Portugal wowed us today.

But to start with, my navigation was off. I navigated us to a town about an hour away, but Google kept trying to send us via this major road. It looked like we had no choice, so we figured we could handle it for 25 minutes. But as soon as we got on it, we had to get off. Too busy. Too fast.

So we ended up taking the squiggly back roads instead, passing lakes, fields of fruit trees, and eventually what looked like an entire field of rocks. Then we headed down another narrow, winding road to the Douro River, an almost 1,000 km river that runs between Spain and Portugal.

We found a wonderful recreational area with toilets and plenty of shade. It was a beautiful spot, with only a couple of other people around. We took a walk in the midday sun: singlets on, no sunscreen, no water. Not exactly our smartest decision. But it was a beautiful walk alongside the Douro. If I’d done that in New Zealand, I would’ve been burnt to a crisp. Here, somehow, it’s fine.

We spent most of the afternoon by the river because it was just so damn nice.

Around 5 pm, we decided it was getting too hot, so we backtracked up the steep road and continued higher to a viewpoint overlooking the Douro far below, along with a dam and power station. We were so high up that eagles were soaring beneath us. For such a spectacular viewpoint, I was surprised to find we were the only ones there.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay the night because it was in a national park, so I found another spot about an hour away.

And this is where things got interesting.

We drove through a village with tiny, narrow streets before turning onto the scariest road I have ever been on. It was narrow, winding, ridiculously steep, and had a sheer drop right beside us.

I was freaking out.

Mike couldn’t understand why, until he saw the drop-off for himself. From where we were, you could see the road zigzagging all the way down the mountainside below us. It was probably the craziest road we’ve ever driven.

If another vehicle had come the other way, we would’ve been in trouble. There were very few places, if any, where two vehicles could pass.

At some points Mike was crawling downhill in first gear. You could see the next corner ahead, and beyond it… nothing but a cliff edge. I was gripping my seat for dear life while simultaneously sticking my 360 camera out the window.

Priorities.

Thankfully, we made it to the bottom without seeing another soul on that road.

We rolled into a place called Barco de Alva, right on the Spanish border, and suddenly there were cruise ships everywhere.

Cruise ships?!

This is the first place we’ve been where there’s been any real sign of tourists. Yet there were no people around. So I’m still not entirely sure what was going on there.

From there we continued over another mountain, which turned out to be another beautiful drive. The afternoon light was perfect, and we spent most of it saying “wow” at whatever appeared around the next bend.

Then Mike spotted what looked like castle ruins high on a hill.

As we got closer, sure enough, it was a castle!

And then Google started directing us up towards it.

Turns out… that’s where we’re staying tonight.

Can this day get any better?

Well, yes, it can.

The place we’re staying has the most spectacular views. It’s a free camping area provided by the council, with nice flat parking spots overlooking the countryside and the castle above. And not only does it have dump points, it also has free electricity.

Not a bad way to end a lazy day.

Man, it’s gotten HOT again! We left our campground and headed for a town where there is supposedly a rail trail as we wanted to go for a bike ride.

It was a pleasant drive today, through fields of fruit trees, mainly olives and avocados. The olive trees looked like they were all having a bad hair day. It was only about 1.5 hours drive but by the time we got to the town, it was HOT! 

On the outskirts of town was the best Lidl I had ever been to. It looked like it was brand new and beautifully air conditioned and even had nice toilets. We grabbed a few bits and pieces then headed to the town of Mirandela and parked up in a camping car place for the night. It’s quite a nice spot, beside a park and the river.

But we had trouble finding where the bike ride started and it looked like we’d have to ride mainly on roads. So we lay down for a nap instead. At 5pm, I couldn’t stand the heat in the van any longer so we took a walk alongside the river into the town.

There was a student festival to celebrate the end of the school year, and the town had a great vibe.

We sat down at a bar and ordered some zero beer. I couldn’t believe the price. 3 euros for two beers! So cheap! At that price we decided we could afford two each! It was really tasty too, a Portuguese one. I can see now why so many people sit around outside drinking at bars. We couldn’t afford to do that at home.

Today we booked another night in our campground and decided to explore the area.

I had made a plan to go to a traditional stone village, but first Mike wanted to explore the castle in the nearby town. We followed the signs to the castila, and the next thing we knew, we were driving up a steep cobblestoned street.

Then Google tried to send us to a parking area through a narrow tunnel that Bertie would never fit through!

So we had to turn around on this steep road, doing one hundred-point turns, followed by a terrible burning smell. I really hoped we hadn’t just wrecked our clutch!

We parked down the bottom and walked up to the castle. Bragança Castle isn’t just a castle; it has an entire medieval town inside its walls, with people still living here. The castle walls are still intact, and we were able to walk around them, and then through the little village itself. There were mostly old people living here, going about their day. For the second time on this trip, I feel like I’m imposing on people’s lives here.

Then we tried to do some shopping. The first obstacle was finding parking. This town is not campervan-friendly, with tiny car parks. The first supermarket we tried didn’t have anything we wanted. So we tried Lidl, but the queues at the checkouts were horrendous. I didn’t want to spend the nice day queueing, so we escaped. Quickly.

And then we took a drive to one of the most unusual villages in Europe because it is split between Portugal and Spain. On the Portuguese side it’s called Rio de Onor; on the Spanish side it’s known as Rihonor de Castilla. The two halves are separated only by a small stream.

We followed the narrow lanes between traditional granite houses topped with slate roofs, peeking down quiet side streets while trying not to be too nosy, as there are a few elderly residents here. It’s not a tourist destination as such, just a little town on the border, which made it feel authentic.

After that we followed the back roads to our camp. And this was almost a mistake. At one town, the streets were so narrow I thought we were going to scrape Bertie’s sides. I was simultaneously holding my breath while swearing and barking orders at Mike.

But we made it through and continued our drive through the Portuguese countryside of olive trees, cherry trees and wineries.

Back at camp, a couple had just driven in in their three-wheeler open-top car. A light blue Morgan. It was very cool; they had all their camping gear strapped on the back. There was barely enough room for the two of them to sit side by side.

We saw the UK plate, so got chatting to them. They are from the Lake District, so I had to tell them about my sisters doing the Coast to Coast. Apparently, the walk goes right by their village of Bampton.

That night we decided to eat in the camp restaurant as it had good reviews. We both ordered local dishes. Mike had the wild boar and I had the roast pork. Mike really enjoyed his, but mine was just OK. I guess I was imagining a roast from the roast shop. It was nothing like that.

It’s been another beautiful day and not too hot.

It was COLD this morning when we woke up. We’ve been enjoying the cooler mornings, but it was only 6 degrees! So I actually had to put the heater on. How can it go from so hot to so cold all of a sudden? We’ll probably regret saying that later when it hits 30 degrees.

The drive through the mountains today was beautiful, and we kept stopping to take photos. But then we came into a town and it was time to get back to reality. We needed to stock up on supplies and also spend a while on the main roads. There were still nice views from the main roads, it just felt less of a vibe with the faster speed limits.

I kept trying to find other routes to get us back onto the little roads we like. Then we turned off, and the road just got narrower and narrower. It was supposed to be the road to Portugal, and I was really hoping it wasn’t the road to nowhere.

There were no safety barriers on this road, and nowhere to pull over or turn around if we met someone coming the other way. But we ploughed on through, thankfully seeing nobody. Then, just like that, a Portugal sign appeared. Obviously we had to stop and take a photo. And the old border crossing was still there!

And as always, when crossing an artificial line, things change. In Portugal, it suddenly opened up into farmland and loads of fruit trees. I have no idea what type of fruit trees, but I think that’s what they were.

After a bit more driving, we came to the town on Vinhais that had parking for campervans. There was quite a nice outlook, but all the parking spots were on a slope. So we decided to navigate to a camping ground instead.

The camp was really busy place with loads of international vans, mainly from the UK and the Netherlands. Had we just arrived at a tourist hotspot? Anyway, they had one spot left for a van our size, and it happened to be the best one, with a gorgeous view over the mountains. And it’s only 20 euros a night, with nice modern toilets that have toilet seats, paper, and hand soap. Oh, and there’s a pool, but it’s only marginally warm enough to use. But it was oh so nice to have a hot shower. We might spend a couple of nights and explore the area.

Today was a bit of a trip down memory lane. We left our busy park-up and took the back roads. It’s amazing how there were about 20-30 campervans and motorhomes parked there, but we didn’t see one on the road today.

As usual, we took the squiggly roads while they probably took the nearby motorway. But the back roads didn’t disappoint. We saw so many storks high up in their nests, hanging out with their giant babies. I am just so obsessed with these birds. Poor Mike having to stop all the time so I could get photos.

Then we came into Sarria, where the last 100 km of the Camino starts. I don’t remember it being such an ugly city, but thankfully we only touched on the outskirts due to my expert navigation.

We saw the pilgrims walking in looking a bit worn out. And then we started recognising places. In Samos, a couple of carved wooden pilgrims that I remember taking photos with. And up and up and up we went until we arrived at the proper Fonfria this time. I stopped and took a photo of the round-shaped building where we had a pilgrim meal, and the albergue up above.

It’s amazing, having spent 2 weeks driving here, to imagine we walked all this way. At the time it didn’t seem like a big deal, just one foot in front of the other, making our way between towns. But when you’ve driven here in the comfort of a van, it kinda does seem like it was a big deal. And strangely enough, we’ve spent almost as much time driving it as we did walking!

And then further up was the bit I always remember from my Camino: the outlook at the top of a steep climb. I remember climbing that never-ending hill that just went up and up, and it was one of my favourite parts of the Camino, reaching the top where the view was incredible.

And today, we stood trying to see that same view, but it was covered in clouds. There were still glimpses of the farmland below, though. We took a short walk down and watched the pilgrims struggling to walk up, thinking how glad we are that we’re not doing that again!

Then we continued on, turning back onto the back roads. It was another beautiful drive, a narrow road hugging the cliffside and a sheer drop below. There was a guard rail, but it probably wouldn’t help much in a slip or an earthquake. Or a car coming fast the other way. But we put those thoughts aside and just enjoyed the wonderful drive.

And then, in the middle of nowhere, I saw a camping car place surrounded by the hills. It was only 3pm, but we pulled in and had a little nap. We woke up at 5pm and decided we’d stay as it was a gorgeous spot. And we were all alone there.

There was a path leading up through the trees, so we followed it to see where it went. After about ten minutes we came to a tiny little village. Just a few stone houses built into the hills.

We wandered up and down the little lanes, not really sure where we were going. I felt a bit awkward, like we were peering into people’s everyday lives. One man was pottering around in his garden, another was sitting on his deck, and there we were wandering through with a camera.

Only the cats seemed bothered by us, eyeing us suspiciously as we walked past before darting off into the bushes. Everyone else just carried on with whatever they were doing.

By the time we wandered back it was 8pm and time to settle down for a game of Monopoly Deal. No one else had joined us here, and we were all alone.

We woke up tired and decided to stay put. The car park we’re in is actually really good, with free power, water and a dump station. It’s also much cooler here, so we can sit outside without sweltering in the full sun.

We really are off the tourist trail. Every other campervan here is Spanish, although last night there were a couple of French ones too.

We took a short walk along the river, then came back to the van to do our exercises. By then, the sun had come out and it was hot. Typical. The van step, however, is the perfect height for step-ups. I’ll be sore tomorrow!

A couple of things I’ve noticed in Spain (and France) are that you can’t buy simple things like paracetamol in the supermarket; you have to go to a pharmacy. So that’s what we did today. The pharmacist brought out the 1000mg stuff (the strong stuff), and I tried to ask for 500mg instead.

That’s another thing about Spain: nobody seems to speak English. I tried saying “demi”, squeezed my fingers together to show I wanted a smaller dose, while Mike kept saying, “Just write it on your phone.”

So I spent ages connecting to my mobile data and trying to translate “500mg” into Spanish. When I finally managed it, I discovered it was exactly the same as in English. Geez, I’m thick.

Anyway, that was pretty much our day. It’s not the nicest town, but it looks like they’re trying to improve it, and encouraging motorhomes to stop here is probably a good start.

After a day’s rest we were itching to leave. But first, Bertie decided to attack Mike. It’s funny how he was worried about the horses the other day, when it was actually Bertie who gave him a little kick. The cupboard snapped back and got him in the forehead. Just a cut, and apparently he’s fine.

It was a much cooler day, with a forecast high of 16 degrees. We were driving along a fairly main road, quite busy. Well, it had a centre line and a few trucks. But I decided it would be better to turn off and take the longer route.

We followed a beautiful winding road alongside a huge reservoir. There was a lone cyclist on this road and we managed to overtake him four times! Who said things were faster in a campervan?

We were obviously on the old road, as on the other side of the reservoir was the motorway, with trucks and cars barreling along.

Then we went under the motorway and back up into the mountains. It was up and down and squiggly driving all day. And when I say all day, I mean it. We’d left just before 10am, and by 5pm we were struggling to find a suitable spot to camp.

There was one spot high up in the mountains with a gorgeous outlook, but Mike didn’t like it. So we continued to the next town, A Fonsegrada. But on the way it was more up and up and up, even above the tree line, with incredible views over the mountains below.

Then I got excited when I saw Fonfria coming up on my map, a place we walked to on the Camino. It was hard to believe we’d hiked all the way up there, although I do remember the uphill being brutal. I tried to look for the funky-shaped albergue we stayed at but couldn’t see it.

So we continued on to the town of A Fonsegrada with the hope of finding somewhere to sleep. But when we got there it was hideous. Such an ugly old town that all we wanted to do was get out of there.

We stopped while I looked for somewhere else. It was almost 7pm by this stage and Mike was really tired from all the squiggly driving and the potential head injury (although he insists it’s fine).

I found a place 40 minutes away. Thankfully the road to get there was a bit more main (as in wider), but still quite squiggly. It was probably close to 8pm by the time we arrived, and it was almost full. But there was one spot left just for us.

It’s actually a popular spot, especially for campervans and motorhomes, and it’s free to stay there. It also has free electricity, water and dump facilities.

We’ve noticed a few places in Spain doing this, realising that motorhome tourism is an actual thing worth encouraging. Other places charge you to stay, which we’ve never yet paid.

And while I was looking at the route into Portugal, I saw Fonfria on my map. I thought, oh no, we have to go back the way we came. But it turns out it’s the actual Fonfria we walked to on the Camino, not the one we drove through earlier.

O Cebreiro is there too. I remember the relentless uphill to get there. The Pyrenees had nothing on those hills.

So that will be exciting for next time. And we’re also not far from Sarria, which we’ll pass through because there’s really no choice in the direction we’re going if we want to avoid motorways.

Today was a rest day. It’s such a quiet little village, and there’s water and a dump station here, so it seemed as good a spot as any to stay put. Plus, I needed to get a video uploaded.

It was actually quite cool this morning for a pleasant change. I had a jumper on and a blankie over my legs.

I hadn’t yet touched my final French video, so I got stuck into that today. I wanted to get it uploaded via Starlink before it rolled over into a new month. We get 100GB a month and we’d almost used it all. Usually, I take about a week to put a video together, but this one only took a few hours, so it’ll probably be crap. Let me know if you think it’s crap.

Around midday, the sun came over the hill and it got properly hot. So what did we do? We got the bikes off and went for a ride. It’s fairly flat around here, and it was nice to be back on the bikes, but it was just too hot. Thirty minutes was enough.

We spent the afternoon lying around and sweltering, but thankfully we started to get some shade around 6pm. I think the next few days will be cooler.

After weeks of mid-30s temperatures, it looks like today’s high will only be 16 degrees, which will be refreshing. I saw something about 12 degrees on Thursday, but we might be out of the mountains by then.

We’re exhausted. I think the endless hot days have finally caught up with us. It’s been too hot to stop and sit anywhere, so it seems easier to keep on driving with the A/C blasting.

I’d found a spot where we could hopefully spend a quiet day doing very little, but as usual it was sitting in full sun. Then I spotted a waterfall on Google nearby. The next thing we knew, we were winding our way through a beautiful gorge, towering cliffs rising on either side of the road.

It was just a short walk to the waterfall, or cascada as they call them here. It was like a bridal veil, pouring in through a hole at the top and into a pool below. And the noise was fierce! There were some people getting ready to abseil in,which would have been cool to watch, but it was just so damn loud!

We continued our leisurely drive through the canyon, stopping occasionally for a short walk or admire the scenery. In the end, we still managed to drive 85 km on what was supposed to be a quiet day. We headed back to the spot we had stopped earlier, and we decided to stay there. 

It’s actually a beautiful spot in a small town overlooking the mountains. If the temperature behaves itself tomorrow, we might just stay put and have a proper rest day. The temperatures look like they might be dropping over the next few days, below 30 at least.

We woke up in the mountains. Mike was actually up first this morning at 6.30 am to watch the sunrise. It was gorgeous. 

Then the cows with their bells came down the hill with their dog. This is a really cool thing I didn’t know about. In Spain, they raise a dog with the herd, so that they bond. Then the dog spends its life hanging out with the cows and keeping an eye on them, mainly to protect them from wolves. We’ve seen a few herds like this with a dog keeping an eye on them. It’s neat.

Im actually not sure who is in charge. Do the cows just go where they want and the dog follows? Or does the dog tell them where they need to go? And how do they even know where to go? Guess they are just wandering nomads like us.

I thought we were at the summit of the pass, but I’d seen a road that goes even higher. So up we went. It was actually nerve wracking, a very narrow road with a sheer drop off at the edge. But the view from the top was amazing! A massive mountain range spread out in front of us, with jagged bits and pockets of snow.

I saw a couple getting ready for a hike, so I asked them about it, using the very little Spanish I know. They said it was 3-4 hours long, and it was facil. I couldn’t remember if facil was easy or hard, but we thought we’d follow them.

We trudged up this steep hill and I found myself puffing. I don’t usually puff on hills. But then I realised we were up a mountain at altitude. We walked as far as a viewpoint and wow. An even better view of the jagged mountains, and the mist sitting in the valley below.

Then we moved on. It was lucky we stopped where we did, because I was able to research our route, and there was a much better way. Just when I thought we’d seen the best scenery, it got even better. We drove through mountainous gorges with rocks and jagged peaks. I can’t really describe how amazing it was so you’ll have to wait for the video.

Then we turned off onto a road that turned proper narrow. There was a sign saying no motorhomes, but we’re not a motorhome, we’re technically just a van. So we went for it. I found myself gripping the edge of my seat at times as we went around corners, worried there might be someone coming the other way. 

And if I thought the first bit was narrow, it got even worse. A sheer cliff on one side, and a wooden fence on the other, and a steep drop into the river below. Imagine Karangahake gorge with a single lane with no room for passing. I was literally holding my breath as we drove through. If we met someone coming the other way, one of us would have had to reverse. And that would not have been Mike!

Thankfully we didn’t meet anyone. But at the end was a beautiful village called Cain, surrounded by the mountains. There was a gorge walk I wanted to do here. But, unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea.

It was a Saturday and all the walkers were out. And there was nowhere to park. Who woulda thought after that thankfully quiet drive in, that there would be so many people! It’s a very popular area for through-hiking and I think it would be spectacular to do a multi-day hike here.

After that, we kept on driving through the mountains. Eventually we found a beautiful spot to stop for the night. It was also at 1600m, and had incredible views over the mountains. It was just a large pull-off next to the road, but there was barely any traffic. I checked the weather forecast and there was no torrential rain or winds forecast, so we thought perfect. It also mentioned mist, but I thought a bit of mist would make it moody.

But then, around 7pm, the fog started rolling in thick and fast. It looked freaky, and I didn’t like the idea of getting stuck up on the mountain in thick fog. Plus our beautiful view would be ruined. So we headed down and found a parking place in a town for the night.

Oh, and when I got some internet to check facil, it means easy.