Portugal - Road Trip - June 2018

Following on from our hiking along the coast of Portugal we did a little road trip around up through the north of Portugal. Leaving our hotel in Odeceixe we headed north towards the city of Evora (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).  We parked outside the walls of the city and walked around the old historical area - some wonderful buildings and a nice town square.  We had lunch in a restaurant just off the square recommended by our guide book (by Rick Steve’s). Not bad but we ordered wrong and ended up with far too much food.  Evora is a walled city and it has a very nice cathedral and Roman Forum that sit on top of the hill in the center of town. All in all a most interesting place well worth a stop.

Roman Forum, Evora

After leaving Evora we headed towards Lisbon.  We were staying at a Pousada in Palmela, a suburb to the south east of Lisbon.  Pousadas are a chain of hotels primarily in fine old historical buildings. They were originally state owned but in 2003 they were privatized.  This one was in a beautiful old building adjoining an old castle and it sat in a fine location above the town of Palmela.

Castle at Palmela

We explored the town and again around 5:00 pm we found it almost deserted.  Still it was a pleasant enough town and we did manage to find a couple of bars that sold us a glass of wine.  The vinho verde that comes out of a tap and is pressurized is remarkably good and remarkably cheap (1-2 Euro a glass).  We took our evening meal in the restaurant at the Pousada. Quite fine.

Palmela

Next morning after breakfast in the Pousada (with the BMW motorbike riders, and the English horse riding ladies) we headed out towards Lisbon.  We crossed the San Francisco look-alike bridge and continued on through town towards Sintra. We had a reservation in another Pousada in Queluz.  This one was in the guard house associated with the National Palace of Queluz. Again a very fine old building.

Pousada de Queluz

Queluz doesn’t have too much to offer so after checking in we headed out to adjacent Sintra.  Sintra has a wealth of fine buildings and palaces and is another UNESCO site. The most important site is the Palace of Sintra, a complex on top of the hill that is a wonderful example of 19th Century Romanticism.  The bulk of the work was done by King Ferdinand II who was a cousin of Queen Victoria. The palace is a bit Disneylandish in its appearance with towers and turrets and gates all lavishly decorated with tiles or carvings.  We stood in line and did the tour of the palace. A bit of a crush but well worth doing; it is an incredible site.

The grounds to the Palace of Sintra are also quite splendid with winding trails past duck ponds, lakes, stables, stables, rabbit warrens, and gardens.  We only covered a small part of the complex in the time we had available. The Palace was on top of a hill and was shrouded in mist and quite cool. Back down in Sintra the sun was shining.  

Town of Sintra

Sintra itself is a splendid town.  In its day it must have been spectacular - lots of fine homes and buildings and a lovely hillside location above the heat of Lisbon.  The Palace of Sintra is quite an interesting building with Moorish (Mudejar) and Gothic styles. It’s two white spires are immediately recognizable.

Palace of Sintra

We drove back to Queluz and our hotel and then left the car to travel into Lisbon on the train for the evening.  There was a fine train service from Queluz into the city with trains running as often as every 15 mins. It was the evening of the Portugal vs Spain football match in the World Cup.  You can imagine the tension in the air - Portugal scored first then Spain equalized, then Spain took the lead. It was not until the last two minutes that Portugal equalized and everyone was so relieved and happy that they came away with a draw against their rivals.  Ronaldo was the man of the match.

Watching the World Cup, Lisbon

We had a pleasant evening walking around Lisbon and a not so great meal (for me, Nancy loved it) in a Contemporary Peruvian restaurant (Cantina Peruana) that in my mind was trying too hard to be “contemporary” and not what I imagine Peruvians dine on.

The next morning we caught the train into Lisbon again and explored the city some more.   The train arrived at the Rossio station and we walked down to the San Domingo Cathedral and looked around the very fine interior.  Close by there was a little Ginjinha shop - all they sold was shots of Ginjinha - a sour cherry liquor. We sampled a some - not too bad - a little like cough mixture.

Elevador de Santa Justa

We walked down towards the ocean, passing the Elevador de Santa Justa on the way.  This is a wonderful iron vertical elevator built in the early 1900’s. Alas today it is purely a tourist attraction.  We waited in the ticket line for 10 minutes or so before giving up.

Praca do Comercio, Lisbo

Waterfront in Lisbon

It was a nice walk down the busy Rua Augusta to the waterfront (the mouth of the River Taga.  We then walked down the riverfront towards the Mercado Ribeiro. This was once a flourishing market but while it has been preserved it is now full of restaurants and gourmet food stands which is not quite as interesting.  We took the funicular up the hill. An interesting means of getting up the hill but as with the lift it is mainly just a tourist feature now. It was a shame the funicular was covered in ugly graffiti.

Funicular

To complete the tourist transport options we took a trolley bus across town.  These old yellow trolley buses have become the emblem of Lisbon, and while there were a few locals on the trolley they are again primarily for the tourists these days.

A Lisbon Trolley Bus

After the trolley ride we walked back to the Rossio station and caught the train back to the hotel and our car.  We had only seen a small part of Lisbon but we had had enough - it was hot, it was crowded and we wanted to get out of town.  We headed towards the north and Coimbra. We stayed the night at a Pousada in Condeixa a small town outside Coimbra.

In the evening we walked into town and watched the final stages of a World Cup game in the town square.  The Portuguese love their football.

Monastery of Santa Cruz, Coimbra

Next day we went into Coimbra, a historic town and another UNESCO site.  We walked through the old town and went inside the Monastery of Santa Cruz and then made the climb up to the top of the hill where there is a University with the oldest library in the Portuguese speaking world.  A beautiful city but we didn’t stay long, we pressed on towards the Douro region.

Coimbra

On the way we took a side trip into Viseu another lovely old town with yet another beautiful cathedral. There are so many you get blase about them.

Cathedral in Viseu

From Viseu we drove on to the town of Lamego which is just south of the Douro River.  A sampling of the local wine in town and then we drove out to our hotel which was on a vineyard just outside town.  The hotel was quite a spectacular old home amidst acres of vines with beautiful gardens and even a swimming pool, which we took advantage of.  In contrast to the fine hotel we were staying in we took a trip into town and bought cheese, fruit and wine from LIDL (a low cost German Supermarket chain) and ate back in the courtyard of the hotel.

View from Hotel in Lamego

We left the next morning and drove over to the Douro valley, meeting the river at Peso da Regua and driving east on the river to Pinhao.  The river valley was quite beautiful, lined with vineyards all the way and spectacular views. We stopped at a vineyard, Sandeman’s I think, or at least adjacent to the big Sandeman sign on the hillside.

The Douro Valley

It was tough to drink port wine in the hot afternoon sun with the prospect of a long drive into Porto facing us, but I did my best.  I did learn one thing - Tawny Port is filtered and can be drunk at leisure over weeks, months, whilst a bottle of Ruby Port has to be finished off in a week or else it will sour.  I had always assumed Tawny Port would spoil too.

The drive to Porto was a slow one.  The roads were winding and hilly and though the distance wasn’t long it took us the rest of the afternoon.  We stopped in Valongo (I think) to get our bearings and find a hotel, and overstayed our welcome in a parking spot so we got a ticket.  Fortunately we found the appropriate kiosk in town to pay the ticket. I can't imagine what the cost would be if the rental car company had billed us.  After 72 hours the price of the ticket increased significantly.

We found a hotel in Porto - a modern one for a change - and cleaned up before walking into the city.  It was World Cup football night again so there were lots of screens in bars and squares showing the game.  Another beautiful city.

Cathedral Porto

The next day, our last before departing for the UK in the evening, we Ubered into the city center.  It was crowded with tourists as expected/. First stop was the Sao Bento railway station. This magnificent building dating from the early 1900’s with the most wonderful interior hall you could imagine.  It is adorned with beautiful painted azulejo tiles depicting battle scenes, kings and queens, etc. It is still a functioning station but it’s vestibule is a major tourist site now.

Sao Bento Railway Station

The next stop was the Clerigos Church with its impressive tall tower.  We looked inside the church (yet another wonderful church) before heading downhill to the River Douro.  It is a nice waterfront with river taxis crossing the strongly flowing river, cable cars floating across overhead, and the beautiful Dom Luis bridge spanning across the valley.  

Riverr Dourp in Porto

Then it was back up the hill to the center of town for a quick lunch before paying a visit to the bookshop, Livraria Lello.  This is one of the finest bookshops in the world by any standards. It has a beautiful interior with a stained glass skylight, a spiral staircase, beautiful art deco light features everywhere.  Lately it has become famous because of its association with Harry Potter and JK Rowling. She apparently visited the shop often when she was living in Porto and it is rumoured that it was the inspiration for some of the things in the Potter books.  As a result it is now mobbed by tourists, so much so that they have to charge 5 Euros to get in, and even then there is a line. It certainly is a remarkable bookshop.

Livraria Lello

Livraria Lello Interior

As it was now mid afternoon, we walked back to the hotel, taking in a ride on the dodgem cars in the fairground on the way.  It had been a while since I was in dodgem cars - great fun. All that was left was to pick up the car from the hotel and drive to the airport for our BA flight back to Gatwick.  A most enjoyable trip indeed.

There are more photos here.

Portugal - the Rota Vincentina - June 2018

In June Nancy and I decided to visit Portugal and do another self-guided walk.  By self-guided I mean someone arranges the hotel stays, gives you a map, and then each day transfers your luggage from one place to the next.  All you then have to do is walk from one location to the next.

We took an early morning flight from East Midlands airport in the UK (just 45 mins from my mum’s house) to Faro in the south of Portugal.  It was an early morning flight (07:00 am) but, even at that early hour, the airport bar was crowded with people drinking large volumes of alcohol - it was little disturbing.  Faro is one of those cheap sunny destinations that attract the stag parties, hen parties, and other boozy weekend folk that in the age of cheap air fares are now so popular.

In Faro we made a last minute decision to rent a car and surprisingly we found a relatively cheap one for the duration of our stay with a drop off in our departure point in the north, in Porto.

The beach at Salema, Algarve

We drove out of Faro along the southern coast, the Algarve, through Lagos and on to Salema where we stopped for a late lunch.  There we had a bad introduction to Portuguese food with a not so good and quite expensive meal in a restaurant recommended by the guide book.  After that all our food experiences were quite favorable.

Porto Covo

After lunch we headed north towards our starting point for the walk in the town of Porto Covo.  It was a pleasant drive through nice countryside for about 2 hours. We had a nice hotel in Porto Covo and in the evening we walked into the very quiet town for dinner. Being a fishing village, just about every restaurant in the town featured seafood.  We settled for a place recommended by the hotel and had the classic Portuguese dish of a grilled fish, Robalo (Sea Bass). You get to see the fish before they cook it and you pay by the kilo.

Next morning we started our walk towards our next stop in Vila Nova de Milfontes some 20km away.  The route we were walking was called the Fisherman’s Walk; it is a part of the Rota Vicentina trail complex and it extends along the coast, primarily on the cliff tops from Porto Covo to Odeceixe.  The day started with a light drizzle that was pleasant and cooling for a while but it then developed into more serious rain. Not the most encouraging of starts.

Fort do Passequeiro

We continued along the cliff top and then down across the beach at Ilha do Passequeiro.  Fortunately the rain did not last too long and as we walked across the beach towards the fortress (Fort da Ilha) it abated and we had blue skies. We stopped in a little cafe/restaurant below the fortress and sampled the coffee and cake before continuing on.  

The walking was mainly on the cliff top and though relatively easy going the deep sand made it harder than we expected.  Ploughing through sand is not the easiest thing to do and we welcomed the occasional stretch of firmer ground. The coast was dramatic and beautiful and most of the time we were moving along the tops of high cliffs with spectacular views of the coves and beaches below.

White Storks

There had been White Storks nesting all the way up on the drive the previous day, but they are usually inland birds, so we were surprised to see them nesting on top of rock pinnacles out in the ocean.  The young ones had just hatched and most nests had a downy ball of feathers in the nest.

A few kilometers before the end of the days hike we encountered a bar/restaurant so we partook of a glass of beer and a wine.  The perfect end for the day.

As we walked into our destination, Vila Nova de Milfontes, there was a street fair going on - lots of stalls selling local goods and promoting different causes (from the Rota Vicentina Walk to the local honey producers to the local nudist organization).  A nice unexpected addition to a good days walking.

Vila Nova de Milfontes and the Maro River

Milfontes is on the estuary of the Maro River and it is quite picturesque.  There is a sand spit with the sea on one side and the estuary on the other both sides with beautiful beaches.  Since the ocean here does not provide for a lot of safe swimming the waters of the estuary were ideal for recreation.  

Cork Oak

Next morning we walked through town and inland quite a ways to reach the bridge over the river Maro.  Then we walked back towards the coast. After an hour or more of walking we were just across the river from our starting point.  We had our first encounter with the cork oaks. All the trees had been stripped from just above ground level to just below their first branches. Apparently you can harvest the cork every 10 years with an expected tree life of 100 years.

Graffiti House

In the middle of a field there was what once was intended to be a wonderful house, now covered in graffiti, albeit quite nice graffiti.

The scourge of Acacia

Today we encountered the scourge of the acacia plant.  All along we had been greeted with a wonderful diversity of flowers which were all in full bloom at this time, but somehow and somewhere someone had introduced acacias and they are taking over.  From a little shrub to a thicket of entangled trees they crowd out every other plant on the coast. There were signs that they were trying to contain the growth but in many areas it was too late - the only vegetation was acacia.

The landscape without Acacia

The final section of the day’s hike was a couple of kilometers on the road into Almograve.  Almagrave is a very small town with a couple of restaurants, a couple of mercados and a hotel.  We had drinks in one bar (while watching the Montreal Formula 1) and then dined in the restaurant next to our hotel - another grilled fish, a Dorado.  We finished the meal with a complimentary glass of Licor de Noz, a local liqueur.

Trail Markers on the Fisherman's Way

The next morning we started out by walking out to the coast and then along the sandy cliff tops to the lighthouse at Cabo Sardao.  The lighthouse looked quite interesting from afar, there had not been any notable features so it was something to look forward to. When we arrived it was a very small lighthouse, not very dramatic at all.  

White Stork

As we walked along the cliffs there were quite a few of the big nests of the white stork sitting on top of rock outcrops out in the ocean.  Always interesting to see.

We got a respite from the endless deep sand with a little detour away from the coast through a pine forest.  Pleasant cool and easy walking.

Entrada da Barca

Towards the end of the afternoon we dropped down steeply into the harbor of Entrada da Barca.  A very small fishing port but there was a small restaurant there that was quite busy so we took a break and had a snack and a beverage.  I’m not a lover of clams by Nancy said they were the best she ever had.

From the restaurant it was 2 or 3 kilometers of uninteresting walk along the roadside into the town of Zambujeira do Mar.  Zambujeira was not a particularly impressive town. It was mainly comprised of very new buildings, all painted white with a blue trim and tile roofs.  The modern Portuguese housing does not seem to have much variety in either style or color. After a while it gets a bit monotonous.

Zambujeira in the early evening was quite deserted, as many of these towns along the way have been.  They all have a feel like it is late on a Sunday afternoon; quiet and no one is about. There were a few nice restaurants down by the center of the town and we find one that looked reasonable - grilled fish again.

The next day, Tuesday 12 June, we again walked on the cliff tops, again in deep sand.  The variety and abundance of flowers along the way made all the difficult walking worthwhile.  They were absolutely wonderful. Of course every now and again we encountered the dreadful acacia and to a lesser extent bamboo both of which crowd out every other growing plant.  

Around lunchtime we arrived in the town of Azenha do Mar.  Again the town looked deserted and rather down on its heels.  Then we passed by a restaurant and we stopped in for lunch. To our amazement, the restaurant was quite big and full of people.  There was a wait of at least an hour. Apparently this was some especially good fish restaurant that people travel mies to visit.  We waited for a while and then gave up the wait for a table in the restaurant and went for a snack of octopus salad, wine and beer at a table outside.

Odeceixe and Rio de Seixe

The afternoon’s walk took us towards Odeceixe along the cliffs until we came out above the beach at Odeceixe.  The Rio de Seixe flows into the ocean at Odeceixe and it forms quite a spectacular beach area. The sand spit at the mouth of the river provides an excellent beach with the opportunity to swim in both the sea on one side and the river on the other side.   From the cliff top we dropped down to the side of the river and walked along the road alongside the river into the main town of Odeceixe.

Our Hotel and the Windmill, Odeceixe

Odeceixe is an nice town with an old town at the lower level and a more modern town above.  Our hotel was the Casa do Moinho. Moinho is the Portuguese for windmill and there was a windmill next to our hotel on top of the hill.  This was by far the best hotel of our trip - a series of old terraced cottages that have been converted to a nice modern hotel with all the conveniences you could ask for - a wonderfully equipped room, a swimming pool, a jacuzzi, and a terrific breakfast buffet.

Coast south of Odeceixe

We had two nights in Odeceixe and the original plan was to do a shorter circular hiking route from town the next day.  We were not too keen on doing that as it looked like a waste of a day but I still wanted to see what the route was like.  So I got up before dawn to do the 10 mile loop as a run. It actually felt great to up before 6:00 am and out on the road to the coast.  At the coast the trail went south on the cliff top for a couple of miles. I found that you can’t really run in deep sand any quicker than you can walk in deep sand.  Then the trail turned inland towards the road back to Odeceixe. It took Google Maps on the phone to get me back to town but I made it in time for a wonderful breakfast at the hotel.

Our car was back in Porto Covo so we somehow had to get back.  We dallied over breakfast too long and missed the bus, then we found that taxis in Odeceixe are rare; there are only two and they keep busy.  We eventually snagged one after lunch and made the 50 minute trip back to Porto Covo and the car. By then the day was pretty much shot so we returned to Odeceixe and went for a swim.  The beach was very nice and the swim in the surf was lovely despite it being quite cold.

There are more photos here.

The Cotswolds Way - June 2018

In the first few days of June we joined friends (Tim and Hilary Probert, Dave Vaughan and Angie Ott) for a few days of walking along the Cotswolds Way.  Our friends were actually walking the entire way (some 100 miles) but we only joined them for the last 60 or so miles, just 5 days of walking.

We had a nice AirBnB place in Chalford Hill near Stroud and our friends were staying in an adjacent village.  It was all very quaint and rural - lots of nice cottages and lots of narrow roads. The local Jurassic Oolitic Limestone which is used for nearly all of the buildings is very attractive.

Painswick at the start of our walk

The next morning we started our walk in Painswick, a nice town with a beautiful church.  It was very leisurely walking through beautiful countryside with the added bonus of glorious weather.  There was a fair bit of walking through woodlands (beach trees I imagine) on lovely shady trails. Then every now and then we would break out across open pastureland.

Stroudwater Canal at Ryeford

Near the village or Ryeford we joined the Stroudwater Canal and walked alongside it for a while.  We then headed across fields to the village of Selsey where there was a wonderful church, All Saints Selsey.  The church is not old for an English Church being built in 1862. It is of interest in its unusual tower design and in the fact that its stained glass windows were one of the first commissions of Morris and Co, with windows designed by William Morris and Dante Gabriel Rosetti among others.

All Saints, Selsey

After the church there was a climb up Selsey Common that provided wonderful views of the surrounding countryside.  We then walked on nice woodland trails to our destination for the day, the parking lot at Coaley Peak. The peak provides nice views down the edge to the valley below.  It also provides a launch site for paragliders. We had dinner in the evening at the Lamb Inn in Eastcombe.

Selsey Chirch from Selsey Common

The next morning we left our car at Coaley Peak and continued our walk.  After a couple of hours walking through countryside we entered the town of Dursley.  Dursley has a very nice town hall, a two story structure in the middle of town. It is also the home of the Lister Company, a company formed by R.A. Lister to manufacture agricultural equipment, primarily a cream separator, and later a very popular Diesel engine.  More walking in the afternoon with great views of the Severn Valley and the Severn Bridge in the far distance.

Town Hall, Dursley

Towards the end of the day we pass Tyndale’s Monument which sits on the hill above North Nibley.  We climbed up to the top. The monument was erected in 1866 and commemorates William Tyndale who grew up in the area (born in 1494).  Tyndale made the first translation of the New Testament into English and sadly this did not go down to well with the church. As a result of his translation he was burnt at the stake in present day Belgium in 1536.  You didn’t mess with the Catholic Church in those days.

Tyndale Monument, North Nibley

At the end of the day we walked into Wotton Under Edge where we had rooms at the Swan Hotel.  Wotton is a nice town that has not been spoiled by a large supermarket and so has lots of small shops.  We were joined by one more friend this evening, Dave Close from Austin, Texas.

The next morning, Monday, we left Wotton after purchasing a Lardy Cake from a local bakery.  The Lardy Cake is a south of England delicacy and as the name suggests there are lots of calories in a Lardy Cake (lard, flour, sugar and raisins being the main ingredients).  On the way out of town we visited the church in which two of our group, Tim and Hilary, were married so many, many years ago (they grew up and met in Wotton). Another nice church.

The Somerset Monument

Near the town of Hawkesbury Upton we passed by the Somerset Monument.  Another 100ft tower erected in 1846 to commemorate Robert Edward Henry Somerset, a General at the Battle of Waterloo.  I’m afraid we could not get access to this monument. We adjourned for lunch at a pub in nearby Hawkesbury.

A Folly built for the Swallows and Owls

In the afternoon we passed a very grand home and just below there was a small tower that looked like a folly attached to the old home but in fact was a more recent folly erected in 2000 as a nesting spot for swallows and owls.  A pretty impressive structure for birds and it was nice to see people care so much to so this.

We finished our walk for the day in Old Sodbury, another lovely village and that evening we were staying in The Black Horse in Nibley or more precisely North Nibley.  One would expect North Nibley and Nibley might be close, but they aren’t and an imprecise entry into Google Maps took us off in the wrong direction to Nibley. An hour’s diversion we didn’t need.  I won’t make that mistake again, if I am ever in one of the Nibleys.

Each morning and evening we did a car shuttle taking one car to the finish of the day’s walk in the morning and then driving back to the start and leaving a car there.  In the evening we did the reverse to pick up the car left at the start.

St John's Church, Old Sodbury

The next morning we started from Old Sodbury by walking through the church yard.  We looked inside what is St John the Baptist’s Church, Old Sodbury. A wonderful old church.  You could do a lot worse than spend a summer visiting English churches. It seems in the Cotswolds the churches are open to visitors unlike in my home town where the church is locked except when they are having services.  Vandals would probably invade the church in Staveley if it were open all hours - a shame.

A morning of more beautiful countryside, including passage by a fine estate with beautiful manicured grounds.  Though I didn’t know it at the time, this was Dodington Park, an estate built in the 18th century by a family who made their money in sugar in the West Indies.  The grounds we laid out by none other than Capability Brown. One wonders what inequities they turned their eye from making money in the West Indian sugar business.  The current owner of the house is James Dyson of vacuum cleaner fame.

At lunch time we enter the village of Tormarton just in time for the The Major’s Retreat pub to open.  While our shoes were not muddy at all, the landlord made us tie plastic bags around our feet to save the interior of his pub.  An eccentric landlord to say the least - he talked a lot but was quite inefficient in serving drinks.

Boot Protection in Tormarton

In the afternoon we walked through cornfields separated by beautiful new drystone walls.  These were quite a wonder to behold and we could not figure out why they would be rebuilt to such a high standard.  There were no grazing animals to keep out, just fields of wheat. We eventually came across a couple of stone masons building the walls and they revealed that it was still Dyson’s estate and that he was funding the very expensive program to rebuild old walls.  I believe they said they could each do 2 meters of wall a day and that they had a contract for 6 or 7 kilometers of wall.

Beautiful New Stone Walls

Later on that afternoon we walked by the back gates of Dyrham Hall.   Another fine stately home owned by the National Trust. We didn’t go in but the gardens and exterior looked very fine.

We finished the day’s walk in Cold Ashton and headed off to our lodging for the night at nearby Toghill Farm.  This was a farm that is still active but also now includes and series of modifications and extensions to the barns to provide bed and breakfast accommodations.

On our last day we were finishing in Bath.  Too big a town to park the car in for the day so we parked one car in a Park and Ride outside the town.  We walked through a Civil War battleground where there was much bloodshed in the day. The Battle of Lansdown in 1643.

The Crescent, Bath

We eventually came in sight of Bath and walked through the suburbs along a variety of trails and paths.  The route passed beneath the Georgian Crescent and into the town center, finishing in front of the Abbey.  

The Abbey, Bath

The crowds of people in Bath were a little too much for us so we didn't stay around too long.  A beautiful city but too crowded with tourists at this time of year.

There are some more photos here.