Olhao to Praia da Marinha

Left our very cheap campsite this morning and drove the ‘scenic’ route into Olhao for a look around. Along the way we passed much graffiti and litter so although the old town does appear quite pretty on the pictures, we had already decided it was a dump! The seafront promenade wasn’t too bad and there was an expensive fish and vegetable market to look around, but overall not great. Feeling a bit despondent, we contemplated driving back into Spain but the Rough Guide said the coast got rockier and more scenic as you get further west. Thankfully it did. We drove past Albufeira and it’s high rise blocks and on to Praia da Senhora da Rocha. Along the way, we stopped for bread and as Guy went into the shop I asked him to bring something sweet or chocolatey as well. He came back with two still warm pastry tart things that had just been made. Assuming these were the famous Portuguese custard tarts, I bit into one with all the relish of someone who’s been denied sugary foods for three weeks only to find they were filled with …..chicken!!!🐥🐥🐥We had our lunch overlooking a beautiful small beach with huge rocks bordering it and a tiny whitewashed chapel on the headland. Then we drove on to Benagil where the road was a bit hair raising and nowhere to park. Back up the road, we tried Praia de Marinha…success. A place to park for free on a windy headland and some really stunning coves. Guy has found his Corsica moment and the dog has tried sunbathing.😁🏖