PORTUGAL
FREERIDING Clockwise from far left: the beach at Sagres; Freeride Surf School; pastel de nata with a Bradley twist
“ T he road is lo-ong, with many a winding turn…” The longer the better on this holiday to Portugal, as far as I was concerned. Our campervan was cruising through beautiful countryside, the fields dotted with bright spring flowers and majestic cork trees. It was delightfully warm and sunny, and for once the children were happily listening to music rather than asking whether we were almost there. Our last stop had been a stroll around a quaint village (which happened to sell delicious pastel de nata) and that evening we would be staying on a farm, found through Portugal EasyCamp, and sampling its wines. Some of my joy was because this was an unexpected highlight: we had assumed beaches would be the main attraction, but two days into the trip we were inland, far from any tourist trail or coast, and we really couldn’t have been happier. It was with some trepidation we had collected our ‘home’ from CamperDays in Porto just a few days before. A campervan is a large vehicle to drive, especially on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, and we weren’t sure how to use the kitchen, welcome team, and it helped that the vehicle came fully equipped with absolutely anything we’d ever need, including camping chairs and a bike rack. It didn’t take us long to appreciate the benefits of life on the road: every day we could wake up somewhere new, without having to constantly pack and unpack. The kitchen meant we could have the odd quiet night in with home cooked food; a good way to save on a road trip and let the children recharge with an early night. And the onboard shower allowed everyone to warm-up, and wash off the sand, straight after a beach visit. “Life is a highway; I’m gonna ride it all night long.” A road trip needs good tunes, and with the whole family contributing we soon landed up with an eclectic playlist. “It’s raining tacos” from our 5-year-old, far too much Taylor Swift from the older two, and a smattering of some older classics from my wife. bathroom, batteries or electric hook-up. That was soon remedied by the friendly
Merrily singing our way along we soon reached the Algarve, which we found blissfully relaxing. Even travelling outside the peak summer season the waters were warm, the beaches beautiful, and the seafood fresh and abundant. We easily passed two days exploring the markets and coastline, however, the highlight of this part of our holiday was undoubtedly the kids’ surf lessons with Freeride Surf School in Sagres in the far west of the Algarve. Luca was an amazing instructor and had them riding their first wave in no time, so an hour’s session flew by. Even after the lesson the children wanted to stay on the beach for longer, so we were grateful for a slow and relaxed itinerary, with nowhere we particularly needed to be. All too soon we began the final leg of our journey, gently meandering up the coast back to Porto. Most nights we stayed in a Caravan and Motorhome Club site in order to refill the water supplies and charge the batteries: the playgrounds, swimming pools and shops with fresh pastries each morning were an added bonus. Our favourite site was Turiscampo in the Algarve, courtesy of the heated pool and
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