Camping, Hiking and Mountain Biking in Portugal
Getting There
By Air: If you are flying to Oporto or Lisbon there are regular coaches and trains to Guarda (pronounced gwardha). Ryanair (0871 2460000, www.ryanair.com) flies to Oporto from Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Stansted and Dublin; and TAP Portugal (0845 6010932, www.flytap.com) flies from Heathrow and Gatwick.
By Train: If you plan to travel to Portugal by train then we suggest looking at www.cp.pt or www.seat61.com which is a web site dedicated to helping you plan rail journeys all across the world.
Getting to Guarda
From Oporto to Guarda by coach: The coach station is located between the Rua de Sa da Bandeira and the Rua de Santa Caterina (see map) , the entrance isn’t obvious and is easy to miss as it is located under a building. It looks a bit like an underground car park but is in fact the coach station.
From Oporto to Guarda by train: The train station for Guarda is located approximately 5 minutes from the centre by taxi and is called Campanha. Trains run from late morning and you need to change at Coimbra B or Pampilhosa train station. The journey time is between 3 and 4 hours.
From Faro to Guarda by coach: The easiest and cheapest way to travel from Faro to Guarda is by coach. Coaches leave from most tourist resorts on the Algarve on a daily basis. As the journey takes about 8/9 hours we recommend a stop-over in Evora. One of Portugals most beautiful cities. Evora has plenty of good accommodation and is a cultural delight.
From Guarda to the campsite
By Taxi: When you arrive in Guarda the simplest and easiest way to get to the campsite is by taxi- just ask for Vila Soeiro (pronounced swy-roo). Once you arrive in the village you will see a wooden sign on the corner of a house saying Quinta do Carvalhal. This will lead you to a sand road which leads to the campsite.
By Car: Coming from Spain, leave the A25 and enter the town of Guarda. At the first roundabout go straight on, in the direction of N18/Castelo Branco. At the 2nd (near McDonalds), again go straight on, at the 5th, take the 3rd turning. At the 6th, take the first exit, direction N16 Vale de Mondego. Join the N16 and pass the fire brigade. Pass the villages Cubo, Prado and almost all of Chaos. On the corner bend turn left to the barrage/reservoir and follow the road down the valley. Pass Pero Soares, cross the river and turn left. Enter Vila Soeiro and immediately turn left. Follow a small granite road that will lead to a dirt road. After 400m you will arrive at the Quinta do Carvalhal.
Directions from the coast
Leave the motorway at Junction 27 and turn immediately right and drive through 'Lajeosa' etc until you arrive at Porta da Carne. After driving past the factory on the left take the first right turn, signed for Aldeia Visoca. After leaving Aldeia Visoca, there is a sharp right turn (do not cross the bridge). Follow this road, drive through Misarela and down the hill. Vila Soeiro is now sign posted, again do not cross the bridge.
Car rental
National (0870 4004560, www.nationalcar.co.uk) has a week's inclusive rental from £103. Or try Auto Europe (0800 3581229, www.auto-europe.co.uk)
Happy traveling!
Website by Dulay Seymour