Going off-road in Marao, Portugal

From time to time, in a road somewhere, there's a small path inviting for a different experience and I usualy think 'some other day, today is not a good day'. But the willing is there.
So when I saw an advertising from my auto club for a off-road day trip not far from home I thought it was exactly what I was waiting for!

The day before just fill up with gas, check the tyre pressure (and lower it a bit) and print the instructions to go to the meeting place.

Waiting to stamp the road-book

After driving the distance from my home, just less than an hour, we arrived and checked-in to receive the road-bood, a number plate sticker to the front window (cool!), have a coffe and start the off road trip. It was my second organized off-road trip and this time my wife was going with me. The first one was back in 1999 and I covered the CR-V with plastic film! Not now. The idea was to go in a calm trip and enjoy the view. Along these years I did some paths all by myself but a rule is never go alone by an unknown path.
Although October here is usually cold and rainy, this was a hot sunny day, no problems with mud but problems with dust, a lot of dust.

We were 43 participants being 6 'light' like my CR-V (Freelander, A6, X1, Cayenne) and the other 37 'heavy' like Patrol, Discovery, Strakar, Jeep and other. Some old, some new, all 4x4.
 It was fun to see in the parking area a  Jeep from the world war, but it didn't participate.

The path had too many small rocks, sometimes everything shaked inside the CR-V. It is not new (1999), 180000km already, no problems so far, so slowly we went all the way.

At about half the trip a pause to eat something and take a photo. The dust is visible and not more because it was so dry it just fall off.

After that the path went by the top of a mountain, no trees, very 'nothing' but a lot of sheeps there. Where they did come from I have no idea!

This part of the path was more demanding, also more interesting to drive in!

Another interesting part of the path

And then the end, time for some more photos.

A good late lunch to end a good day!
I hope to be able to go in many more off-road trips!

Oct 8, 2011 ACP 2nd off road trip in Marao area.

From Porto to Budapest and back Day 11

Day 11

Toulouse, France to Porto, Portugal -- 1129km

Last day and the longer day, with more km to go. But as we were heading home nothing new to see so we could go on driving for more hours and kms. 

In Portugal as we went by a new highway, the one I didn’t use when leaving home, we stopped in a service area to eat something but there was nothing to eat! But the next one had.

And finally home.

The downside of this trip was to stay in a different hotel everyday, 9 nights 9 hotels. I booked almost all (not the first) before starting this trip but it's a bit tyring to search the street address in an unknown city of an unknown country, park the car sometimes in a garage not far away but having to carry the bags on the street and to the room, and next morning pack again and carry the bags to the car.

As this trip was in May the weather was not steady but not bad and we could walk and go inside monuments and places without the croud usual in summer time. And sometimes I wished I could stay a little longer in a city.

My Honda CR-V 11 years old and 170000km had no problem at all.

It was the end of a marvelous trip, lots of new places, lots of road, lots of hours driving and an immense pleasure. One thing I am sure - I like driving! Well, and I like to see new places. I could start over again just the day after arriving.


All photos by me, my wife or my daughter
Porto - Budapest - Porto
Km: 6800
Days: 11

Countries: 10
Liters: 730 -- EUR in gasoline: 930 (Spain being the less expensive, France the worse)

EUR in toll: 214

From Porto to Budapest and back Day 10

Day 10
Clermont-Ferrand, France to Toulouse, France -- 520km
 
The middle of France is vast. Lots of km without seeing much of houses or villages. After a while, time to stop by a service area or just area (aire) as the french call it, a beautiful one, up in the mountains. Big stones outside, wood inside, beautiful. 

We took a longer way to Toulouse but we wanted to go by the Millau viaduct. It’s just the highest in the world! And it’s impressive, although crossing it we don’t see much as probably we would see by air. 

After that we got out of the highway and went by a simple road. As we crossed Roquefort - I would swear the famous cheese smell was in the air - we had to stop to allow for cows to pass by us in the road. 

Then Toulouse, a nice town. No problem in finding the hotel, our room was in the 8th floor. I could see my CR-V parked!

Violet is the flower common everywhere, and not just the flower, but cookies, jam, and lots of different stuff made from the flower. I believe all the shop windows have some violet motif. 

We enjoyed walking around. As the weather was good we had dinner outside, in a square.

Then rest, next day would be the last and longer journey.