Now I had every intention of doing a pretty little diary with loads of pics here.
However, things do NOT always go according to plan lolol
Firstly, I forgot the camera, secondly I wasn’t going to Lisbon but a tiny little place called Milfonte about 150 kms below Lisbon and thirdly… well, thirdly, I am too embarrassed to describe the escapades of the last 8 days
I will say though that the NATIONAL 393 from Cercal to Milfonte is a road I hope I NEVER EVER have to drive again in my lifetime!!!
I’ve spent quite a lot of time down in that part of portugal and milfontes is a lovely place for a beer or three.
The roads down that part of portugal can get very narrow and wait until you meet a wagon loaded with cork bark. Most of them carry loads around 12 feet wide usually on an old pegaso that tops out at 10kph.
I know what you mean about the 393 and you want to try it south of milfontes. It has a section that is as straight as a die but it’s lined with trees right on the edge of the tarmac and only room for 2 trucks if you breath in. The porkers used to fly up there flat out (a good 100k’s) and just flash there lights at you to “get the hell outa the way”.
You weren’t bringing spuds back for a crowd based near whitchurch in hants were you?.
I WAS south of Milfontes, Neil!!! pmsl . but thought going through Cercal was the highlight
Thats why I think someone else can do that run next time … picked up a load of butternut squashs
There is a packhouse come small barn on the left just south of milfontes as the road levels out and a couple of K’s further south there was an opening in the hedge on the right that led to another small packing shed. Both these places were run by an english guy but I can’t remember his name.
Keep heading south on the 393 and after another 5km or so you come to a T junction. Left takes you into the town of Odemiera and right takes you into a small village called cavaliero or something like that. There is a large farm there that used to be owned by Vitacress and if you head out to the coast a few k’s more there is another farm that I can’t remember that true name of but we used to call it “the dutchmans” for obvious reasons…
I cut my european teeth running down there firstly for the now defunct D.R. Bailey and a few years later for Davies of Southampton when they got some of the vitacress work.
I did my 1st run down there in 1996 and my last in 2001 and although they had improved some roads most still left a lot to be desired. I’ve been lucky enough to see most of europe in the few years I ran “over the water” but that place still holds fond memories for me being my 1st job.
If you do get to go down that way again I’d love to see a few photoes just to see if anythings changed. I’ve got loads of photoes but no means of scanning them into a computer.
