Good Morning, Bonjour, Buenas Dias, Bom Dia! The driving is done and here we are enjoying the Portuguese sunshine. It was an incredibly effortless journey down. Over the border at Irun, (if you are looking for a good stop over close to the border, there is a new Motorhome Park called Txingudi. You need the PVerde App, the Spanish version of Camping Carpark. It has all services and is close to a supermarket for stocking up). I always like to get the uppy downy bit out of the way. The scenery is spectacular of course but I never relax fully until we’re on the flat, wide open roads with the mountains behind us. Fuel is much cheaper over in Spain! Happy husband! We usually stop at Torquemada. A great free little Aire to get your head down for the night. Huge temperature drop from Biarritz but the weather stayed fine so no complaints. Don’t be put off by the narrow cobbled bridge! That is the right way in! There are a few interesting places to see on this route if you want to put more stops in. Tordesillas, Salamanca, Caceres, all with decent sites. We just wanted to motor on so our next stop was Los Olivos at Aljucen near Merida. It’s a hostel with Motorhome parking, free if you eat with them. Not a word of English spoken, be warned!! It’s cheap and cheerful and the food is good. Served from 8pm in an evening. You can buy bread there too and there’s a fuel station. We had heard about another place close by up in the mountains of Extremadura that looked interesting. As it was Three Kings Day approaching, a big deal for the Spanish and a bank holiday, we thought it might be wise to hunker down for a couple days. Oh how glad we were that we did! Alegria in Montanchez was one of those golden finds. The drive up was breathtaking and on great roads even for our big bus. The turn into the park is a bit squeezy for a big un, 9m would definitely be a max length. The town is known as the balcony of Extremadura. We arrived in low cloud. Once it cleared an hour later we were blown away by the view. It was absolutely sensational. The park sits in an olive grove and is beautifully landscaped. The facilities are the best we’ve seen and the Dutch owners just the kindest souls. Bread is ordered and delivered each morning. Ours came with a sweet little note wishing us a beautiful day! Town is a ten minute walk away. It’s overlooked by a castle, the vista from up there is worth the climb. There are a few bars and restaurants, a small supermarket, a bakery, all the essentials, it’s a really lovely little place. I stopped to chat to a local donkey, who can resist a donkey. Mark almost wet himself when the farmer appeared and tried to hoist me onto its back for a photo!! That evening we went back into town for the festival celebrations. This is when the Spanish kids get to open their Christmas presents. They leave shoes outside their doors for the Three Kings to fill them with goodies. It was all pretty amazing. There was live entertainment in the square and huge snow machines pumping out snow as the Kings were paraded through town, sweets were thrown and everyone was given the traditional Roscon de Reyes, cake shaped like a crown. Pretty fabulous and great to be a part of. We ate at a super place recommended by Yvon and Joop. Montanchez is famous for its Iberican black pigs. We had to try the pork! It was delicious! What an unexpectedly incredible time we had!

The next day we got a load of laundry done and just chilled, enjoying the lovely grounds and the birdsong. We had a superb sunset stroll through the olives taking in the incredible scenery. I had a slab of Salmon in the freezer from Honfleur so we feasted on that for supper, cooked up with Spanish peppers, olives and paprika bought locally. We stocked up on local wine and the cured Iberican ham too, I just love sampling regional foods as we travel. It’s a big part of it for me.

Next morning we said cheerio to our lovely hosts and tootled off down the road feeling happy and rested. We can’t recommend this spot highly enough, it’s a delight. The weather got warmer as we travelled south. By late afternoon we were over the next border and into Portugal. Motorhoming friends and fellow travellers, this is where you register for tolls. It’s a pain in the arse if you miss it! Keep right in the lanes marked for ‘foreigners’!!! All you need to do is register your credit card. It should record your number plate automatically. Easy peasy. We arrived at our first destination, Castro Marim, in time for a mooch around the castle and a fabulous fiery red sunset! There are no services here but it’s great for one night of wild camping provided you leave no trace and don’t outstay your welcome. I’d prepared a lamb tagine the day before while we had electricity which just needed re-heating. Welcome to Portugal! We’d made it! We are now 3 weeks in and as per usual, haven’t made it any further than Manta Rota! As I’ve said before, if we take this route in, it’s impossible for us to drive past! Here we are then in our little haven in the dunes by the sea. My collection of seashells is growing, my sack of oranges is strung in a tree. We’ve hooked up with a few friends down the road and just slotted into our usual daily routine. We’ve hired a car for convenience. Will we move on? Ah maybe manana!!! See you down the road chums. Life is all about the journey Happy days. Love and best to all 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇪🇸🇵🇹