Europe 2026 - Pretty Towns, Sunsets and Devastation

Thursday 26^th March

Richard dropped a bombshell this morning.  If you know Richard then you will know that he is a very laid back man and goes with the flow, so when he says something like, we are going to have to go to sites every other night as our batteries are losing capacity and need charging up properly, I panic 🙀. Trying to find sites that are open at this time of year isn’t easy and even though there are aires with electricity you can’t book them so can’t guarantee being able to hook up when you get there.  We had talked about getting lithium batteries in the past, but Richard had it in his mind that they would cost us about £5,000.  I thought I would just get a quote from the people who service Kiwi and it came back as £1,500!  All that time poor Richard had been worrying as, to be honest even to me, £5,000 was rather a lot.  Reliance can even do the work before we set off for Ireland three weeks after getting back from Europe!  Win, win situation 😆. We might even get a second solar panel on the roof.  As, when we get home, our present batteries will be chucked out, Richard is happy to knacker them on the remainder of this trip.  We have made one change though and will now be going to a vineyard/olive farm over Good Friday (the Portuguese celebrate Good Friday more than Christmas) where we can hook up.

Anyway back to our day!  Due to the circumstances above, our day changed!  I managed to find an olive farm where we could go to for the night and charge up the batteries as we had been off grid for 3 days.  This meant missing out somewhere, which turned out to be a monastery, where Rio couldn’t go into anyway.

We drove through Costa Nova which is renowned for its stripey houses. We saw them last year but that was in the rain, but wasn’t everything in the rain last year! We then headed for Leiria where there is a castle.  We found the car park then looked up and realised the castle sits on a hill (makes sense I guess!).  Richard is still getting muscle pain in his knees (his arthroscopy solved the giving way problem) and is fine going up hills but not down, this does cause planning problems 🤣. I chatted with Jem and discovered that there are two elevators to take people up to the castle, one being just across the road, great we thought but it was closed.  We walked round to the other elevator and that was closed too, so no castle for us ☹️ We decided to have a wander round the old town and found a lovely square with lots of restaurants, so decided to drown our sorrows with Coke Zero and have some lunch.  We chose a restaurant and had an excellent seafood omelette with a very tasty potato salad.

Back at Kiwi we set off for the olive farm which turned out to be a little haven.  All the pitches were between two rows of olive trees on a hard standing and had another two rows of olive trees to the next pitch.  There was a little shop that sold lots of local produce, all done on an honesty basis.  We sat out with a cup of tea and relaxed after a rather stressful day.

We did discuss staying for an extra night but there must be a dog kennels close by and there was a constant noise of barking dogs which, I’m afraid, put us off.

We had also been having internet problems.  Kiwi has an Avtex router and the TV is linked to that.  We had been having a lot of buffering and found it impossible to watch anything, though I could link the TV to my phone and it was fine.  An email to the people who fitted the router gave us the phone number of Avtex tech support.  These people were extremely helpful and suggested updating the unit.  They sent me the latest update which I duly installed and, voila, problem solved!


Friday 27th March

Sadly the dogs didn’t stop barking all night. It was usually just one (whereas yesterday it was more like two). There was the odd period of peace and quiet but even Rio got fed up and started barking - albeit quietly.

We weren’t in a hurry to leave and got away about 11.30 to drive to Nazaré.  A quick supermarket stop, more wine, beer, coke and milk!!

Nazare is known as the Big Wave Capital of the World, where 100 foot waves can be seen.  These are caused by an underwater canyon over 16,000 feet deep (the largest in Europe) that ends just offshore.  The season is between October and March, and with it being almost the end of March the wave were only about 5 to 10 feet.  When Storm Hermínia hit the coast between January 25th and 30th, it produced some of the largest raw swell readings of the season with surf reports indicating faces reaching 70–80 feet during the peak of this storm.

We got to the parking area by Praia do Norte only to find small waves which was rather disappointing.  They were still big but not BIG BIG!  It didn’t seem worth the 30 minute walk to the lighthouse to see the same waves.  Nazare is a no go area for motorhomes as the streets are very narrow and there is practically no parking.  I guess in the big wave season the whole area is flooded with “surf dudes” and their campervans, maybe they don’t want to be the Newquay of Portugal.

We had lunch and moved on to find a park up for the night.  I had two in mind and the first one was just perfect, we were the only people there until a German camper joined us.  He parked up right on the edge of the cliff which we had decided wasn’t the place for us!  We had a lovely view of the sea, though it was a tad windy.

As we were driving along the Estrada Atlantica we were horrified to see the devastation that Storm Kristin had wreaked on January 27th/28th and this area was at the centre of it.  It was described by meteorologists as a "weather bomb" and is officially the strongest storm ever recorded in Portugal.  Wind gusts were unofficially clocked at a staggering 148 mph, surpassing the previous records held by Hurricane Leslie.  The storm caused Portugal’s largest-ever blackout, leaving over 1 million people without power and there was widespread destruction of forests, structural damage to buildings, and several fatalities.  The government declared a "disaster situation" for the Leiria and Coimbra districts due to the scale of the wreckage. 

Storm Kristin was followed by Storm Leonardo on February 4th, which brought relentless rain to already saturated ground, causing major flooding.  Storm Marta was next on February 7th which added further rain and landslides to the central region.  Storm Therese was last in mid March and she brought yellow and orange alerts for wind and heavy rain to the area, though it was not as catastrophic as Kristin.

We were facing due west with nothing between us and the horizon.  I had hoped for a good sunset and I wasn’t disappointed.

Saturday 28th March

We have now had blue skies and sunshine for nearly a week now, with temperatures averaging 24 degrees during the day, though it’s jolly cold overnight. We have been waking up to about 12 degrees!!

Our stop over had been wonderful, there were two campervans and us. All we could hear were the waves.

We set off for Alcobaca where there is an UNESCO Monastery, the Monastery of Santa Maria d'Alcobaça. 

We parked up in an aire in the town and walked through pretty narrow streets towards the monastery.  Suddenly everything opened up into a big square and to our left was the huge and awe inspiring monastery.  It was founded in 1153 by Portugal’s first king, Afonso Henriques.  The King promised to build a grand abbey for the Cistercian Order if he was successful in conquering the city of Santarém from the Moors. After his victory in 1147, he donated the land to Bernard of Clairvaux (Saint Bernard).  The Church is the largest Gothic church in Portugal, stretching 100 meters in length. Its narrow nave and high vaults create a powerful sense of verticality and light. When Dissolution happened in 1834, the religious orders were abolished in Portugal. The monks were forced to leave.  I wondered why the building is so big so I asked Jem and he said that at its height, it accommodated nearly 1,000 monks.  It had vast dormitories as Cistercian monks originally slept in communal spaces rather than private cells, they needed enormous rooms. One of the dormitories is over 60 meters long.  Jem also told me that leading to the refectory is the "Door of the Fat Monks.  It was purposely built narrow (only 12 inches wide) so that if a monk became too overweight to fit through it, he was forced to fast!  I could do with a door like that!

Sadly, as we had Rio, we couldn’t go into the Monastery, but we stopped at a cafe across the square and gazed at it while drinking a coke! 

Our next stop was Obidos which is one of Portugal's most picturesque medieval villages, famously known as the "Wedding Present Town" because it was gifted by King Dinis to Queen Isabel in 1282. Encircled by well-preserved limestone and marble walls, the town is a labyrinth of cobblestone streets and whitewashed houses.  We parked across the road and entered the town via the Porta da Vila which is the monumental main entrance to the town, featuring a stunning interior balcony decorated with 18th-century blue and white azulejo tiles.  The Church of Saint Mary is the town's main parish church, famous for being the site of the 1441 wedding between 10-year-old King Afonso V and his 8-year-old cousin Isabel.  I didn’t take a photo as, sadly, it is a very poor state of repair.  Dominating the car park is the Aqueduto de Usseira, which is a 1.8 mile stone structure built in the 16th century to supply the town's fountains with fresh water.  It was commissioned by Queen Catherine of Austria, who sold her lands nearby to fund its construction.

Finally, and our stop over for the night, was Baleal.  It was just a car park but a big one.  It was quite busy but once the evening came the cars disappeared which left about six motorhomes.  Baleal is a small peninsula famous for its unique geography—a narrow causeway connects the "island" to the mainland, creating two distinct coastlines.  Surfers love it because the beaches face different directions, and they can almost always find a spot with offshore winds. If the waves are too big on the north side, the south side is usually calm and perfect for beginners.

We took Rio for a walk on the beach as people began to leave.  He just loved it and got the zoomies a couple of times.  Back in Kiwi, from my seat, I could see the sun going down - two lovely sunsets in a row, can’t be bad.

Europe 2026 - The River Douro and the Venice of Portugal

Monday 23^rd March

A shorter update today after yesterday’s marathon!

The cockerel must have been having a lie in yesterday as it was 3am again today. I feel so sorry for the site owners as, I guess, there isn’t much they can do about it.

A second load of washing and we were ready to set sail.  Someone had told Richard that there was a new Intermarche up the road with a big car park.  We found the supermarket but the parking was underground, so no good for us.  So it was back to Plan A and go to the Pingo Doce, I just love that name.

We headed to the Douro valley.  Last year we took the fast road but this time we did the scenic route.  Most of the road was above river level and the views were stunning.  We were surprised that, although it was very rural, there were lots of houses.  Our first stop was the Barragem do Carrapatelo (Carrapatelo Dam), but mainly to see its lock which, for a long time, was the deepest Europe.  The lock is 115 feet deep - the deepest in the UK is 20 feet!  115 feet is roughly the height of a 12-story building.  The dam was the first built on the Portuguese section of the Douro (inaugurated in 1972) and remains the most impressive of the river's five locks.  The dam is 190 feet high and 1,312 feet long. While newer locks in Europe, in places like the Volga-Don Canal or some French waterways have challenged its title, it is still frequently cited as the deepest lock in Europe due to its single-chamber design.  We couldn’t believe our luck as one of the river cruise boats was just about to enter the bottom of the lock.  The boat was obviously built to fit the lock, or was the lock built to fit the boat, as it was a perfect fit.  The boat looked so small in the bottom of the lock.  We crossed the road to see how the water went in, but we couldn’t see though the boat rose quite fast.  One minute there was a small boat in the bottom of the lock, then there was this huge thing just below us.  The passengers were obviously not allowed on deck while they were in the lock and all the navigation lights and even the ship’s bell had been lowered.  How lucky were we to see that.

One interesting fact about the Douro River is that it rises 410 feet in total from the coast to the Spanish border. The Barragem do Carrapatelo alone accounts for nearly 30% of that total height.

We continued on just loving the views.  As we approached Peso da Regua (our stop for the night) the valley became terraced for vines which would then be made into Port.  There were, we reckoned, hundreds of almond trees all covered with their white blossom.  It was certainly a beautiful drive for me, but hard work for Richard, as it was very wiggly and the road surface was shocking.  The UK’s roads are excellent compared with these ones!

Last year, when we stopped at Regua there were only a couple of motorhomes parked up by the river, but this year it was very busy.  We were right by the river - it certainly was a lovely spot.

Tuesday 24^th March

Today was Rio’s second birthday, and we had a fun packed day for him 😂🤣

A beautiful morning to wake up to the equally beautiful River Douro.

A trip on the “bumpy” train was the order of the day.  We had met an English man who had assured us that that is what it is called locally!

I walked a short way from Kiwi where I took some photos.  You can see the damage that was done during the storms earlier this year.  There was debris in the trees, and a lamp post had even been knocked over.

As we were leaving for the station the lady from the French van in front of us got out. I brightly said bonjour as did Richard. She must have thought that we could speak fluent French as she started a spiel in French. She was pointing at the underneath of her van, the front of Kiwi and the river.  We had absolutely no idea what she was on about. The only thing that Richard could think is that the grey water tap had been very slightly open and a few drops had been coming out. He closed it last night.   I guess we will never know for sure!

The train was waiting at the station. It should start at Porto but there are track works, so it is starting in Regua at present.  The journey up to Pochino was absolutely stunning.  The train runs right alongside the river and in places it seems to be only inches away.  There isn’t much I can say but I hope you can see from the photos just how wonderful the view is.  (The train window wasn’t that clean so there are some marks on the photos).  

The train terminated in Pochino, but we stayed on and went back towards Regua though we got off in Pinhao where I had organised a boat trip, which was super stunning.  There were only a few of us on the boat, an American couple out at the front with us and a family inside.  The next boat was quite full, so we were lucky.

Back in Pinhao we looked for somewhere to get something to eat and finally found a snack bar with a lovely view over a tributary into the Douro.

It was then back to the train and our final leg back to Regua.  We were shattered when we got back to Kiwi, though we hadn’t walked that far (2.8 miles) so just collapsed.

We hope that Rio had enjoyed his birthday, though he did look very bored at times!

We had a lovely sunset over the Sandeman man.

Wednesday 25^th March

We were awake early, for us, and were away by 9.45am

Regua has its own dam and lock, so we headed there first.  The dam is 135 feet high and a length of 1,150 feet.  The lock is approximately 295 feet long and 40 feet wide, with a drop of 93 feet.  Construction of the dam began in 1965 and was completed in 1973.

We stopped a bit further on to take photos of where we had been staying.

Then a 90 mile drive to Aveiro, the Venice of Portugal.  I asked Jem to tell me something about Aveiro and this is what he said.  “Often dubbed the "Venice of Portugal," though I’d say it’s more like Venice’s laid-back, colourful Atlantic cousin who prefers salt and sweets over grand marble palazzos!”

There is a motorhome stop just outside the city, so we had a short walk along one of the canals.  The city around the canals surprised us, as Jem said, there was a lot of marble. 

It was lunchtime and we found a café overlooking the canal which served excellent burgers.

We decided to take a boat trip.  There were quite a few different companies, so we just chose the nearest!  The boats that are used are called Moliceiros, brightly painted, crescent-shaped boats that were originally used to harvest seaweed (moliço) for fertilizer.  There were only seven passengers on board, two Spaniard, three Brazilians and us.  Our guide spoke four languages, but he did seem to spend most of his time chatting to the Brazilians!  We went under the "Bridge of Ties" (Ponte de Laços), where couples leave colourful ribbons as tokens of friendship and love.  We also went under the Ponte Pedonal Circular, also known as the Circular Pedestrian Bridge or the "Loop Bridge."

Beside the canal is the historic landmark, the Capitania de Aveiro (Old Port Authority building), also known as the Casa dos Arcos.  It now has one of Aveiro's most charming and whimsical art installations pouring out of one of the first floor windows.  It is called the “Cardume” or “School of Fish" which is part of the Galeria de Arte Urbana (Urban Art Gallery) initiative in the city, which pays homage to Aveiro's deep-rooted connection to the sea, the lagoon (Ria), and its history as a fishing hub.

Also, beside the canal is the Museu de Arte Nova (Art Nouveau Museum), also known as the Major Pessoa House, is widely considered one of the most beautiful examples of Art Nouveau in all of Portugal.  Built between 1907 and 1909, it was originally a private residence for Mário Belmonte Pessoa.  The eagle perched at the very top is its most iconic feature.

We had a quick wander along a street lined with restaurants and saw the Sé de Aveiro (Aveiro Cathedral), also known as the Igreja de São Domingos which was originally founded in 1423 as a Dominican convent.

We passed an ice cream parlour so had to try one.  They were really lovely, I had caramel and pastel de nata (Portugal’s famous egg custard tart pastry – let me tell you that the ones in Lidl are very poor fakes!)

We had a short drive to an Intermarche for a quick top of the fresh food and to use their service area for the grey and black water and fresh water.

One of the wild camping places I really wanted to go back to this year was the beach at Costa Nova, which was only a few miles from the Intermarche.  We moored up and took Rio on the beach which he loved especially as we had taken the ball thrower.

We settled down for the evening – no need to cook tonight!