Dog Friendly

44 articles

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...

The Worlds Largest Surfed Wave, Nazaré

July 20, 2018Dan5 min read

19/07/18 – 20/07/18 Nazaré We both remember watching the video on BBC Breakfast earlier in the year of some crazy surfer being towed on a jet-ski titled ‘The Worlds Largest Surfed Wave, Nazaré’ at over 30 Metres. See below (Obviously not our video..) Well, that amazing achievement was surfed in January 2018 and it’s now sunny July. I’m saddened to say that there were no giant waves to see…otherwise I would have hailed me a jet-ski and been out there like a shot! Seriously though, the sea was relatively calm compared to other places a just a few miles away. I guess it’s just not the giant waves season. As we arrived into the town (Coming from the South) we were greeted by a very busy carpark on the edge of the town that had no spaces big enough for us. We were both surprised by how scruffy the place looked, given what we had read. Lets stay in the Moho and drive through I said. It was very busy, we followed the line of traffic along the...

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...

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...

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...

Goodbye Spain :-( ……For Now

June 26, 2018Dan2 min read

25/06 – 26/06 Isla Cristina – Camping Playa Taray This was it, our last stop in Spain before venturing on to Portugal. We probably would have gone straight from Seville, but because I had messed around with the leisure batteries again, we needed to find somewhere we could plug-in and reset again. We found Camping Playa Taray on our app for 11 Euros/night, so off we headed. The site was fine, it felt slightly tired and a little uncared for, but it was cheap and good enough to spend the night. Cold showers though that you had to press the button every 3 seconds……annoying. This truly was a dog-friendly site though – no segregation this time and there was one of the biggest dogs either of us had seen! Over the road was our first taste of the Atlantic Ocean again – what a difference to the calm waters of the Mediterranean. Here the waves churned up a green layer of seaweed on the shoreline. There were loads of dogs on the beach, so Marley had a whale of...

‘Appy Pride! Seville Orgullo

June 25, 2018Lorraine Stokes5 min read2 comments

23/06/18 – 25/06/18 – Seville We’d heard that Seville was hot and had discussed staying in a hotel, but chose to test it out once there. Boy was it hot, reaching 43 degrees at its highest, so after taking turns to go and see the spectacular Plaza de España and surrounding gardens, we packed a bag, checked out of our Moho, and into a hostel. The pure reason for this was to benefit from the air con, so imagine how gutted we were when we were provided with a measley oscillating fan. Although it did work well enough to keep us cool, but more Importantly  Marley, who was struggling and at risk of getting heat stroke. The hostel was clean, quite quirky, and the lovely owner let us keep our bikes inside.  We’d planned to be in Seville for the Pride celebrations that evening, which are hosted each year for the whole of the Andalucia region. At the hostel we were a short walk away from the parade starting point, so after getting a bit of colour and glitter on, off we went to to...

Marbella – Hidden Wild Camping in the Woods

June 19, 2018Lorraine Stokes3 min read

16/06/18 – 20/06/18 – Playa Las Mimosas, Mabella We took a chance on a wild camping site listed on searchforsites.co.uk , that had no reviews or photos but only mentioned it’s popular with the locals. It was so worth it. 6kms along the coast from central Marbella beach, Playa Las Mimosas was truly a lovely find. A small woods not impacted by tourism, predominantly frequented by Spanish for camping. By camping I mean big groups of friends and family spreading out, enjoying drinking, eating, laughing, listening to music. Not surprisingly, there was that aroma of cannabis in the air…again. We were so happy that we could do the same [spread out I mean) and that it was free. Being the weekend, It was absolutely packed. Fortunately we arrived just in time to bag ourselves a pretty huge space amongst the trees, which we then made home for the next 3 nights…for free!. Just a short stroll away we found the long stretch of white sandy beach which had a couple of...

A load of old Flannel….with Paula

June 11, 2018Paula5 min read

07/06/18 – 11/06/18 – Cabo de Gata National Park – Almeria Guest Post – Paula Karalus 9 pm Wednesday night and I am standing at the checkout in ASDA Worthing buying the holiday essentials Lorraine had suggested, a bike lock and a flannel. The message I’d received earlier in the day hadn’t expanded on why I needed a flannel…..I soon found out but I’ll leave that one to your imagination! I had needed a break for a while, and was missing my best buddy terribly, so Lorraine and Dan kindly extended an invitation to me to grab last minute flights and join them on their MoHo adventure. Almeria was chosen as the destination, simply as it offered the cheapest flights to an airport near them, and timings fitted in with my responsibilities in the UK. Not bothering to do any research at all, I was really pleased at how lovely the area, CABO DE GATA, was. Beaches, dry dusty hills, and lovely villages, a great destination. Although by far, seeing Lorraine and Dan was...

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