Hi from Portugal

[Kontiki]

First time I've managed to get an internet connection Not been close to anywhere to pick one up. We are in Mirandela parked next to the river, wether over here is almost as bad as back there, hoping it might get better by the time we get to the coast. Lots of people seem to have given up & are hading home.
Met a Dutch guy who gave me a list of loads of stopping places, spent some time putting them into tomtom.

 

[Captain]

I bet your weather warms up before ares does!

Keep us updated on all the new wild camping spots, we will be heading down that way come September.

Have fun and watch the Superbock!

 

[Kontiki]

Still managing to wildcamp our way through Portugal, stopped last night at Pardilho on a aire, free to stop & there was electric. Strangley though the borne was locked in a cage & you also needed tokens Spoke to some guys at the canoeing club there & one of them rang the number for information. Told us somebody was coming, waited & nobody came. Found we could get water at the canoe club but nowhere to empty the toilet (why they lock the wc emptying point I don't know) Moved today to Esterraja, this aire is €2 for 48 hours inc. water, emptying & electric. Weather today is clear blue skies but still a little on the cool side. Might stay more up this part of Portugal as I hear the weather on the Algarve isn't that good.

 

[Captain]

Kontiki,

I told you the weather there would get better before ours did

Have fun and keep us posted.

 

[Kontiki]

For anybody interested here is a list of places we have stopped at on our trip up to now. Apart from the one place we paid €2 for 48 hours (not too expensive) the other ones are all free stopping places through France, Spain & Portugal.
GPS N49º20'16” E01º05'31”
GPS N47º17'21” E00º44'03”
GPS N45º37'33” E00º03'01”
GPS N43º38'12” E01º26'49”
GPS N43º22'12” W01º45'53”
GPS N42º00'14” W04º32'04”
GPS N42º20'16” W04º15'29”
GPS N45º15'18” W04º57'53”
GPS N41º48'13” W06º44'47”
GPS N41º29'11” W07º11'05”
GPS N41º20'33” W08º44'45”
GPS N41º21'50” W08º45'37”

Weather here is really starting to get nice & warm, even had the shorts on yeasterday ended up getting a bit sunburnt as well. At Figuiera da Foz today, might have a couple of nights if the weather stays niced.

 

[Captain]

Your making me jealous now! We love Figuiera d f

Milky coffees and good local cheese in the market, and a stroll up the beach to Buarcos for a bite of lunch and a couple of Super Bock! Roll on September.

Thanks for the GPS, will come in handy later in the year.

Enjoy the weather and keep us posted

 

[ajs]

For anybody interested here is a list of places we have stopped at on our trip up to now. Apart from the one place we paid €2 for 48 hours (not too expensive) the other ones are all free stopping places through France, Spain & Portugal.
GPS N49º20'16” E01º05'31”
GPS N47º17'21” E00º44'03”
GPS N45º37'33” E00º03'01”
GPS N43º38'12” E01º26'49”
GPS N43º22'12” W01º45'53”
GPS N42º00'14” W04º32'04”
GPS N42º20'16” W04º15'29”
GPS N45º15'18” W04º57'53”
GPS N41º48'13” W06º44'47”
GPS N41º29'11” W07º11'05”
GPS N41º20'33” W08º44'45”
GPS N41º21'50” W08º45'37”

Weather here is really starting to get nice & warm, even had the shorts on yeasterday ended up getting a bit sunburnt as well. At Figuiera da Foz today, might have a couple of nights if the weather stays niced.

OI puntmickey.. post this lot up in the stop-overs section totherwise it may get lost..

well done my son...keep at it...

btw.. have you found any decent golf courses???

regards
aj

 

[Pioneer]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY and enjoy the rest of your travels, keep the stopovers coming

Happy Camping
Bill.

 

[Deleted member 967]

For anybody interested here is a list of places we have stopped at on our trip up to now. Apart from the one place we paid €2 for 48 hours (not too expensive) the other ones are all free stopping places through France, Spain & Portugal.
GPS N49º20'16” E01º05'31”
GPS N47º17'21” E00º44'03”
GPS N45º37'33” E00º03'01”
GPS N43º38'12” E01º26'49”
GPS N43º22'12” W01º45'53”
GPS N42º00'14” W04º32'04”
GPS N42º20'16” W04º15'29”
GPS N45º15'18” W04º57'53”
GPS N41º48'13” W06º44'47”
GPS N41º29'11” W07º11'05”
GPS N41º20'33” W08º44'45”
GPS N41º21'50” W08º45'37”

Weather here is really starting to get nice & warm, even had the shorts on yeasterday ended up getting a bit sunburnt as well. At Figuiera da Foz today, might have a couple of nights if the weather stays niced.

Have you been getting the van converted to a boat GPS N45º15'18” W04º57'53” appear to be in the sea

 

[Captain]

Happy Birthday Kontiki!

Couldn't agree more, we usually stay 3 days max. If you don't move about how you going to find all the little gems

 

[Kontiki]

Can't understand some of the things here, at the moment we are in Batalha (39.66050, -08.82425), plenty of places to stay. This morning we had a lot of rain, really heavy. There were a lot of kids playing football on the pitches by where we are. Moved round to by the monastery to hopefully get a better wifi. This car park has been quiet all day with about 10 motorhomes parked here. Just when we got here loads of cars started coming in (it was like the M25 at rush hour) then it went quiet, about half an hour later the same again I can only think they were dropping the kids off then coming back for them. Don't know if it's something to do with the church but the place has suddenly come alive. The monastery cathedral here is well worth a visit, it's a very impressive building more so on the inside. Seems a lot of Portuguese kings & queens are buried here, only one I recognized was Henry the navigator (probably would have made a good wildcamper)

Off to Fatima tomorrow, never heard of the place until we got talking to some other Brits & Portuguese so decided we would make a detour to visit. Also free aire (always a good reason to go somewhere). Hopefully weather going to get a bit next week so back to the beach

 

[garry01]

Can't understand some of the things here, at the moment we are in Batalha (39.66050, -08.82425), plenty of places to stay. This morning we had a lot of rain, really heavy. There were a lot of kids playing football on the pitches by where we are. Moved round to by the monastery to hopefully get a better wifi. This car park has been quiet all day with about 10 motorhomes parked here. Just when we got here loads of cars started coming in (it was like the M25 at rush hour) then it went quiet, about half an hour later the same again I can only think they were dropping the kids off then coming back for them. Don't know if it's something to do with the church but the place has suddenly come alive. The monastery cathedral here is well worth a visit, it's a very impressive building more so on the inside. Seems a lot of Portuguese kings & queens are buried here, only one I recognized was Henry the navigator (probably would have made a good wildcamper)

Off to Fatima tomorrow, never heard of the place until we got talking to some other Brits & Portuguese so decided we would make a detour to visit. Also free aire (always a good reason to go somewhere). Hopefully weather going to get a bit next week so back to the beach

Hi how ya doing? im keeping an eye on ya over here. Just looked google maps at where your at. did you pay for any camping yet? how long more you out for? you gotta go south weather has to be better. Garry

 

[Kontiki]

PAY FOR CAMPING unless you count €2 for 48 hours inc. electric at Esterraja.
Weather has been very changeable, yeaterday morning at Nazare (unofficial aire next to the library with free internet) we had a bit of a hail storm & torrential rain, then within half an hour it dried up & there wasn't a cloud in the sky (even got the yamaha out & went for a ride up to the top for the view). We are due back on Eurotunel on the 28th April.
Slowly heading south but not too bothered if we don't get down to the Algarve as we are hearing mixed opinions about motorhome owners being moved on & fined .
Considering heading back into France if the weather doesn't get better in the next week . At the moment the weather is nice & sunny here in Peniche, sitting in the tourist info on the free wifi, trying to decide where to head to tomorrow.

 

[defitzi]

hard luck any chance u posting that list sometime? no tomtom or suchlike ancient map navigator! what is general picture wilding there- have been thinking about it for longtime maybe next winter? hope gets better hate to tell u but been generally very very good homebase last few weeks

 

[defitzi]

tan ks from me anyway but...there are "no better" single malts- all are goodest
Only worthwhile alternative is triple distilled Irish! or once distilled "poteen".
Strongly reccommend Jameson's "Redbreast" -de bestest there ever was!

 

[ajs]

Well we have snow in the north again today, so I recon your are in the better place, keep having fun

kinell... that sounds terminal..



fontmicky... i'm on the next plane... can you pick me up from airport
i'll only stay with you fer 4 months... honest


regards
aj

 

[Kontiki]

Nearest airport is Lisbon (let me know which flight your on ) I'll wave as you fly over
Todays exciting news, went out for a ride on the motorbike, on the way back about 200 yards (sorry meters forgot we aren't in the UK) from the campsite got pulled over by the GNR. He didn't speak English & between me & the wife we know about half a dozen Portuguese words we had a problem. I showed him my driving license but knew that we was after my insurance & possibly log book. With gestures explained they were at the van so the wife had to go & get them while I waited. When she came back gave him the documents (he didn't look particularly happy (when he looked at the log book it was on the welsh version he opened) but eventually found something on the insurance that seemed to be ok. He then started to go on about something (wife thinks he was saying we had to pay something like €30 ) I acted dumb (not too hard in my case ) said no comprende numerous times, held his hand out & I shook it (don't think he expected this) then he gave the documents back & let us go.

We were lucky to be close enough to go & get the docs. we have seen lots of places where they pull vehicles over to check them, as we have been in the motorhome they know we are foreigners & don't seem to bother, but on the bike they don't know from the front where we are from.

ALWAYS CARRY YOUR DOCUMENTS WHEN ABROAD.

 

[Jacques le foot]

Hi Kontiki,
We must be in your neck of the woods, we are at a campsite in Peniche. First one we've been on for over 2 weeks, but needed to get some washing done.
We had 3 weeks on the Algarve, but are now making our way steadily up the west coast. We stopped at an absolutely cracking 'stopover' on a big carpark at the most pretty beach at Almograve...do have a look if you get that way.
We thinking od looking at Fatima..have you done it yet..and if so, was it worth the visit?
We had our Ruby Wedding anniversary while we were on the Algarve...so we too have been celebrating.
Hope to meet you along the way,
Kind regards,
Jackie

 

[Kontiki]

We were at Peniche last week (opposite the fire station) & the surfers beach at Baleal the weekend. We called in the municipal campsite on Saturday to use the facilities €1.95 to empty toilet, waste & fill up with water. Moved down to Alcacer do Sal (south of Lisbon so it looks like we missed you) was only going to fill up with gas but ended up on the campsite (our first this trip). Probably start to make our way back towards Spain in a couple of days, we are thinking of heading towards Badajoz then up to Salamanca. After that we know lots of places on the way back to France.