“Baby Come Back” – 🎶 Eddy Grant (1984)
There’s a common saying – “Never go back.”
Most commonly it is connected with a relationship that has previously soured, but started to improve; a job opportunity with a previous employer; or in the world of football, where a BIG return for a former ‘legend’ in a playing or management capacity, becomes reality.
In our more humble context it has been none of those, more a consistent decision to choose new places we wish to travel to, rather than returning to the all too familiar.
In our married life of 37 years, we have been fortunate enough to have seen some amazing places across the world and as we are still relatively young retirees, we hope to see a lot more.
But we have rarely ‘gone back’!
Our reasoning is simple: it is a big, wide, unbelievably fascinating world out there, and whilst we can never expect to experience it all at first hand, we want to make every attempt to do so.
‘Going back’ cuts into the time, energy and budget we still possess for ‘Going to’!
But…..
There is definitely a but, as with most rules in life!
We broke our own rules for the first three weeks of October 2026, with a return visit to the Algarve: the ‘Golden Coast’ of Portugal.
We are fortunate to have very generous friends Mike and Sharon, who invited us to re-use their lovely villa in the northern suburbs of Albufeira.
Last year we had an amazing October break on the Algarve – you can read my blog about that visit here.
The Allure of the Algarve
This year?
We’ve just returned from another superb trip which has warranted this, a second Algarvian travel blog.
I hope you enjoy the read.
A visit to the Algarve can conjure up many feelings and emotions.
It is a region that is full of crazy contrasts.
It has phenomenal natural beauty, with golden beaches, rugged, ochre coloured cliffs and an unbelievably warm and consistent climate.
It also has been mass developed to the point where large swathes of land, literally a few yards beyond the coastal strip, are ‘concrete jungles’ with the fullest range of holiday accommodation to account for every budget and taste.
In that sense it is a very inclusive destination and with so many budget flight options from the UK it is a reachable destination for those on both a shoestring budget and those with bottomless pockets.
In my experience the difference between the Algarve and the rest of Portugal is that the former can often feel like ‘Little Britain’ with its huge influx of tourists from the UK adding to the sizable ‘expat’ population who have made it their home.
It feels a fair assessment: the Algarve often seems to have a deeply cemented relationship with concrete and in many places it really is significantly over developed.
However, its deep connection between climate and coast, far outweighs its dependency on construction.
We loved the Ria Formosa National Park, where we took small ferry boats, for one euro each way, to beautiful sandy islands like Tavira.
We loved our return visit here: a love which strongly supports that old chestnut ‘every rule is there to be broken!’
So for 18 nights, the Algarve became our ‘return to’ reality.
Amazingly, apart from a wander round Albufeira old town and its brightly coloured marina, we undertook a whole range of new activities and rarely repeated any other experiences.
I guess there’s a lot to do in those parts and not all of it is eye wateringly expensive.
We might have ‘gone back’ but, in truth, we really didn’t ’go back’.
The coastal scenery is stunning here and holds a strong appeal for people like me, who are active distance walkers.
It is also very accessible for those who may have more limited mobility.
As I discovered in the spring of 2026, when I walked the height of Portugal on my way to Santiago de Compostella in Northern Spain, the Portuguese love to install a boardwalk along their cliffs.
Well built and maintained boardwalks are everywhere out here, meaning that regardless of an individual’s mobility needs, there will be an accessible beach and/or beauty spot near them.
Of course some of the boardwalks are integrated with steps which, for some, might make access more tricky. But most beaches have long, flat boardwalks which are always fun to walk, cycle or access by wheelchair or with a stick.
Walk five minutes from a car park and you are almost guaranteed (especially in October) to have a beach to yourself without having to pay a parking fee for the privilege!
The Portuguese economy is widely regarded as one of the weakest in southern Europe.
Despite this they have developed some cool design and technological attractions, even on the most isolated of cliff tops.
5G internet connectivity is almost everywhere, and this year we discovered beachside benches that will solar charge your phone (cable free) and then similar benches that can pivot on one pole!
Seriously! I’ve never seen or experienced a swivelling pole before.
They were great fun and meant you really could chase the sun all day long, rotating as and you wished.
During our stay in the northern suburbs of Albufeira I got to know the best sights in this area really well.
Nearly 10 local beaches lay within 3.5 km (35 minutes walking) of our accommodation.
The relatively short distance to the beaches helped, as it was still very hot despite it being mid October.
How people cope with a 3.5 km walk to the beach and back in July and August I just don’t know.
Temperatures then, often touch or exceed 40 degrees.
No fun at all in my view.
March or October seem to be the perfect months to me, 21-27 degrees every day and offering the best of all worlds: sun bathing and sight seeing.
Gorgeously warm; often hot, but never sizzling sunshine; limited crowds and still plenty of things to play out with, are a real attraction.
The nature is wonderful, although not as alluring as those spring flowers I witnessed on my 650 mile Portuguese Camino in March and April this year. (As modeled by my Australian C’amigo Lisa in April 2026.)
As well as those 10 golden beaches with their superb cliff top, sunrise viewpoints and cafes and bars, we discovered much more in the Ria Formosa National Park, which starts just half an hour east from our villa and even closer if you choose to stay in Faro.
Often the experience mirrored that of Robinson Crusoe: we could have been on a desert island.
Mile after mile of golden sands, sampled and enjoyed by you alone.
We saw the sea anchor display at Praia da Barrie, where hundreds of rusting iron anchors pay tribute to the fishermen and their families from the former tuna industry, who cast their nets into the waters of this historic fishing area.
Until that industry went west in the early 20th century, it was the principal employer in these parts.
Between April and October, fishermen and their families would move to these small islands, literally 50 metres off the mainland shore, to fish the tuna.
A small close knit community, in tiny but elegant lodges, lived here.
We chose to walk there. Other tourists took the small ‘cuffs train” for the 1.5km journey.
Much nicer in my opinion.
Later in our stay, we hired mountain bikes for the day and cycled from Olhão, 8km south east of Faro, to Festuna, a small fishing village 12km up the coast and host to the dazzlingly white salt flats that dominate this area.
The bike hire from ‘Re:Rentals bike hire’ was only €20 each for the day and great fun, though my saddle nearly destroyed my bum cheeks!
It was so hard!
So painful!
How I envied Nicky with her magnificent ‘sofa saddle!’
That apart, the owner, Bruno, was very considerate and helpful. He often delivers bikes to a customer’s holiday accommodation apparently.
With over 60 five star reviews his reputation is well merited.
https://www.reridebikesalgarve.pt/
The trail is traffic free and flat as you cycle along a mixture of cinder gravel tracks and boardwalks.
Mercifully the strong head wind that made it such hard work going out, blew us back in no time, once we turned and started our return to Olhao.
The old lifeboat station on the beach was this photographer’s dream and well worth the half mile beach trudge through thick sand.
The old slipway had started to fall into the sea, but looked strong enough for a clamber.
With its open door calling me, I naturally succumbed to the ‘slipway’s siren’ and clambered without mishap.
There was nothing in it!
But it was still an adventure!
We saw “pretty flamingos” (🎶) in the near to far distance, with just the faintest hint of pink in their plumage.
Apparently, the salinity levels of the salt flats dictate the pinkish colour of those dignified swamp waders.
I tried to sneak closer but they are wily! They were always 60 metres or more away.
Thousands of crabs basked in the hot sunshine, making rich pickings for the sea birds that nest there.
Zoom in to see them.
Herons aplenty, were on their daily brunch lookouts.
Salt is still commercially mined here and we had intended to bring some coarse sea salt back with us.
Those workers work hard and in that heat, with the added challenge of reflected sunshine, it must be a tough job!
Unfortunately an enforced change of plans, later in our holiday, meant that this purchase still awaits should a future (and third) Algarvian return materialise.
The same applies to swimming in one of the salt pans, at the fittingly named ’Dead Sea’ attraction (10 euros for a two hour experience).
Apparently, it is impossible to swim underwater in those ‘pans’.
There’s a future challenge then!
Abandoned old boats leaned chaotically in mud and salt creeks, giving testimony to a glorious past.
We had days out in Loule and Silves and the coastal town of Armação de Pêra.
The former is a great day out, with its bustling Saturday artisan and fresh produce markets
I didn’t recognize everything in that market!
What are those pink vegetables?
Armação de Pêra is the boardwalk queen of this region.
The traditional fishing industry survives here.
Each fisherman has a traditional beach hut to keep their gear in.
They were a photographer’s dream.
A pretty little whitewashed chapel overlooked the ocean.
Here, we witnessed a local cyclist, salvaging a discarded microwave and riding away with it balanced precariously on his handlebars!
Life is rarely dull, even in that sleepy seaside town.
Loule is well worth a visit; Silves, castle apart, less so!
That Moorish castle does dominate the local landscape though: if only its ramparts could share their tales.
It did have some impressive looking residential properties though.
Silves also had an extra unforeseen bonus though: three charity shops.
As Nicky loves a charity shop this ‘route finder general’ always scores extra bonus points when he locates them.
Despite some lovely designs in the market at Loule, we only spent the princely sum of €1.17 on a bodkin and button.
As well as being a talented seamstress and a charity shop enthusiast, I’m married to a ‘new world knitter’. ‘Nicky the Nitter’ only taught herself in 2024 after the birth of our beautiful granddaughter.
The bodkin, a lovely scrabble word in its own right, is used to stitch together knitting patterns.
I never knew that.
The village of Alte, lay 30 minutes north of our accommodation and it certainly punches: hosting the Algarve’s biggest natural waterfall and the ‘Fonte’.
You can swim in both.
The ’Fonte’ is a natural spring where locals have bathed for centuries.
To witness fresh flowing water in such a dry environment was a strange experience, especially as so much of the undeveloped land around the coastal conurbations is totally parched.
It also begs the question, why do we have hose pipe bans in wet Britain when the dry Algarve has none?
(I’ll try to resist the urge to lambast the unregulated private water companies of the UK for the second blog in a row! It remains a reasonable question though.)
Water management, back in the day, was impressive.
As I surveyed the ‘Parchlands’ around Albufeira, I did wonder at what point does bone dry become desert?
Still, as dry as it is in these parts, some plants have learned to adapt.
Spiky cacti and pawpaw trees positively thrive in the dry and dusty conditions.
Stone Pine and Baobab trees also abound and both provide welcome shade from the midday sun as well as ‘visual zest’ to those ever elusive sunrise shots.
I never quite found my perfect ‘tree shot’ on this trip, but there were several merit-worthy examples all the same.
Brick chimneys hinted at more long lost glories.
Most of my spare time, I spent scrambling up and along the coastal cliffs that overlook the Atlantic Ocean that borders the beaches of south and western Portugal.
I walked a lot; every day and I loved it, even when it was roasting hot.
I maintained an average of over 20,000 steps, but despite this I am still lying only third in this months ‘Step Up Challenge’ with the BTG football boys.
Viso from that group, walked a mighty impressive 58,000 steps one day and the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown down.
Anyone of seven of us could win it at the end of the month which coincides with Halloween.
Both Viso’s daily record and the ultimate pole position in our group are in my sights, especially after having finished second in a hugely controversial, technology-influenced step-race last month!
“I’ll be back” as Arne famously claimed!
With 6 days to go, I’m still third but ahead of last month’s FIFA sponsored winner and my own personal nemesis, Alex (of ‘Fix It For Alex’ fame).
Back to the blog!
Food and drink are relatively cheap in Portugal, even on the Algarve, where some commercial outlets will still try to charge more.
A meal out in a 4.8* to 5* rated restaurant will often cost under €20 (£18) per person.
Beer is both cold and cheap.
Sagres and Super Bock remain the best of the local, easy to access, beers.
Nicky and I did revisit one fascinating restaurant: ‘Piri Piri’, out of town, on the road to Vilamoura.
There is no menu at this restaurant. Fish or meat are the only choices, so heaven help you if you are a vegetarian or vegan.
But for €18 each (£15, including a tip) we enjoyed a tasty soup of the day, garlic and lemon grilled sea bream, with salad and chips and a local orange flavoured desert cake, all washed down with a couple of Super Bocks.
The alcohol free version was very palatable: I was driving after all.
Our car, hired through Zest and local operator Masterkings, was excellent
£180 for 18 nights and no ‘Goldcar horror stories’ to fear and endure.
Admittedly we had to pay an extra €40 euros for our out of hours collection.
Fair enough I guess as we did arrive at the unsocial time of 11pm.
Zest were particularly good as it happens.
Back in the spring, in the first week after my Camino, I had booked a car.
Somehow I had forgotten this by September and had booked a second!
My ‘senior moment’ went unpunished.
They reimbursed me without quibble, although my wife was slightly less forgiving and remains so, almost 3 weeks after that unfortunate event! 🤪
“I can’t believe……” has been a well used refrain!
Similarly, ‘Every day is (STILL) an education day’ now applies, for this forgetful car booker!
“Write your bookings down next time Martin Moorman!!”
On the beach on one of our last days, I was spellbound by a guy, fully dressed, despite the 28 degree heat, strolling along the beach, only inches away from the waves, lost in his book.
His subsequent resting spot was equally risky. Those waves can get you!
Sadly!
All the best holidays come to an end, unfortunately.
Ours ended 2 days early with the premature delivery of a grandson.
What a thrill.
Everyone is fit, well and home.
Being a ‘Dadad’ (grandad) is the greatest privilege!
No complaints from us at our early finish.
Plus, a return to beautiful North Yorkshire is never a trial even if our sun dominated days are now over for another year.
But beautiful sunrises are not the sole property of the Portuguese.
2 days after our return Tip and I witnessed these beauties.
And it is still raining!
Good old Blighty!
Storms Austen and Beolo have reintroduced us to the craziness of a British autumn.
I guess it never really fails to deliver!
I’m not really complaining, just being ironic.
After the best summer that I can remember, I recognise that the autumnal rain is what helps keep Britain green and lush.
‘This green and pheasant land’ and I love it!
I’d still take that scenery choice above the Portuguese coast, but it is a close run competition.
I hope this blog has tempted you to consider a Portuguese breakaway.
It is cheap and affordable and very beautiful.
I don’t think you will regret it.
After spending nearly 10 weeks in Portugal this year, if I was to have to make a choice, I would still lean towards a trip back to the Atlantic coast between Sagres and Porto as my ultimate preference: but the bar is set at an incredibly high level.
‘Portugal really does Promote’.
And best of all?
I’m pretty certain that a third visit would be welcomed by both my wife and I should we ever be fortunate enough to be offered a return by our very generous friends from ‘Wet Wales’.
My biggest priority now I’m back: new trainers!
Mine have no tread!
I guess I walk quite a bit!🤪
Thanks for the read and best wishes.
Martin x
Massive thanks to my Derbyshire based, Editor in Chief, Sarah Cross. Sarah is still supporting me to try to achieve my ultimate goal: a typo free blog.
Poor Sarah, she sorted all the typos, then the storms wrecked the ‘saved version’ of my blog, meaning I had to amend it all over again: post editorial input!
I dare to dream it is typo free.
If it isn’t, she’ll kill me! 🫣
Hopefully her attention to detail has helped me to go ‘💯% typo free at last!’ She really does have the patience of a saint!
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All of my photographs remain ‘seen as ‘scene’!’
I really want you to see what I saw when I pressed my shutter: not a touched up version of a non reality.
Martin Moorman is a 61 year old retired Headteacher who lives with his wife Nicky, daughter Rosie and her family in North Yorkshire, UK.
Martin and Nicky have 3 grown up children, Rosie, Harry and Jake, all happily married too. They are now grandparents too with a beautiful and feisty granddaughter aged 2. In his spare time Martin loves walking, photography, blogging, football, renovating, cooking and chatting to anyone who will listen!
