Ayamonte

OK so yes we stayed a long time anchored near Olhoa and although it was peaceful and free the reason we stayed was my toothache. It had been getting worse so on the Monday I chose a surgery and made an appointment sadly I needed root canal work but the abscess needed treatment first. After a couple of tries we established that as I wasn't going home in the next 2weeks I would need treatment locally so I decided that dentists was as good as anywhere and signed up. So after four different painful appointments it was all done and on Friday morning we could leave. I would like to go back and explore again when not in pain as would be lovely to kayak around and see a little more. We did on an appointment free day take the dinghy around the visible bit of the lagoon and watch a large cargo ship nearly run over a bunch of sailing dinghies, there was a lot of horn blowing. On the same day we also went across the island and did a little bit of wave jumping and falling over in the Atlantic surf. That's when John lost his watch and I found the lovely shells.
Like I said we left Friday morning and headed for the Rio Guadiana on the Portuguese/Spanish border, we had hoped to go to Tavira but they are doing work on the Marina at the moment so we were advised to avoid it. The day was calm and sunny but we had to be about 3miles off to avoid shoals and fish farms but there wasn't a lot to see anyway.
Ayamonte Marina is on the Spanish side of the river and almost empty as they put up their prices a few years ago and locals haven't forgiven them yet, but it was clean and secure with a number of foreign boats including some Brits so we had a natter as you do. We decided that evening to join in the Spanish trend and go walking around town on a Friday evening though on reflection we didn't really dress up enough. We were also surprised at the number of Irish people that were around, there must have been a big time share drive at some point. On Saturday we wandered around a bit more and then took the ferry to Portugal, Vila Real de Santo Antonio where there was a market, not fruit and veg but pottery, scarves, jewellery, slippers leather goods, the Portuguese town was very different to the Spanish which was small narrow streets, it was grid iron with wide cobbled promenades lots of plazas and everyone and their mates was out and about but not as much English being spoken. We managed to buy john a new watch, which is still working!Read more