Stuck in the Mud, Portugal and Nutty Neighbours!

4th October- Portugal!

We have had a great time in Spain but we are excited to be returning to Portugal one of our favourite places.
It is strange returning with a motorhome, usually its the typical 2 weeks in the sun on a package deal but this time we are in our own little home.
A tip we picked up before crossing into Portugal is to fill up with Diesel before you leave Spain as it can be over 10c a litre more than we have been paying, so the last stop we make happens to be a petrol station called Saras! This made my day!

We wanted to try the A22 toll road which runs right across the Algarve but there are no manned tolls or barriers just cameras that log your reg plate. We have heard a lot of people driving on it have been receiving fines when they return home because they don't know where to pay and some just not knowing what to do. There are toll booths at certain points and you have to register your registration plate at one of these easy toll booths and it swipes your credit card which is valid for 30 days. I printed off our ticket but it missed off one of the letters so it will be interesting to see if we are charged!

Easy Toll

Our first stop was just 30km from the border and was a recommendation from a couple we had met on the previous site. It is a GNR site and is used by the police in the summer months, after September anyone can stay for €9.90 a night with a hook up so it was worth a try. The site was pleasant enough no frills with a large pool still open. We had a lot of rain in the night which made the ground soggy. This turned out to be a big mistake! As we moved Bessie off the red muddy sand it clogged up her wheels and she wheel spun everywhere trying to get off the pitch. We wondered why everyone else staying there had huddled up on the next tier above us? These pitches were on gravel!

After struggling with trees and branches and red mud we eventually got out, Bessie looked a mess. Usually the site don't allow you to use your hosepipe to clean motorhomes but Neil was seeing red by then and didn't care and we had to get the mud off her before going onto the roads.

Our next stop was a pure fluke, I was searching for sites on the internet the night before we left  Tavira and came across a new motorhome park right near our favourite part of the Algarve coast  called Olhos D'Agua, (eyes of the water) where we have returned many times for our holidays.

Bessies Pitch

The site is especially for Motorhomes and is right by the beach, the pitches are all flat with gravel and  for €8 a night with electric and free wifi we wished we had found this site sooner!

You do have to use your motorhomes toilet facilities and there are only 3 showers but Bessie has a nice bathroom so it didn't bother us.

A few nights into our stay it feels like coming home, the site is a hidden gem although there are not many English staying on the site, it is mainly German and French. It can feel for me a little lonely when there are no Brits on a site and with my limited language skills we are usually stuck after hello or thank you! I like to chat and socialise a bit and mostly the different countries do stick to their own with the exeption of a few. Some sites can have rows of the same nationalities and can feel like you are intruding if you pick the wrong row.  We met a couple from Scotland,  Greg Eleanor and their woofer Meg who are travelling like us for months. Greg does voluntary work for the golf clubs around Europe when they have large tournaments but they many stay on Aires or wild camp.

We have used the bikes and spent our days here on Falesia beach it has been glorious weather, around 25 degrees in October so can't be bad!

Falesia Beach

10th October 2015.

After 6 wonderful days in Olhos D'Agua, it was time to pack up and head to our 2nd Yelloh Village site in Praia De Luz near Lagos.

The heavens opened on our journey and with a regrettable decision not to take the A22 Toll road we were glad to arrive. The coastal road N125 is full of pot holes and is obviously worn out from all the traffic that doesn't want to pay the toll charges. Neil wasn't a happy bunny! We stocked up on food again and arrived safe and sound at  www.Turiscampo.com

Turiscampo pool

Bessies Pitch

The site is big with a mix of holiday homes and pitches, in the centre is a large pool with a decked sun terrace and bar and restaurant. I booked this site last year as I had heard it was popular in the winter months, and I'm glad I did! I booked a super pitch which is a larger pitch with its own water and waste and electric hook up, as this was going to be our longest stay of 8 weeks, I thought I would save Neil some legwork and its also guaranteed showers in Bessie for me.

We didn't realise until we arrived that there was building work to a new shower block in the area where most of the super pitches are situated. We decided to try a night on the pitch and have a chat to other campers, but after 24 hours we decided 8 wks is a long time to sit next to noisy diggers so we moved to the lower end of the site which is a lot quieter. Our neighbours are mainly English on our row and our neighbours are nuts! Everytime she laughs the whole camp can hear its so funny! They have a Motorhome with a rear end garage (a large storage space with opening doors either side and the bed is raised up inside to accommodate the garage) In their garage they have twin tub washing machine camping size, a hoover, a freezer and boxes full of stuff oh and a Dolce Gusto coffee machine!

Our neighbour offered the use of her twin tub along with a glass of wine! I couldn't refuse! Sue set the timer for 3 mins! I popped the clothes in, cold fed it with a hosepipe then we rinsed it in a bucket of more cold water and put the washing back in to spin! The spinner then wouldn't stop or empty the water! I then hung the half washed clothes on the line last night and it poured with rain! So it was a successful wash and will now pay €4.70 to put it in the sites Miele proffesional washers and do a proper wash! But thank you for the offer!  Our neighbours are a scream Neil has nicknamed them Mork and Mindy! As if that wasn't enough cold water for one day Neil asked if i would fill Bessies water tank but he didn't tell me there was a kink in top of the hose and he turned the tap on soaking me and the awning! Bet he did it on purpose!

My 3 min twin tub wash!

Yesterday Mork and Mindy drove to Monchique, the highest point in on the Algarve and bought a souvenir back for us which was so nice of them, a cork tree bottle stopper!!  They have offered to take us up the mountain too in their Renault Twingo! Neil is not keen!

It is nice after 7 weeks of stopovers to finally set up camp properly and unpack everything from bubble wrap. The awning is up for the first time since Les Embruns, France and the fairy lights are back up so I'm happy.

We can bike into Praia De Luz a 5 min ride away, the beach is wide and sandy with lots of bars and restaurants along the front with mainly apartments and shops in the centre.

Praia De Luz

Neil actually reading!

All the pitches on our row now are Brits we all pop round each others which is nice for a chat and a drink and Mork and Mindy offered to take me to the big Continente supermarket in Lagos so I could stock up on bulky items which we can't put on the bikes. Friday and Saturday evenings there is live music in the bar and a 3 course buffet every day for €9 at lunchtime and €11 in the evenings so if we can't be bothered to cook we go and treat ourselves to a feast.

Brit Row!