Sagres

Sagres has seen a great deal of us over the cusp of ’24/’25, due in large part to ongoing dental treatment in Praia da Luz. If Sagres formerly felt like our second home, it’s feeling now, more and more, as our real home. This is, I believe, our fourth stay here, measured over the span of “this trip to Iberia.” How many in total? Not sure. A lot.

Our Polarsteps trail is looking very messy indeed!

We keep on returning, largely because we love it here, and partly because it is simply the ideal spot in which to chill after a period of driving about. It really is a very restful destination. As for feeling like home, we have relationships with many people now. We arrive at the campsite, to be greeted with a sunny smile and a “welcome back!” and we are recognised in the restaurants that we frequent. Then there is the lovely cashier at Intermarché – we discovered last year that she is not Portuguese at all, but French, from Paris. She has lived in Portugal for 40 years and now has a distinctive accent to her excellent English – but now she greets us in French. Very clear French, that I am able to reply in kind to.

It just all feels very small town home.

Sagres doesn’t just feel like home; it feels comfortable climatically. The coastal weather is warm in the winter, cool in the summer, both relatively speaking. Here we are, in May, far later in the year than we have stayed on previous visits. Currently we are enjoying a very steady temperature, around 18°C during the day, 15°C at night (Elsewhere in Portugal just now, the mercury is showing 30°C or so). It feels hotter during the day, due to the fierce sun, but there is a cooling breeze to temper that. It’s ideal. It has given me confidence in returning here for a summer visit, at some point.

We took a month when we booked. Our Orbitur Card gives us 7 free nights if we pay for 21 (EHU extra). The dental appointment is on May 23rd. We planned to drive off to Luz for that, then return here to see our month out and relish our free nights.

Except, we are both longing to be back in France now!

We have decided not to return here after the dentist. The plan already was to go and stay at Portimão for a night, as we are booked in at Loki for my birthday dinner on the day of the dentist.

Current thinking now has us doing two nights at Portimão. That allows us to stock up at Lidl/Aldi/Continente for our trip, and then to depart on a long drive with a clear bloodstream. Sunday driving will get us a long way on clear roads.

We plan to get past Sevilla on Day 1, probably as far as Monesterio. Hopefully, Monday will get us to Cañaveral, another long drive. We will probably rest up at Tordesillas after that. Tordesillas is, psychologically at least, well on the way to France. We can breathe out, buy wine, eat meat, then carry on.

We should be in France well in time to get Nessa’s CT done.

But… there is a Plan B under formulation. A cross-country route that is slower to get us back, but takes us to some lovely little towns and villages, with really nice parkings. One eye on the calendar, though, with that CT in mind.

Which shall it be?

There is no doubt that we are feeling a little excitement at the prospect of being off and travelling again.

Yes, I feel a slight sadness at leaving here. Yes, I am sorry that we shall miss out on the next Fermento Wine and Tapas evening, but it really is time to bid Sagres adieu. No worries, we shall be back at the back end of this year, when I return to have my tooth capped.