The purpose of my trip was to spend time surfing, sitting in the sunshine, seeing sights and backpacking in hostels in cities. I haven’t surfed as much as I had hoped, but this will change now I am in the south. I have seen many sights, but I haven’t backpacked in any hostels other than in Paris. The logistics of finding somewhere safe to park the van is a major problem. I feel very lucky for the success I had in Paris.
I have decided to concentrate my trip on surfing only. I had planned on continuing east across the Mediterranean, when I got to Gibraltar. I now think I will get to Gibraltar and turn back, and head back on myself. This will all depend on money and time. My accountants are preparing the final books of my business. The first of the cheques has been cashed. I hope to use some of my money from the business to fund more of my journey. I seem to be spending that money several times over, but I know when I get the money I will be more committal with it. I miss the backpacking part of my journey. I miss catching buses, and not worrying about parking, staying in hostels and meeting people. I have also learnt that that only really works well in major cities though, so I am glad to have seen all of the little towns and out of the way places that I have. I think I should explore the Mediterranean with no vehicle, or a smaller vehicle in the future. Maybe a motorbike, which seemed like an inconvenient way or exploring Europe when I saw people at Carnac getting soaked. But I now realise it’s a great way to get around quickly, cheaply and you never had to really worry about parking. In most European countries you can park a motorbike anywhere such as a pavement, as long as it’s out of the way of people. Having said this, I do hope to explore Lisbon. I have read it is OK to leave vans at Estoril and catch a bus into the city, although I will first ask at campsites if it is OK to leave my van there for a small fee.
I hope to spend a good deal of time here in Portugal, especially in the Algarve, which I am not far from now. Although this area also gets good year round weather. Then I can decide whether to head to Gibraltar, and then back on myself. If necessary I can just explore a bit of the coast, and then drive direct to Santander to catch the ferry back to Plymouth, which would be much simpler, and probably cheaper than going through France. I have thought about tying to get a yacht crewing job in Gibraltar. We’ll see what happens there.
