of the castles from the last phase of the Muslim occupation in the 13th century eventually being conquered by the Portuguese in 1248. Although now in ruins it is one of the castles symbolised on the coat of arms of the national flag.
 |
| The Portuguese flag |
We cycled to Albefeira but didn't enjoy it, the roads were much too busy, the Portuguese drivers don't respect cyclists and give them space on the road, my nerves were frayed by the time we got back! The resort town was a massive tourist resort and not our kind of place at all. If you know anything about us you know we like to keep off the beaten track! Oh yes, and it was very hilly, I don't like too many steep hills!
 |
| The Roman bridge viewed from the castle |
We had intended to stay at Motorhome friends for two nights but they made us so welcome we stayed for longer, they only charge 8.50€ a night (about £6) and we felt we could experience more of the real Portugal here.
No comments:
Post a Comment