Days 14 to 15 down the Iberian Peninsular - Peniche to Cascais

Day 15 Mira to Peniche to Casscais (Guincho)

Setting off after saying our goodbyes to Claudia, we headed off across country following in our tyre tracks of yesterday before tuning off onto the road that leads to Leiria, as we came down a steep incline we notice a very, very large ecclesiastical building, we turned off the main road and into the town, this place is called Batalha and is the largest cloisters in Portugal.

It was built after the Portuguese under King Joao I beat the Spanish Army at the battle of Aljubarrota, he had promised to build a Monastery and in 1388 he kept his promise and built the Mosteiro Santa Maria de Victória (not all in one go but started it). It is a magnificent early Gothic building and the main entrance door is worthy of a few photographs (we did). It is also a World UNESCO site.

We arrived and found a parking place, across the road was a large market in full flow, never being ones to pass up a market we visited the stalls, some with live animals and some with ironmongery and kitchen utensils, we bought a pair of salad tongs and a bottle opener. We popped into the covered market to peruse the fish.

 We then hopped in to the camper and headed off in the direction of Nazaré for lunch, this is a nice seaside town with all the nep you would expect, but Linda wanted her ice and a fish skewer. We walked along the front and looked at the menu’s we found a one that looked nice so popped in and sat down, Linda selected her seafood skewer and I my fish stew.

Both a good portion and delicious. Next it was around the corner to get Linda her ice-cream two large scoops, then to the camper and along the road to Peniche. 

Arriving in Peniche early afternoon we soon found the campsite, this time not from the ADAC book but from the internet, this was not a campsite but a camper RV park, these we know from the states. It cost €10,- a night including a very good WiFi connection, showers and toilets are extra showers €1,- for 6 minutes and 50 cents for and as long as you want, very clean. The Camper park is concreted and even, plenty of power sockets and a communal BBQ station with three positions and a washing up point. It is shut and barred at 22:30 and you cannot get your vehicle in or out. There is a small postern gate with a key code to get you in if you are out on the town.

We had an early night and an early start, we wanted to go down to the fishing harbour, well if you come to the largest sardine processing harbour in Europe then you have to go to the harbour ans see the boats unloading, we did see the boats unloading but not sardines but Bastard Mackrel, tonnes and tonnes of them, container after container coming off the boats and being whisked away into the cool houses and processing plants.

I do love a fishing harbour, I did spend a summer as a deckie learner, working the herring fleets out of North Shields, it earned me a few bob to add to my paltry Apprentices pay. That finished we went to Intermarche first for breakfast and then on the road to Sintra. The reason being was that I had found a Sunlight (our Van) dealer. I hoped that they could fix the Sat dish drive, we arrived at midday, of course shut and barred, it was 15:00 before we were able to get in and explain the problem. The nice Lady, Carla got a technician, I said just have a look at it and see if it is repairable, alas another misunderstanding he stripped it down working on it for 3 hours and concluded it needed a new motor, we concluded that it would be better if he put it together and they would see if they could get a new motor from the Sat dealer. They will phone me and tell me the results tomorrow. I did buy some replacement toilet tablets and special toilet paper and a door catch, pity they had everything except a Sat Dish drive motor.

It then was a mad dash to Cascais and then a terrible drive around the town to find the none existing campsite, that was because it was quite a way outside at a place called Guincho, we found it at last just before it shut up shop. We then had great difficulty finding a pitch we did at last and we were not at all fussed about cooking, so we went to the restaurant and had steak, chips and egg, followed by a rice pudding washed down with a Vino Verde. Then back to the camper, tomorrow is a make and mend day, we are staying put before heading into Lisbon for 3 days.