Confession time: We willingly went straight to Burger King this time on our onward journey. Do not pass ‘go’, do not collect £200. At least we ate at lunchtime for once on a travel day. In brighter news, the countryside went from the plains of Spain to much more interesting gnarly rocks then mountains, tunnels, lots of meadows and woods, and before we knew it we were descending into our final night’s stay in Spain, at Laredo. ...
Setting off from Nazaré we realised that by the time we reached the nice restaurant Faye had found for lunch in Spain, it would actually be an hour later than our already tight timings, as we’d forgotten about the change of time zone. So we went on the old ‘Morse family lookout’ for somewhere suitable to eat, involving leaving the motorway at towns that time and beauty had forgotten, and calling into motorway service stations where ‘restaurants’ were literally closed/boarded up. We eventually ended up at the Burger King in Salamanca at 4.20pm. Poor. ...
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. ...
I tried these having learned that pinole is a nutritious complex carb, so is great for running fuel. They 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 a trail runner called Andrew Olson. Ingredients: 2 tsp chia seeds, 300g pinole, 100g dates, 2-3 tbsp honey/maple syrup, 150ml water Method: Preheat over to 200°C. Process all the ingredients until they form a thick paste. Divide and shape into 6 cookies on greaseproof paper on an oven tray. Score with the prongs of a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes until starting to crack and colour. ...
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 ...