Middle-aged flash packers

We left Manteigas on a clear, sunny morning but it didn’t take long for some low cloud to roll in. This wasn’t helpful on the road to Gouveia ( yup, same road we came in on, still as scary as the first time)but we made it ok.

It was a dull, cloudy drive but we stopped off at the beach of Poca da Cruz as I wanted to see the famed Silver Coast of Portugal .

It’s hard to find any information on Poca da Cruz, this beach is a really well kept secret. We just randomly stumbled across it. There is very little there – a snack bar, some loos and a life guard. That’s it. And it is stunning. White sand as far as you can see and hardly a soul there.

There is a hiking and biking track that follows along side the dunes but that’s as touristy as it gets. And the sun came out. What more can you ask for?

Sadly we couldn’t stay as we were unable to find any accommodation hence our decision to go to the Costa Verde.

I must admit to be being very disappointed and our approach to Viana do Costelo did nothing to raise my spirits. It’s a big old town, and very much a working one. Our accommodation (another Quinta), billed as being close to a hyper market, is literally on top of it. Opposite the Quinta it looks as though either the motorway is being widened or something large is being built. It’s still an oasis in a busy place but I fear the quinta’s days are numbered.

Although our little apartment had everything we needed, it smelt of damp and just wasn’t very welcoming.

A walk into town confirmed to me that V do C is ok but neither charming nor interesting. A fog of discontent settled upon me and I’m afraid once I get into a funk, there’s no talking me round until it clears.

Today I woke up still grumpy but by the time Steve showed me Afifi beach and we had a good stroll along it I was back to normal. Is it just me who does this or are there other funksters out there? I do hope I’m not alone.

In the afternoon we drove up to Ponte de Lima. What a beautiful town! A medieval bridge spans the river and the buildings are almost Germanic in style. Everyone was having fun in the water, from kayaking to swimming. We also saw some exhausted compostelo pilgrim walkers waiting to get their route stamps.

Talking about exhausted, Steve and I could hardly keep our eyes open and needed coffee and coke to stay awake. Maybe we need to chill out a bit.

The Continente hyper market has come into its own. Just a two minute walk has us buying the delights of freshly roasted hot chicken, salads, lemon marinated olives, wine and cake.

Every cloud has a silver lining.