Route During Week Seven

The motorhome park here at Tavira is in a great location for cycling through the salt flats to the beach and it’s a great way to tire the dogs out....

 ....they run behind the bikes on the way to the beach, chase the ball in and out of the sea for ages, and run behind the bikes on the way back, phew!

Time to collect our girls and we can’t wait! We've hired a little car and set off for Faro airport, we’re on time and all is going well until while stationary at some traffic lights a car drives into the back of us! The driver is very apologetic, luckily very little damage is done and we have full insurance so we exchange details and we’re still on time to meet the flight.

We spend the morning in Faro; go to the old city and visit the cathedral but we don’t want to overdo it as the girls had to get up at 3.30 a.m. to catch their flight and they are understandably flagging a little.

The house we have rented is great, in the old part of Tavira and an easy walk to the sights and the cafes and restaurants.  The dogs seemed to approve of the roof terrace!

Christmas Eve is the big event here and we’ve booked a table in a restaurant for lunch which is delicious and we have a great time.  We wander around town to admire the lights and drink in the atmosphere.

It’s always a bit strange to be away from home on Christmas Day, especially in another country where the weather is sunny and warm but we’re spending the day at our friend Gill’s with her, her son Alex, and her friend Denise so we’ve got lots to look forward to.

Christmas Day is great, Gill’s Christmas dinner is a triumph and everyone is up for having fun; we play some silly games and the day passes in a flash, and everyone goes home with their cheeks aching from laughing so much.

On Boxing Day we do a monster of a walk from Tavira, through the salt flats to a lovely little fishing village called Santa Luzia.

We make a pit stop for a quick coffee and from there we carry on to Barril Beach.  On the way we see people harvesting their crop of oranges using what look to us like pretty traditional methods.

To get to Barril Beach you have to cross a bridge over the Ria Formosa and then follow a sandy track through the nature reserve to the beach. There is a little train you can catch but not with dogs. 

Barril Beach is a fascinating place, its past is closely linked to the tuna fishing industry, and a  community of about 80 fishermen and their families developed here; the community is long gone but the buildings remain as do 100 rusting anchors set amongst the dunes and known as Anchor Cemetery.  These anchors were used to hold in place the nets that caught the tuna.

Janette and Katie brave the sea for a Boxing Day dip although it has to be said one half of the duo is significantly more hardy than the other, mentioning no names!

The water in the salt flats as we walk back in the stillness as evening falls is like a mirror and as we reach the river in Tavira the sun is turning the sky into sublime hues of pink and orange as a full moon rises, it is magical.   

The next day we want to show the girls Silves so we call in for lunch and a whistle-stop tour....

.... and then on to the cliffs above Praia Joao de Arens.

This area, between Portimao and Alvor, has a spectacular coastline carved into amazing shapes by the eroding forces of wind and water.  The cliffs are high, there are rock arches, sinkholes, and beautiful little coves, some only accessible at low tide or by boat. We are even treated to a naked sunbather on the beach below which caused lots of childish tittering!

Our time with the girls has passed too quickly, and it is sad to see them go.  We’ll miss them but we’re so glad they were able to join us and we’ll enjoy telling them all about the rest of our adventure.