Algarve

After a long round about trip we have made it to Portugal

No health and safety here..

The ramparts are 8m high with no rails, no blame culture here then..

Just over the border with Spain lies Castro Marim with its hilltop fort and whitewashed houses

The lagoons below are salt lakes

Cacela Velha, a small village with direct access to the beach and a superb restaurant called Casa Azul ran by a Filomena and her very friendly staff

The fish menu is superb and we are currently spending a great deal of time here and the local vicinity

How nice it is to walk in the clear sea on a february day  

Marina at Villa Real de Santo Antonio

Boardwalk at Cabanas, a welcome break in a bar after a morning's bike ride

Right on the beach was a great bar where we sunbathed for longer than we should have. Note the wine prices, for large ones to boot

How it really is....

Campsites or very well equipped Private Aires are a welcomed necessity when its time to wash or in this case party on with the 'big iron'

To be honest we don't like using them as they are quite often not up to scratch or overpriced for what we actually need

So often along the coast we have been finding little gems of places such as this at Praia do Barril

Easy life...

Bartering a good price at the local restaurants for his day's work may not be so easy

Alte, a rural retreat set in the hills

The local coffee shop owner counted the Queen of Sweden, Sir Cliff and Jamie Oliver among his many visitors

Hasselhof move over....

This storm came from nowhere and yes we got a soaking..

One hour later