Dispatches

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. ...