Sunday 3 February 2013

I very much regret to report that today has been fine, warm and sunny all day.

Again. 

However, the wind has gone round to the north and freshened so despite the sun, except when sheltered, light jackets were the order of the day. So we took a walk north along the coast to the next settlement, Port Sherry – yes that’s its name. We passed several café/bars along the way, being enjoyed by the locals who apparently come to this area on Sunday mornings to socialise, including one set among a grove of trees and nick-named Robinson Crusoe by our site neighbours, due to its somewhat rustic appearance.

The seafront at Port Sherry

El Puerto de Santa Maria used to be, and still is to some extent, a shipping port for sherry and there are still several bodegas in the town which also offer guided tours and tastings. Port Sherry is really a holiday extension to the town with a large marina overlooked by a row of restaurants/bars (where we took a coffee break) and backed by a large modern hotel and quite a few holiday apartments and houses. It also has its own small beach (see photie) and is reached by a coastal pathway and cycle track.

The beach at Port Sherry

The beach is overlooked by what first appears to be a sea wall, but on closer inspection turns out to be the remains of a fort, first used to provide cross-fire protection across the bay along with the fort at Cadiz. It was later used as a base for the siege of Cadiz but is now pretty well derelict except for its contribution to the conservation of the coast against erosion.

The beach with the fort across the bay

Once back at the campsite, we settled down to relax but despite deploying the windbreak, it was too fresh to allow sitting out in the sun in comfort for very long. So a little planning and start packing up the van as we are moving on tomorrow – not sure quite where yet but further south.  Watch this space!

Roast pork for tea!