About Portugal. Please read!

[wootzy]

I'm in the situation at the moment where i am unemployed, i have a bit of cash in the account and very bored. It has been raining here for a solid 3 weeks and the surf has been non existant. My sanity is slowly deteriorating so i need to make a decision before it's too late!

I been thinking about driving to portugal for a while now, taking my tent and living out of my car whilst travelling down the coast. It's something i really want to do. However, before i embark on an inevitable disaster i think i need to get some advise.

Firstly and most importantly... Is this a good season to surf in Portugal?

The car i'll be driving is a Citroen Saxo 1.1i. Now i know that this vehicle is not ideal for travelling long distances but i don't intend to travel very far each day. I have all the time in the world so i plan to take it quite slowly.

I have never driven abroad before so i am a bit concerned about the concept of driving in a foreign country and on the wrong side of the road. Especially as i will probabbly be by myself and thrown into the deepend on arrival into Santander. Any advise on this one will be very helpful.

can you camp in random places?

Does anybody want a lift?

Thanks in advance guys for your help. I know you won't let me down :wink

[paulS]

Go for it!

There's campsites dotted all over France/Spain/Portugal...that won't be a problem at all...as for driving on the other side of the road, it's not that difficult you'll get used to it pretty quickly...

There's plenty of surf, check out magicseaweed...

Might be worth getting your car serviced and signed up with Greenflag incase you do breakdown...

All in all there's only one way to find out!

(Planning the same trip myself)

[wootzy]

Thanks for the info paul. Have a little more confidence now. You never know, might see you there

[paulS]

Just reliased yr arriving at Santander not driving through France...doh!

Well that makes it even easier then

[pat42]

Hey Wootzy.......thought you were in Morrocco

Why dont you try and get in touch with Johnny B

https://surfing-waves.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9341

He's off to Europe.

But I accept no resposibility if he turns out to be an axe murderer or hitch-hiker murderer, like the one in "There's something about Mary"

You'll be alright driving on "the other side" of the road...........just dont do it while you're tired or have just woken up.

Have a coffee before you set off and always concentrate when you set off for the day and after rest stops..........these are the times you're most likeley to get it wrong.

About free camping........it's totally possible, but to be on the safe side I'd stay in campsites.........whats the point of trying to save a fiver if you're putting you're life or possesions at risk

Check this website for info on campsites:

http://www.vayacamping.net/en/index.htm

[paulS]

Another tip, if you turn up at campsites with British Holiday Companies on site, go and find a courier (rep) 1st, most of them will do it dirt cheap if you offer them cash or booze.... (It's a good money earner for them or free night on the piss)

[Johnny B]

Hey, join the club. I'm in a similar situation and going a bit crazy so I am doing the same!...Without a car!

How soon are you thinking of going? I'm flying to Faro (South Portugal) on wednesday!

Do it! You have a better chance than success than I do, that's for sure (havin' a car).

[wootzy]

Having just looked at the prices of the ferry crossings to Santander, i am shocked to say the least. I was quoted (for a single journey) £412!!!! I mean, do people actually pay these prices??

I have literally only got about £1200 to spend. So considering the outward journey price and at least £250 to get home again it's looking like that it's not an option. Unless of course i can find at least 1 person to come with and share travelling expenses. It's not looking hopeful.

The cheaper route might be a ferry to Roscoff (france) and driving from there. But then i have to think about how much fuel i'd be buying and if it would work out much cheaper. What a pickle!

I have travelled alot without a vehicle and with surfboards and all my luggage it kinda takes the fun out of it because you are always restricted. Does anyone have any ideas on what i should do?

[paulS]

Why don't you get a cheapo flight and hire a car.

Ryanair fly to Porto, did a quick price search and came up with £25 each way!! If you want to see a bit of Northern Spain then you could fly into Girona.

[wootzy]

because i plan to be away for a good few months. You can imagine how much that would cost.

[paulS]

Think you might struggle to live on £1200 for 3 months to include everything....and get to Portugal by car

Good luck with it though, let us know how it goes
----------------
Why don't you hire a car for part of the time (do a bit of travelling then find somewhere to stay for a longish length of time, can always hire a motorbike to get around locally....

[aircooledmatt]

I went to Portugal at xmas and easter. I flew from Bristol to Faro / Gatwick to Faro. I got the cheapest one for £160 inc taxes. Car high for the cheapest is just £75 for a week unlimited mileage and I picked this up from the airport. Worth trying?

Also, you can pretty much camp anywhere by the coast. Unfortunately some people camp and leave all their rubbish....and they call themselves surfers?!?! There are plenty of grassy areas, particularly around Amado, Sagres etc.

You should pick up some swell - check the reports before you go. You sound like your flexible so you can pick your best chance.

Anyway have a great time!!!

[Johnny B]

"But I accept no resposibility if he turns out to be an axe murderer or hitch-hiker murderer, like the one in "There's something about Mary"

(Damn my incompetence! I can't use the quote tool thingy!)

Oi! I didn't notice that before! Cheeky wotsit!

[pat42]

To use quotes, press the quote button in the top right of the post you want to quote, and then delete or alter the bits you want

Wootzy, another option is Portsmouth Le Havre with LD lines

http://www.ldlines.co.uk/

Theyre doing returns for £75, and that way you could get some surf all the way down the French Atlantic coast

[wootzy]

Thats excellent Pat. Alot more affordable. Brittany ferries' prices are ridiculous. Lets just hope that my lil saxo serves me well. Thanks for your help.

Oh, and i got home from Morocco in March. I was there for about 5 months (most of which i spent in Immesourne). I had an increddible time, i met loads of great people and my surfing progressed alot. I hope i enjoy portugal as much.

[turtlesurf]

GO TO GALICIA!

I just spent 6 months in Portugal, driving from Santander, down to the south of portugal and up again (sept 06 - march 07). It was fantastic for the winter, but it WILL NOT BE VERY GOOD IN THE SUMMER!!!

Im sure there will be days when the surfs awesome, but overall Portugal can be as flat and the UK and most of the rest of Europe at this time of year and really bloody HOT.

Northern Portugal will pick up the most swell out of the whole country, but it tends to be plagued by Northerly winds in the summer (not good) which is a pain. Plus, to be honest generally speaking, the quality of surf in n.Portugal is not as good as the rest of the country which will not be picking up much swell.

HOWEVER, GO TO GALICIA in northern Spain. (Galicia is a region, not a town btw). It is the swell magnet of Europe and has miles and miles of undiscovered beaches. Fantastic surf, the least crowded part of Europe (away from the main spots) and super cheap.

My boyfriends uncle has been travelling Spain/portugal/france in campervans for years and years and Galicia is his favourite place of it all in the summer.

Although it was out of season when i was away, it is generally pretty easy to free camp at/near the beaches, and alot of them even have free taps and showers. I think it can be trickier in the summer to get away with it, but there's tons of campsites (cheap), and as long as you're subtle about it you should mostly be okay.

I was away for six months, and altogether (fuel,food, etc) i spent much less than £2,000. That also included a new surfboard, and i ate like a king!! The ferry is pricey from santander so shop around, and look into car hire.

Check out the new stormrider guide for europe.

The water in Galicia is colder than the UK in summer, but weather is much warmer!

Two of my friends did the spain/portugal trip last summer, they said you could always find a wave, as there is so much coastline, so no matter what the swell/wind direction, somewhere will be getting it in there!

Hope ive helped

good luck

ps: if you get the santander ferry, make you're first stop Playa de Oyambre. It is in a national park, beautiful sandy beach, quiet and a camp site right there.