Vouzela

 Tuesday 07/09/21

We were thinking about extending our stay at Torreira, things had quietened down considerably since the weekend and we don't need to be in our sit until Saturday; then the circus came to life again, with a vengeance.  It started up at around 20:00 and carried on at full volume until after 23:30.  It also rained heavily during the night and this, coupled with one too many 'Whoopah' from the ringmaster across the road made up our minds - we had to move on.

As the interior is a bit more off the beaten track from a tourist point of view, our apps don't really cover it very well for finding good places to stay but after a bit of research we found a campsite in the mountains, surely this must be more peaceful.

Definitely not built with Bokkie in mind (Photo from Google Maps)

We had a minor navigation issue that saw us facing the bridge above (photo lifted from Google Maps) and we either had to cross or return along the very narrow road that had led us to it.  We were preparing to try to turn around when a small truck came across from the other side, giving us hope. We decided to see if Bokkie would fit and it was easily the craziest thing we have ever done in Bokkie.  The metal framework seemed to twist and buckle the whole way across drawing the barriers in towards us, rubbing against the wheel arches at one point but there was no way I was going to try and reverse back off it so onward we went!  We got across safely but I don't think we'll be trying that ever again!

What followed was almost two hours of bum-clenching, winding narrow roads along the river Vouga up a mountain gorge.  The scenery made it worth it, it became more and more stunning, unfortunately rain made most photography out of the question but it really is lovely here.  

Although the campsite looks full, it looks like they are mostly permanent caravans and tents with no one here at the moment. It is so difficult to get here I think most people can't face taking their caravans back home once they get them up the mountain.

Bokkie recovering from her ordeal

The views from the campsite are amazing

We're booked in for three days but it looks like the weather will be a bit rainy.  Hopefully we can get some walking and cycling in while we are here.