Safe Return Doubtful

On Monday morning I moved a couple of hours to the west, to Lago Azul on the Zêzere river, a place that for 8 months a year would be crammed with visitors. It’s only 150 metres above sea level and its climate is affected by its proximity to the west coast, making it a few degrees warmer in the winter than the mountains further east. At the moment though, there is high pressure, and cloudless skies, meaning incredibly clear days, warm even for a few hours in the middle of the day, and cold at night, a few degrees below zero. The Zêzere is a tributary of the Tagus, the longest river in Iberia. Despite the warm and clear afternoons there is no one around except for a few workmen on new houses and renovation projects. 

I was attracted to stay overnight at a chapel on the top of a hill. The Capela de São Pedro do Castro, at 254 metres, has a spectacular setting, as many chapels do in Portugal, and is reachable by a rough and steep road that curls precariously around the side of the hill. In wet conditions it would be impossible unless in a four wheel drive. I got there okay, and in such calm and clear conditions it was indeed an excellent place to stopover.

We walked around some other steep paths up and down the hill in the last of the light, and then settled in. The sky at night was the highlight. 

This morning I drove three kilometers to the south on Lago Azul to where there are some smart four star hotels, a marina and some elegant and spacious holiday homes. I found a parking spot near the marina and was left in complete peace, something that with the many watersports on offer, would absolutely not be the case in the summer. From here there are a few trails in the eucalyptus forests, which we explored for the rest of the morning. Portugal has the largest area of eucalyptus plantations of any country in the world proportionate to its size, with single species eucalyptus plantations stretching across a quarter of the country. 

It was a rare winter afternoon with the van door open, and Roja relaxing in the sun until he overheated. I took the chance to catch up on a bit of business and admin, before another wander in the last of the daylight, just after 5 pm, as the temperature dropped rapidly.