Porto Covo, Portugal

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.

Stopping for supplies at São Teotónio, and despite having spotted a rather incongruous-looking Indian supermarket a couple of miles back, we were still a bit surprised to see so many brown faces, several turbans and lots of distinctively colourful clothing - it was like a little India! Apparently there are seasonal agricultural workers who make the very long trip from various parts of Asia, and we loved the vibe in the supermarket, not least because everybody seemed to be bulk-buying ice cream...

Journey done, we arrived at the pleasant, slightly more peaceful Costa do Vizir campsite in Porto Covo. It was spoiled only slightly by the noise of the building work next door, and our pitch was partly shaded by a variety of trees, but after the first night I moved the van from under one of them, as many roosting birds equals a lot of mess directly underneath. The site itself is well situated, a ten-minute walk from the tiny town and its coves and beaches.

On our first full day we chilled, broken up just by pool-time for the kids and an afternoon stroll into town, with craft ice creams for all from Gelataria Prime in the main square. Cooking-wise, I did get to break in our new cast iron frying pan, bought because we can use it on a fire should we wish, as well as on the van's gas cooker. I made a family-sized omelette in it, and it played ball, with no 'stickage' to speak of.

Next day, while Faye hung out at home with the dog, the kids and I had the most perfect beach afternoon: Porto Covo's main beach is a large cove, protected on both side by cliffs, with endless sand, a gradual slope down to big waves crashing in from the Atlantic, yet shallow until a long way out, and so perfect for playing in the breaking waves. It was busy but not packed, with plenty of room for all, perfect temperature, not a cloud in the sky, water cold but not too cold... and we came back just slightly sunburned. As I say, perfect!

That evening we all walked along the seafront to La Bella Vita on the main pedestrianised street. The pizzas and tiramisu were excellent, everything fresh and homemade, and we enjoyed people watching from our table and on our amble home back along the clifftops and past the now almost empty beach.

Running-wise, our first morning's runs on a breezy but perfectly sunny day were a tempo run for me, which I chose to do along the coast road for the surface and flatness, while Faye's easy run meant she could hit the back tracks, most of which seem to be covered in sand. Next morning I chose the clifftop trails for my run, which turned into a hike and scramble in places as it dipped down to tiny coves and beaches and cut through brambly woods. Meanwhile, Faye headed out on the roads for a speed run in the rapidly climbing heat. Faye's final run was an adventurous 11km clifftop trail route, which she found to be deserted other than for just a couple of other runners.

So, Porto Covo 'done', I'm writing this on our final morning as we pack up to head up past Lisbon towards Nazaré, a town I have not visited since 1991 but thought about often, and that - due to its surfing reputation - we've sold to the kids as having 'the biggest waves in Europe'. Let's see...