Temperatures were all over the place on today’s journey from Porto Covo up the coast to Nazaré, a fishing town and resort between Lisbon and Porto. A warmish morning on the coast led to sweltering inland weather into the mid-30s by the time we sat down for a (very poor) service station lunch. Arriving later at Nazaré, we were a full 15 degrees cooler, with a sharp wind and overcast skies greeting us as we set up the van in the pine trees of Ohai Outdoor Resort. Kept it interesting! Driving in, one thing was certain: The place has changed quite a bit from the out-of-the way, sleepy fishing town I first trudged to on foot with my friends on a post-uni European backpacking trip 34 years ago. Funny, that… ...

The drive up from Luz to Porto Covo was through noticeably greener countryside than Spain, with gently rolling hills and much uncovered, outdoor agriculture - a huge contrast to, for instance, the greenhoused, barren landscape of Almería. We got to admire it over lunch at the roadside Altura Steakhouse & Bar in Aljezur, where our meals came with a huge array of extras like salad, dips, black bean and vegetable fries alongside the usual chips, and where we all also had homemade desserts, chosen by eye from the chiller cabinet. ...

First three nights of this year’s summer expedition. Drove down to Lagos from Gibraltar, stopping at a well-placed Burger King just off the motorway outside of Sevilla for a patio lunch with dog tucked under table, before crossing the Guadiana International Bridge into Portugal. Grabbed a data Sim for Portugal to power up the WiFi from a Meo store at a shopping centre we suddenly recognised from a previous trip, then pushed on to Espiche, a couple of kms past Lagos and the same inland from Praia da Luz. It’s a very posh campsite, Yelloh! Algarve Turiscampo, with spacious gravel pitches, lots of greenery, indoor and outdoor pools, spa, restaurant, shop, snack bar etc. ...

I went into this marathon expecting - if I was lucky - to run around 3 hours and 5 minutes. I’d trained for a 3-hour finish, but the build-up hadn’t gone perfectly. My gut feeling was that I was capable of running at about 4:20/km pace, not the 4:15/km required for a sub-3. The forecast didn’t help either: gusting to gale-force winds, especially over the final miles, made chasing a sub-3 feel unrealistic. ...

The London Marathon doesn’t really need much of an introduction, does it? For me, it’s the best - maybe on par with New York - but definitely right up there. I’ve done about 15 different marathons, so I’ve got a decent frame of reference. I had a good-for-age qualifying time, and with a UK driver’s licence, I could use that entry option. You do need to be a UK resident for that to work, which is sometimes a bit of a sore point in the community, but it is what it is. ...

I chose the Seville Marathon because it was local, the timing was good, and a bunch of us from the running club were going. I wanted a race around February time and I’d heard it was flat - which sounded good to me. I hadn’t run it before but people I trust said it was a fast course, so I signed up. My original plan was to go for a PB. ...

Pinole is a traditional Mexican flour made from roasted ground corn, which is often sold combined with things like chia seeds, cinnamon and cocoa. It’s easy enough to source online in Europe. Pinole can be mixed with water or milk for porridge, added to smoothies or - in this case - used in baking. It’s a nutritious complex carb, so great for running fuel. These need an oven and a food processor, but will last 4-5 days in an airtight container. This is adapted from a recipe found in the book Born To Run 2, which in turn borrowed it from trail runner called Andrew Olson. ...

This recipe is a campervan favourite, and nicer than the meat equivalent. I usually transfer it to another saucepan once made to simmer/rest while I make the rice in the same pressure cooker afterwards. Ingredients: 1 onion, 1 pepper, 1 carrot, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 mug dried beans, soaked overnight (mix of kidney, black & mung), 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon miso paste (optional), 1 square dark chocolate ...

This is a fast camper van crowdpleaser, because it uses pre-cooked chickpeas and the sauce is naturally creamy and thick thanks to the combination of peanut butter and coconut milk. The lime is a nice addition because it adds an unusual and complementary sharpness at the end. Ingredients: 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 tin full-fat coconut milk, 4 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoons tomato puree, 2 tins chickpeas (drained), 1 veg stock cube, 1 lime ...

A simple curry that we never get bored of. For us, if you’re going to try to avoid meat, you should replace it with things like beans and pulses, so dishes like this feature pretty much daily on our menu. Ingredients: 1 onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 medium red pepper, 1 medium sweet potato, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 mug red lentils, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tin coconut milk. Optional: Small bunch of coriander, thumb of ginger, 1 tsp nigella seeds, juice of half a lemon. ...