A Traveller’s Story – Costa De La Luz

Day 1

We started our trip with a very smooth flight through the Bay of Biscay and then through Northern Spain before heading through Portugal to land at Faro airport at 12:10.

Passing through passport control we then met our old friend and guide from our trip last year to the Algarve – João, or John as he’s commonly called. We had 2 minibuses as we were joined by 2 other couples who were also on the Bristol flight and left the airport at 12:55, crossing the Guadiana bridge into Spain before arriving at Hotel Vila Gale Isla Canela at 15:00 in Costa de la Luz. Crossing the bridge we had to put our clocks forward 1 hour.

A pre dinner chat by John of forthcoming events of the week, then dinner at about 19:45 – wine & beer included which pleased many of us…

Bed at 21:30 to be ready for tomorrow’s first walk leaving at 09:00.

The goal this week was to see a chameleon – but how likely is that going to be?

Day 2 – Walk 1

At last night’s walk briefing, and on our itinerary, today’s walk was set to leave on the bus at 09:00 from reception, so we all got up and had breakfast from just before 08:00.

Our whole group, including our friends, just about had the best place in the restaurant for our breakfast & dinner as we had tables in the area right next to the pool and garden window. This was ours for the whole week. All the meals were buffet style, so you can just help yourself and there was a chef cooking items on request.

Surprisingly cool for our 09:00 start – and it took about 10 minutes for Maria get the bus into gear! She turned it off & on a couple of times before it got going, so hopefully we can get back later …

The walk was split into 2 sections, for the first we arrived at after 40 minutes along a road full of potholes. Along countryside lanes we saw various plants and arrived at a small lake with a Heron and Spoonbills feeding, other wading birds and a rare Sandpiper (I think Eleanor called it a Pectoral Sandpiper). We also saw a flock of Cormorants and Egyptian Geese. A pack of wild horses scared off the Spoonbills and came to meet us by the fence near our bus. This part of the walk was 2 miles.

We stopped at a little local café for a drink and comfort stop before parking at a picnic place next to Rivera Grande de la Golondrina.

The next section of the walk started at the picnic stop, through some rough and undulating tracks and quite a few steps with log treads. We passed lots of prickly pear bushes, many types of trees, hidden shacks and dried up streams with most of the walk alongside the Guadiana river offering great views.

eaching Sanlúcar de Guadiana, some of the group stopped in the first café with others going to the portside café. This part of the walk was 3½ miles, making the total 5½ miles. Total ascent/descent across both sections was about 260m.

There is a small ferry here to take people across the river to Alcoutim in Portugal.

It was a hot day with little breeze, so a beer at the café was more than welcome. A couple of tiny cats were milling around, but they didn’t like my bread roll.

We left the town at 15:30 and arrived back at our hotel at 16:30 – after a little sing-a-long with João …

A few of us went for a swim in the outdoor pool, which was pretty warm compared to the pool last year in Portugal.

There are also Light Lizards (well small Geckos) that seem to live in the wall light covers in the outside hotel corridors. I saw one a couple of times, but too fast to take a picture and they only appear when it’s dark.

Day 3 – Seville

This is an optional trip, and today’s driver was Valeriano – who managed to get the bus moving without any problems.

With today’s leaving time at 08:30, we had our breakfast from around 07:15. Even with breakfast the rest of the week a little later – it’s dark this time of year. So from our restaurant position we can see the sun rise over the sea.

This trip is €35 each, and takes about 2 hrs 15 minutes including a short comfort break halfway. We had some chat about Seville in the bus on arrival, then the initial stop was at the Plaza De España. A huge semi circle of buildings in the 200m diameter “square”. A very impressive structure and plaza built for the Ibero-American exhibition in 1929, and some wonderful mosaics.

It’s completely free to enter, but you can hire a boat for a little trip on the small canal, or maybe buy a fan or some castanets. Naturally you can also have a horse and cart ride.

We went back to our bus and parked nearer the centre and had a small tour taking in the old Moorish buildings and splendid

Cathedral.

There were quite a few green parakeets flying and squawking about.

We had lunch in a side street café with a street singer trying his best not to be too annoying. He even had the nerve to ask everyone for money for his talent. Most resisted.

After lunch a few of us wandered to the river and sat in the shade until our leaving time of 15:30. This was prompt as we had to get back in time for the free wine tasting, which was 4 wines: white, light rose, less light rose and red. There was no blurb, so we sat, chatted and just drunk the wine J

Dinner at our normal time of 19:00, then to our rooms from about 21:00.

Day 4 – Walk Two

Breakfast from around 07:45 as the bus to our second walk of the week was leaving at 09:00.

We arrived at the start point of El Rompido Nature Reserve at 09:45 and met Alistair, our guide for today. He gave us plenty of information about the area and some of the flora and fauna we might see on the walk.

It was effectively a there and back walk with a slightly different return through the trees for more shelter. It was cool again leaving the hotel, but it very quickly warmed up.

We saw a few kittens milling about at the start, then as we started the walk across boardwalks next to El Rompido golf course and Rio Piedras, we crossed over the mudflats where there were millions of Fiddler crabs and a few wading birds.

Along the way and back we managed to see and hear Curlews, Herons, Oyster Catchers and then lucky to spot a pair of Hoopoe in the trees.

Today’s walk was 6 miles with 80m of ascent/descent.

We had a drink in the café and set off back to our hotel at 14:45, arriving in time for a dip in the pool at about 16:00. Not sure if it was just me, but the pool did seem colder than a couple of days ago, but once you’re in it was fine – I think that’s what you’re supposed to say.

There was a special event after dinner today, a group quiz set by Young Bob – when I say set, he chose questions from a quiz book. In 3 teams of 3, it was very exciting and won by team SAVvy. “Money can’t buy” prizes were presented to the lucky winners!

Day 5

As today was a free day, we had breakfast from around 08:15.

Some had chosen to go to Ayemonte for the morning as an optional trip with John for €10, with others doing different things. A few of us decided to walk along the promenade to the Marina and walk to the far side of the boatyards. At the end of the promenade is the Rio Carreras estuary, and across to the other side is Isla Cristina. You can get to it via a small ferry for €6 return, it’s only about ¾ mile away – but by road it’s 15 miles!

We initially had a coffee in the first café on the southern side of the marina. After coffee we crossed the breach by the roadway to the other side of the marina called Isla del Moral.

Again we saw 1000s of Fiddler Crabs in the mud as the tide was mainly out. There was also a flock of Flamingos in the far distance, but too far away to take pictures.

We passed by a restaurant named La Pamela through the little fishing village, and then stopped at a small bar for a beer or soft drink for 40 minutes where we happened to bump into one of the other Involved Holidays guests.

We went back to the hotel after doing 3¾ miles, where most then sat near the poor for the afternoon. I did a walk the other way down the promenade, but still hadn’t reached the end of the hotels after 1½ miles, did a quick detour to try to spot some chameleons, and returned having done another 3¾ miles.

Most of us retired before the entertainment of a Saxophone player started, though his warm up did seem quite decent

Day 6 – Walk 3

Breakfast at the usual time of around 07:45 (still quite dark and a little cool) so we can be ready to leave at 09:00 for our walk at La Rocina and onto El Rocio.

Today is the National Day of Spain, so a public holiday and could be busy – particularly at El Rocio which is a site of pilgrimage and is a famous village with a splendid church.

We arrived after 1hr 25 mins and met guide Alistair at La Rocina National/Natural Park. There hasn’t been any rain for a number of months, so the lakes had all dried up, hence no wading birds to see today.

The walk was mostly on boardwalks, so pretty easy – though you do need to be careful in case there were some damaged or raised boards. We saw plenty of newly planted cork trees protected from deer by cages.

The initial part of the walk was 2½ miles, and after a short break we walked under the main road and passed by the dried up Mother Lake, a large expanse next to the town of El Rocio with its streets of gravel!

Some of us went to the part of the town with ancient olive trees, some a few hundred years old – next to a small pub where we had a beer – and witnessed a tractor pulling a water bowser bashing into a pickup truck.

A visit to the inside of the church, followed by an ice cream and back to the coach to leave at 14:45. This part of the town looks like the Wild Wild West, but with newer buildings and cars.

Total distance 4½ miles, depending on how far you walked around El Rocio.

I was the only one that went swimming after our return to the hotel, then – the main event of the week (according to John), a quiz by John.

Day 7

A sunny and warm day, with a relaxed breakfast as we were leaving on the optional walk with John from the hotel from 09:45.

It was to be to Punta del Moral, which were a mixture of saltmarshes and old oyster beds – though the latter didn’t last long as it wasn’t really suitable.

We saw plenty of birds, Flamingos, Egrets, Curlew and some diving Terns. We spotted a flock of Flamingos in one of the rectangular beds, but the nearer we got to them – they simply swam away keeping the hedges between us and them. They did take off giving a great sight.

We again saw loads of Fiddler crabs and a couple of swimming Jellyfish. No chameleons of course.

On reaching a collapsed walkway, we retraced our steps and went to the Marina for a beer by the boatyard. Back to our hotel at 13:30, and a total distance of 5¾ miles and completely flat.

Some of us did a bit of packing and then one last swim.

Dinner at 19:00, joined by John where the whole group thanked John for the great week we had

Day 8 – Departure Day

We were the lucky ones today. As our flight was at 15:45 Portuguese time, we had plenty of time before our pickup from the hotel at 13:10 Spanish time. After breakfast most of us strolled to the Marina for an hour or so. We then finished packing and brought our cases to the luggage room and sat around waiting in the lobby for our taxis to Faro airport. 

An hour after leaving our hotel we were at the airport. We quickly went through bag drop and security, then had drinks and snacks before boarding our plane back to Bristol. The flight left just 5 minutes after schedule and arrived in Bristol at 18:15. Within 40 minutes we had picked up our cases and were at our cars – and an hour later we were home. 

A really wonderful trip, and our guides Eleanor & Alistair especially excellent, knowledgeable and very friendly. João was a fabulous host as he was last year. No chameleons, but at last I saw a lizard!