Tuesday 11.05.2022: Belmonte - Penhas da Saúde - Gouveia CG (Alt 920 m): 108 km - weather not according weather forecast: snow, rain, wind, cold, 3º - 14ºC

After an earlier breakfast this morning, we took off towards Manteigas and drove up the breathtaking Vale do Zêzere with its diverse scenery (we had walked it down towards Manteigas in 2004, it was a long hike of 23 km). In Penhas da Saúde we parked the camper ion the parking lot in front of the Hotel Luna. Walked CVL-PR13 (9,5 km on a "responsible trail"!, 344 m ascent, 3 hours). The responsible trail means NO TRAIL at all. We experienced all kind of weather, but not much sun, everything was wet after the heavy rains in the last days. Well, at some point, we shortened our hike and came back to our camper. Drive to Gouveia and further to the Camping Curral do Negro (15€/night incl. electricity - very nice couple servicing the camping. We had a beer and a coffee + Julia bought some blankets from the Bombeiros for the "Bombeirinhos". 40.49078, -7.57236

Wednesday 12.05.2022: Gouveia CG - weather forecast was sunny but it got it completely wrong: icy wind, rain 11ºC

We celebrated our 32nd anniversary today. A short walk up on the trail GVA-PR5, back to camper just in time before a heavy rain shower. Volker spent 4 hours on Zoom while I did a spring cleaning of our camper. At 17:00 we walked down to Gouveia (2,5 km, 45 minutes, 250m descent). The lady at the tourist office in Gouveia was very nice and gave us lots of good ideas and even booked the restaurant for tomorrow (Albertino in Folgosinho). The town has not much interesting to see, so we sat down at a café on the main s to study all the material we got from her and then tried to get a taxi. It was sheer impossible. No cars on the taxi stand. We phoned to the restaurant of Quinta da Madre de Água (68,70€) where Vanessa was so kind to pick us up and drive us back after dinner. It was a really nice experience at the Hotel-Restaurant Madre de Água, we got many wines to taste (from rosé, white, various red and at the end with the desert a late cast one). They were very good, so we bought a box of white and a box of red Touriga Nacional.

Thursday 13.05.2022: Gouveia CG -  Folgosinho - Celorico da Beira (Alt 500 m): 40 km - weather very windy and rainy in the morning, In Celorico way warmer 18ºC

After a very rainy and windy morning in our camper, celebrating Volkers Birthday, we took off to Folgosinho, arriving at the Restaurante O Albertino at 14h00. The concept at this restaurant is that you get a sequence of dishes that are typical for this region. It starts with chunky bread, cheese, chouriço, alheira, blood sausage, liver baits as starters, then cabidela rabbit stew, wild boar stew in butter beans, oven-roasted kid, roast lamb and a dessert... and Volker got a quarter Brigadeiro cake, which he ate all by himself! Sightseeing of Folgosinho -mainly the castle- and then drive to Celorico da Beira, where we settled at the municipal aire on the Parque dos Hortelões. It has a few spaces for RVs and many power connections, all for free. But only the campers standing closer to them have access to it. N40º38'20" W7º23'21"

Friday 14.05.2022: Celorico da Beira - Linhares da Serra - Vale do Rossim (Alt 1436 m): 63 km - good weather finally: 18ºC in Linhares

Short stop at Intermarché. before driving to Linhares da Serra. Short hike on the Calçada Romana (5,2 km, 245 elevation gain, 1h20), then a short stop at Café Mimoso for a coffee and water (55 cts for a coffee!). Visit of the castle (free entrance) with its two donjons. Drive to Gouveia Lidl where we did some grocery shopping, then up to Vale do Rossim, parking next to a nice restaurant with view to the lake/reservoir/represa/barragem/albufeira Rossim. Before our late lunch we had a port wine for aperitif, enjoying the landscape and the wifi of the restaurant Vale do Rossim.

N40º24'7" W7º35'15"

Saturday 15.05.2022: Vale do Rossim - Lagoa Comprida/Covão dos Conchos - Manteigas  (Alt 750 m): 57 km - awful fog/rain up at Lagoa Comprida 9ºC, sunny in Manteigas 20ºC

Fog came up in Vale do Rossim and stayed like that all the way to Lagoa Comprida. From there we started our hike to Covão dos Conchos (no infos or trail marked). We were lucky at the Covão dos Conchos that it was totally clear there when we arrived there after a pretty difficult hike through all kind of soil (9,4 km, 2,5 hours, 265 elevation gain. On our way back the fog became stronger and wet and the temperature fell to 7ºC. Julia bought some cheeses and a wool blanket. Drive down to Manteigas on a windy, long but not steep road. We settled at a parking and went to the Info Center where there was a very nice man who gave us a few hikes to do. We walked through town, but were surprised that it is not touristy at all! No shops, almost no cafés neither restaurants neither hotels.

N40º23'55" W7º32'28"

Sunday 16.05.2022: Manteigas - Barragem de Póvoa (Alt 317 m): 160 km - weather cloudy with some sun coming through at the Barragem and 26ºC

Drive to Nisa and then to the Barragem de Povoa where we settled at a nice RV aire with all the facilities for us. We did part of the hike CVD-PR4

N39º29'1" W7º32'50"

Monday 17.05.2022: Barragem da Póvoa - Manta Rota (Algarve) (Alt 3 m): 350 km - weather: delicious warm 28ºC in Manta Rota

We drove 5,5 hours down to our Algarve (with tanken at Leclerc petrol station and grocery shopping at Lidl in Portalegre). Settled at the Manta Rota RV aire (5,50€/night, 5€ electricity -> too much). BBQ lunch and then to the beach. Julia swam in the ±19ºC sea water. Dinner at Rio's Bar (35€, very good, closed on Tuesdays). Then a negroni to finish the evening at the cocktail bar Aníbal on the main street.

N37º9'52" W7º31'17"

Tuesday 18.05.2022: Manta Rota: pretty windy but sunny and warm 25ºC

Relax day on or site and at the beach. Lunch at "Finalmente" (50€). Then an ice cream at Pastelaria "Mar à Vista" Beach time in the afternoon. Julia swam again! Later we had a drink at Chá com Água Salgada (expensive drinks but good, 16€) At home we continued with a white wine and game round.

Wednesday 19.05.2022: Manta Rota - Loulé (Alt 142 m): 48 km - warm and sunny 29ºC

Volker bought bread at the Algartalhos for breakfast -unfortunately not so good. Drive home.

Total driven: 1370 km - (start at 226 568 km - arrival at 227 938 km)