Author - Lorraine Stokes

I consider myself a Brightonian having lived there for almost half my life but I'm originally from Portsmouth.

I studied Social Work and practised as a children's Social Worker in the local authorities in and around Brighton.

I'm interested in vegetarian food, am a supporter of animal welfare, LGBTQ rights and health and wellbeing. I love riding, running, yoga, mediation and property development when I can fit it all into my busy lifestyle!! I also love partying. My biggest loves of course are Marley and Dan.

Messing About on the River – Aveiro

July 28, 2018Lorraine Stokes5 min read

27/07/18 – 28/07/18 – Aveiro, Centro Region Just a 15 minutes drive from Costa Nova, we arrived at our destination, Aveiro. The area where we were staying (New Aveiro) was built to accommodate visitors during their hosting of the 2004 Portugal European Football Championships. We were situated on a large gravel carpark overlooked by tall residential apartments. (GPS 40.638963,-8.6506399,779) After enjoying our lovely green space at Tomar, it was going to be hard going back to appearing like we were camping again….all cooped up inside. On the upside, just a minutes walk and we were at the Jardim do Rossio a beautifully manicured park surrounded by palm trees which was adjacent to Aveiro river. From the river we decided to take a 45 minute tour on a Moliceiros boat. These are colourfully painted boats that traditionally were used to harvest seaweed. Each boat features either something religious, or sexual. What a strange contrast we thought, but they looked very cool...

Totally Awesome Tomar

July 24, 2018Lorraine Stokes7 min read

20/07/18 –  25/07/18 Tomar Oh Tomar you were so good to us, after 5 days (our longest stint anywhere) we are sad to be leaving you. You should have seen the looks on our faces when we first turned up to Tomar’s former Municipal campsite (GPS 39.607275,-8.41072), set in beautiful lush green surroundings. We couldn’t believe that something as nice as this could be free, but it really was!! Although it’s no longer a campsite, it still has facilities such as clean toilets, drinking water, showers (albeit cold), washing basins, washing lines and security manning the entrance between 8am-7pm. We’re not sure the reason behind why the original paid campsite shut down, but Tomar clearly knows the best way to make use of an otherwise unused piece of land, which in turn brings tourism to the area. The site is so was well looked after, there are so many beautiful trees including willows (one of my favourites), and vibrant plants. We loved this site and Tomar in...

Something for Everyone, as long as it’s Wet and Windy….Foz do Arelho at Obidos Lagoon

July 19, 2018Lorraine Stokes3 min read

15/07/18 – 19/07/18 – Foz do Arelho, Centro Region Do you like wind surfing, surfing, kite surfing, body boarding, paddle boarding, kayaking, fishing, white sandy beaches and stunning nature? Well, Foz do Arelho beach situated on Obidos Lagoon (Lagoa de Obidos) will definitely be for you!! Obidos Lagoon is the biggest saltwater lagoon in Portugal with its lakes and waterways stretching over 6km. Foz de Arelho beach is on the Northern side of the lagoon, close to the estuary mouth and the town. It remains undeveloped and feels very traditionally Portuguese. However, venture a few kilometres outside the centre, there are signs of modern residential development in progress. Fortunately we’d read up Foz de Arelho and had the opportunity to stay for three very relaxing days. On two of the days we went out on the bikes and explored the area, which really is stunning. It’s pretty good for cycling, but there are some nice steep hills that got us quite out of breath...

Once Upon a Time in Obidos…

July 16, 2018Lorraine Stokes3 min read

15/07/18 – Obidos, Centro Region If you read our blog on Evora, it will make sense when I say that Obidos was similar, but on a much smaller scale, particularly in regards to its centre being inside the medieval castle’s walls that also has an aqueduct. It’s such a charming and picturesque place, with it’s cobbled streets and pretty houses. The centre is full of history,  really interesting and it felt quite fairy tale like. There were people dressed in medieval costume walking around like normal, and if you wanted you could hire your own outfit for €5, which would have been funny, but we gave it a miss! We initially thought it was like this all the time, but have since found out that during the month of July there is a Medieval Fair held. That’s reassuring as it would have been all too cheesey! We saw locals baking pao (bread) the traditional way and many selling the local alcoholic delicacy called Ginja, a cherry liquor for €1 per shot. It’s...

A Surfers Paradise – Guincho

July 14, 2018Lorraine Stokes3 min read

11/07/18 – 14/07/18 – Guincho, Lisbon After Lisbon, we fancied a break from sightseeing and needed a good nights sleep so we took a short drive North along the coast to Guincho Beach for a few days. It is within the district of Cascais. I’d already read that Guincho beach is apparently one of the finest surfing beaches of Western Portugal, and having been there you can see why. It was so windy….enough to shake the moho. We stayed in a big car park for €2 a night overlooking the beach, which we shared with many surfers, surf schools and all the very cool camper vans that came with them!   Guicho is set amidst the beautiful Serra de Sintra Natural Park, which is clearly well loved as we saw many conservation projects happening at the time. The area has neat wooden walkways to protect the vegetation, which were great for walking Marley. The cafe, Duna Da Cresmina at the end of the walkway was a very nice treat. The cafe is very dog friendly in that they had 2 big...

Come and Get your Free Hot Shower at the Reservoir! Barragen do Pego do Altar

July 10, 2018Lorraine Stokes4 min read2 comments

08/07/18 – 09/07/18 – Barragen do Pego do Altar, Alentejo We were very glad to arrive at this beautiful reservoir/dam at Barragen do Pego do Altar, as it was so much cooler than Evora where we’d just come from. There was hardly anyone around which seemed odd given it was very pretty and free to stayover. The only two other travellers that were there, were very welcoming on arrival. An enthusiastic lone German with his caravan who was happy to share some helpful tips, especially as he’d been there for some time. The other was Annemieke from Holland. She’d been there a week and is travelling with her partner, but at the time he’d returned home for a few days. They both had dogs, so Marley was in his element. We were so impressed with Annemieke’s converted Dutch Fire truck. She’d painted a gorgeous colourful mandala on the side and was just starting another on the other side. She obviously picked up on my keen interest in her van, as she invited...

Highs & lows of Moho life all in a day – Vila Nova Milfontes

July 7, 2018Lorraine Stokes5 min read4 comments

06/07/18 – 07/07/18 – Vila Nova Milfontes,  Alentejo Dan had read about Odeceixe, so we drove just 15 minutes along the coast to find it. It was such a beautiful place and as you can see below, Marley nearly took off while admiring the view! We parked at the top of the hill and took a stroll down through the village which had colourful houses, and stunning views. We could tell that it’s only recently started become more popular on the tourist map. We stayed long enough to have lunch, wander around, enjoy the views, and of course to climb aboard the moho via the bike rack to perform an investigation. Over the last few days we’d noticed a vile gas type odour coming into the van via the fridgefreezer/oven vent, which was a bit worrying to say the least. We kept thinking maybe we won’t wake up one morning due to carbon monoxide poisoning. We have a plug in carbon monoxide detector, which came with the van but weren’t convinced it was working. This was...

The End of the World – Sagres

July 5, 2018Lorraine Stokes3 min read

04/07/18 – 05/07/18 Sagres, Algarve Nicknamed The End of the World due to the fact when explorers first discovered it, that’s truly what they thought, and when you visit can see why. Let’s not forget though, Sagres, is also well know for its delicious beer, which we have sampled now on several occasions! Sagres offered gorgeous cliff top walks that overlook the Atlantic. The Fortaleza  (fort) Sagres is situated at the Southern tip of the Peninsular. It was built in the 15th century to protect the town from North African invaders. That’s the history lesson over, as Dan and I opted not to pay the huge €3 to enter it. The two beaches pictured below are situated either side of the fort. We went for some nice walks but didn’t venture on to them. One thing I can tell you about this part of Portugal is it’s bloomin’ windy. Perfect for surfing….a super popular activity here! Dan and I took a surfing lesson once in Bude, Devon…he did really well, but I...

So Ferra-good-o! – Ferragudo

July 3, 2018Lorraine Stokes4 min read

30/06/18 – 3/07/18 – Ferragudo & Portimão, Algarve We spent 2 very relaxing days in Ferragudo, a little fishing village popular with tourists but not so touristy that it was obvious or unspoilt. It’s easy to think you’re in Portimão (where we had intended to be), as it’s just opposite on the other side of the estuary. This was actually a case of serendipity, as Ferroguda was so much nicer. Alongside lots of other campers, we parked literally a couple of steps away from the beach. Guess what too….it was freeee!! Also it was our first experience of a dog tolerant beach in Portugal, so Marley was in his element and so were we in seeing his energy levels lift when he leaped about on the sand. There were plenty of other dogs doing the same including Marley’s cute little friend who followed him around for at least an hour. They were such a great match, we even contemplated taking him with us as his owner was nowhere to be seen. Of course we would never really do this...

Faro-tastic!

June 29, 2018Lorraine Stokes4 min read

28/06/18 -29/06/18 – Faro – Algarve We stayed in a magical place tonight….a car park just over the road from the airport. A massive well laid out car park with a bit of greenery, which overlooks the Ria Formosa estuary. It was very exciting hearing the planes take off followed by the sheer intensity of the noise and size as they went over our heads, then disappeared into the sunset. Great entertainment for the evening so long as you’re a heavy sleeper…I’m not!! Luckily they didn’t fly all night though. Over the estuary bridge is Faro beach and a carpark where you can park your camper in the low season. They fortunately have a toilet block which was handy since our toilet in the van was full…eeeew. Yes this is one of the joys of motor homing, the fun of finding service area to dump it, and the actual process, well you can use your imagination. It’s quite a grim job but you get used to it. Dan and I take turns to make it more manageable, and fair. You very...

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