The winding cobblestone streets led us to our lunch spot and to a patio with commanding views of the valley. We were served partridge, pasta, squid salad and a local potato-and-sausage-based dish. Washed down with wine…of course. Once we’d finished yet another delicious meal, we met our mountain biking guide, Pedro. He got us kitted up with helmets and a bike each, and we began with a rather steep and technical section through a narrow alley into the plains below.

It was the first time I’ve ever seen an electric bike. Pedro had bought two and, sceptical as I was, decided to give it a go. Wow! I know electric bikes have come on in recent years, but this was phenomenal. One of the group members who hadn’t ridden a bike for many years had virtually placed an order by the time we left Portugal. It’s a fantastic way of getting people who would enjoy cycling but are worried about the fitness side of things.

After a thrilling ride through glorious scenery, we were picked up and transferred up the winding mountain roads to our final hotel of the trip, the magnificent Casa das Penhas Douradas. (http://www.casadaspenhasdouradas.pt/). This place really needs to be seen to be believed. Perched high atop a mighty mountain ridge, this stylish and modern complex really has it all. The rooms were adorned with elegantly shaped wooden features, effortlessly merging function with styles from numerous eras.

Our host, the affable and friendly, João Tomás, entertained us with brilliant food, tales of his business ventures and local points of interest.

The following morning we feasted on a gargantuan spread of hot and cold breakfast delights. The views over the valleys below were spectacular (and difficult to leave).

Pedro met us with our bikes and the second part of our mountain bike exploration began through the glorious Serra D’Estrela mountain range. Our route literally began out of the front door of the hotel, soon we were whizzing along dreamy dirt tracks with incredible 360? vistas of the surrounding countryside below.

What struck me was the lack of other people. In the UK, an area with such beauty and access would be flooded with people. During the three hours we cycled, we came across only one party of Portuguese bikers (who, incidentally, had brought a 2WD city car to these rugged and dizzying heights – not recommended). The weather was perfect – clear blue skies and very little wind.

When asked about Portugal, most people think of the Algarve, of sandy beaches lined with high-risers, and these undoubtedly have their appeal for your sunbathing holidays. What I found however, were fabulous unspoilt vistas, impressive mountains, friendly people, picturesque prehistoric villages and incredible food. Scenes of horse-drawn carts were punctuated with high-class dining, ancient landscapes interposed with chic hotels and first-class service. There’s no doubt that Central Portugal has a great deal to offer and I feel privileged to have experienced it for all it is – beautiful, welcoming, delicious, adventurous and classy (just get there quick – it’s going to be big!).

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Never have I been greeted by a goat and deer team upon arriving at a hotel. The lively pair kept us entertained, with the boisterous goat taking the lead and getting the deer into trouble. I have never seen anything like it! They’d fight each other, the goat would climb onto tables, push things over, and even climb into the front seat of our van! They had a strange and unlikely relationship which was fascinating to watch, but ultimately caused absolute mayhem for the hotel owners.

We sat on the back of a pickup truck as it drove around the vast hotel grounds, some 4000 hectares of virgin scrubland, packed with all manner of plants and creatures. The truck stopped a few times as the resident twitcher pointed out some rare birds and a lazy tortoise. In addition to the hundreds of birds and other animals on offer here, the owners obviously have a real passion for the conservation and management of this unique area which was clear through their informative talks.

We made our way down to the river and were served a delectable selection of nibbles, including the nicest stuffed mushrooms I have ever tasted (I consumed my fair share). After filling our bellies with nibbles and wine, we were then told this was merely the start – a three-course meal would greet us when we got back to the hotel. I’m not one to shy away from excessive food consumption but I could sense a couple of other group members were genuinely concerned about how much more they could take.

After a gorgeous three-course meal we were treated to a fabulous slideshow about the birds in the reserve. A number of us then laid outside under the stars (which were outstanding!) and spotted shooting stars whilst sipping on gin and tonic. The good life.

It’s fair to say that with a setting like the Herdade da Poupa hotel, moving on is difficult and instantly full of regret. The following morning, we were whisked away after breakfast (so very reluctantly)…

To be continued  . . .

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I met Carlos, the Portuguese Tourism representative and the rest of the group at Gatwick and checked my luggage in at the TAP desk. Also on the trip were three ‘trade’ individuals from adventure travel companies, a magazine journalist, a food and lifestyle writer and a bird writer and judge (the first I have ever met). There was good news – we’d all been upgraded! We had a relatively uneventful flight of just under two hours where was all shared tales of our travels and I learnt what was just the beginning of my education into bird watching.

In Porto we were greeted by Manuel, our local guide for our visit. He looked very Portuguese with dark, tanned skin, a long brown ponytail and a bushy goatee. He was all smiles and welcomed us into Portugal with admirable vigour.

We drove from Porto to our first nights’ accommodation. Half of the group were dropped at Casa dos Pocos, a lovely B&B in Vilar Torpim complete with swimming pool, sauna, steam room and Turkish bath. The remainder of the group travelled on to the hilltop town of Castelo Rodrigo, a pretty, cobble-stoned settlement with commanding views of the plains below. Ana, our host at the Casa de Cisterna, welcomed us wholeheartedly into her home. It was the perfect getaway, stylishly adorned with an impressive attention to detail. Each bedroom was different and for me it was a first, with a bed suspended from the ceiling. I was interested in giving it a go, so rather abruptly declared my desires (I was later told it was very un-British of me).

Ana provided us with a first-class meal in her home with soup, salted cod, smashed potatoes (“not Smashing Pumpkins”, she declared, and one of my favourite bands as a teenager – was there no end to her appeal?!) and some delightful vegetables.

That evening we were treated to a visit to some local rock carvings. The Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley are a UNESCO site with ancient carvings of numerous animals in an idyllic setting. I was in total awe of Ana’s passion for these carvings and although it was very late by this point, her enthusiasm and panache for describing these fascinating wonders had the whole group hanging off every word.

The following morning after a hearty breakfast with homemade bread and jams, some strong coffee and plenty of fresh fruit, we drove to the Faia Brava Nature Reserve. Our guides, both biologists, were truly passionate about this paradise and, as we strolled through the lush, green landscape, they pointed out numerous plants, flowers, trees and birds. We visited a bird watching hide atop a hill where rotting carcasses of cows and horse lay drying in the sun. They had been placed there by one of our guides for the healthy population of vultures that inhabit the reserve.

We ate a wonderful lunch of grilled sardines, a vegetable cake (new one on me but absolutely delicious!) and sandwiches, accompanied by the obligatory helpings of fizzy wine and ice tea. We kept a close eye on socks and shoes by the fire as they dried out the soaking we’d received from the long, wet grass.

To be continued . . .

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Now I know what you are thinking…..the Algarve is just a beach holiday full of rowdy Brits? Well not necessarily, we can certainly testify to that. The Algarve is a fantastic destination for a number of activities including walking, cycling, kayaking, diving, golf, sailing and many more.

Here we are going to concentrate on Scuba diving, as the Algarve has recently made huge efforts to attract divers from all over the world to visit its new underwater park which is known as the Ocean Revival project (http://www.oceanrevival.pt/en/). This is an exciting project in which a number of ex-Navy ships have been sunk a few miles off the coast in an area which is now off limits to all boats except diving boats. This has created an incredible underwater playground for divers plus a haven for local sea life.

There are currently two ships in the park with another to be sunk in June 2013 and another in September 2013. It is already a fantastic place to dive but once all four ships are in place, it really will be the place to go wreck diving.

Luckily for us we were invited to spend a few days in the Algarve looking at various hotels and dive centres and, of course, to dive the wrecks at the Ocean Revival Project. What follows is the day-to-day diary of our short visit to Portugal.

Day 1:

After a short flight (2 hours, 20 minutes), we landed at Faro airport and promptly picked up by our transfer. Our destination for the first two nights would be Portimao, a lovely town on the sea with an impressive marina and huge pier. Our hotel was the Hotel Tivoli which nestles right in the middle of the marina and on the water’s edge. The hotel is impressive with all the facilities you would expect from a four star hotel in the Algarve.

A five-minute walk and you are at the beach, which really is a sight to behold – a huge arc of golden sand that looks like it goes on for miles. Its size makes it perfect for sports with plenty of room to keep the kids busy! This started a trend for our whole stay – just one of the many world-class, immaculate beaches in the area.

After meeting our guide for the trip Ana Vargas, we were taken to the local dive centre (a 5-minute walk from the hotel, although we didn’t walk as we were driven in style by golf buggies!) by Subnauta, whose owner is the driving force behind the Ocean Revival project.

In the buggy, the dive centre staff joked that the centre was the best in Europe and upon arrival, we were already sure he was not joking! A state of the art modern dive centre, the centre is impressive to say the least! And with all good dive centres, the showers were fantastic, which after a day’s diving were quite simply amazing!

After a presentation on the Ocean Revival project we headed back to our hotel and got some rest whilst looking forward to our day of diving the following day.

Day 2:

After an early start we were driven (golf buggy again) to the marina where our boat and equipment were waiting for us. The boat was an impressive 16-man rib which was very comfortable for the short trip to the dive sites. We had three dives, the first two were the two sunken ships in the park. They both lay at around 29m at the deepest point, there is nothing better in diving than slowly descending then out of the gloom the huge shape of a wreck starts to appear. The ships are huge, nearly 100m long and at least 3 levels.

If you are into penetrating wrecks this is definitely the place for you as once inside the wreck, it becomes a maze of corridors and rooms. There are kitchens complete with sinks and cookers, bedrooms with bed frames, toilets with all the facilities intact and of course the engines rooms with giant pistons slowly being consumed by the sea.

Before the ships were sunk, the Ocean Revival team made sure there were no dead-ends or doors that could swing shut and trap any divers. They also cut lots of extra holes in the ship to create a lot more places where divers could enter and exit the wreck. You can always see an exit point which is reassuring when 28m down inside an old warship!

After getting back to shore (and using the incredible showers at Subnauta!) we checked out a few other hotels in the area, all were in beautiful locations and were immaculate inside.

Day 3:

This was our second day of diving where we checked out some other dive sites away from the Ocean Revival park. The first was impressive, the actual wreck was obviously a lot older and more higgledy-piggledy than the newer wrecks. There were numerous nooks to explore with sea bass, sea bream, conger eels, octopus and cuttlefish.

The second dive was an old French ship sunk by the British in the 1700’s. It was particularly fascinating in that most of the ship has now broken into small pieces and scattered over a large area. This meant that it was like following a trail – first you come across parts of the cannons, then you come across beautifully preserved wooden panels that were the ships side. The real icing on the cake were the various metal plaques placed by Subnauta, telling you what you are looking at and a little of the history – it really was like an underwater history lesson!

Day 4:

Today we checked out the beautiful towns of Alvro and Lagos, which both nestle on the beach and both have an ‘old world’ charm with their small streets and market squares. There is a small museum and church in Lagos which is well worth a visit.

Another huge draw of this area is the coastline, it is a jagged adventure playground. Swim-through and stand alone rocky outcrops make this area perfect for diving or exploring with a kayak. Not to mention the multiple boat trips that leave every day.

All in all a fantastic trip! The Algarve and Portugal in general has so much to offer the adventure traveller, it is certainly not just the ‘beach holiday’ that many people believe.

We hope to be organising some cycling trips to the centre area of Portugal sometime soon, with its’ Tuscan like scenery, gorgeous climate and incredible mountain roads, this really is an undiscovered jewel for cyclists and walkers. Watch this space!

A big thank you to Ana and the Portuguese tourist board for being perfect hosts.

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