From the seaside resorts of Guincho and Cascais, to the hilltop retreats of Sintra and Mafra

For the last 3 days/nights our home has been by the sea, at Praia do Guincho.  It is a lovely setting, with the rolling waves of the Atlantic and clean sandy beaches on one side of us and on the other, rolling sand dunes and a boardwalk taking you around it all and its nature reserve.

The nearest town, Cascais is very upmarket and quite expensive, with a feel of the ‘south of France’ about it.  It’s a major resort with some pretty beaches, marina and citadel.

View of the marina and citadel from one of the little coves

The mansion of the Counts of  Guimaraes, behind which is the municipal park of Gandarinha and a mini beach

Entrance to the mansion's museum, with its Moorish architecture

Main Square of Cascais

A lot of tourists flock to the Boco do Inferno - “the Mouth of Hell”, the other side of the marina.  This is a popular area to watch the Atlantic waves crash against the caves in the cliff.  Although the rocks and caves are dramatic, the waves today weren't!

and to be honest they are better seen and more dramatic where we were at Guincho.

The Atlantic waves crashing against the rocks at Guincho

The next day we took a scooter ride along the N247 to Sintra.  A  pretty ride of about 17kms, the road follows the coast before climbing up a few hundred feet and winding its way into the historic old town of Sintra.  It was once a summer residence of the kings of Portugal and the Moorish lords of Lisbon, and is evident with all its Palaces and castle.

Arriving in the historic old town it was clear that it was a popular tourist resort, as they spilled out of coaches in their hundreds.

National Palace of Sintra

The Town Hall

Love these pretty porcelain sardines they sell in the shops around here.  The Portuguese love their sardines and have them printed on everything touristy they can sell!

Vintage Port shop, we found one bottle in here for €4,000!

The Castelo dos Mouros and Palácio da Pena sit high above the town, a steep, narrow and winding road 4kms from the old town.  A lot of people walk up to it or take the tourist bus or a Tuk Tuk.  Fortunately for us we were able to whiz up on the scooter.

Pena Palace

Palácio da Pena gardens

The castle was built in the 9^th century, the walls were restored in the mid-nineteenth century.  The views from the top are fantastic.

View of old Sintra and beyond to Ericera and Mafra (where we are heading next)

View over the Palace of Pena from the Royal Tower - a high point in the castle

We spent 4 hours wandering around this pretty town, before heading back to the beach to watch some windsurfing.

After 3 days here, it was time to move on to Mafra.  We followed the same coastal route we took on the scooter Sintra and remembered the roads are very narrow through some of the villages and only wide enough for one vehicle. 

Fingers crossed we don’t meet anything coming the other way, as this stretch was about 400 metres long!

Mafra is only 35 miles (56kms) From Guincho and the Aire sits behind the vast palace (N38.93245 W9.32617).  

It is free to stop here and even has free electric hook-up but only for 4 motorhomes and by the time we arrive they are all taken.  Luckily for us we don't need the electric hook-up, as our solar panel is fully charged by all the sun we have been getting, charging up our 2 batteries and power inverter giving us enough electric.  Plus we have 2 full bottles of gas to run everything else - so all is good! However, you do have to pay for water – not sure what their logic is with providing free electric (which is expensive) and not water, but that said it is a kind gesture of the town.

Pulling up on the Aire, we were just in time to catch some of the Royal Wedding of Harry and Megan.  Our favourite part was when the cello soloist played Ave Maria, same as we had played at our wedding nearly 30 years ago – happy memories!

A 2-minute walk into town took us to the beautiful and impressive basilica, adjoined to the monastery/palace where there was a local wedding taking place. Must be the day for it!

The palace is massive and so we decided to wait until tomorrow before doing the tour.  Instead we decided to do a little people watching in the square.

When we got back to the motorhome a fellow brit came over and asked us if we would like some books and a couple of videos she had finished with.  Never one to say no to freebies, we accepted with open arms.  There's a real mix of books and I know Mel will enjoy reading the Jeremy Clarkson one, and 'After the Battle'.  The hardest thing is going to be finding cupboard space for them all!

Another lovely Aire, another pretty town, and more friendly, kind-hearted motorhomers – what’s not to like!

Sally x