Portalegre to Urra, train station and back ...

The Portalegre train station is intriguing ... and possibly annoying if you took a train there expecting to find the town nearby ... it's 11 km away ... the tourist history book tells of lobbying for a link, but it never happened ... now passenger trains are limited to one each way on Friday evenings, one each way on Sunday evenings ... a bus service connects the train to town ... not much else there except a huge agricultural silo ... looking like a grain store, though no evidence of cereal growing nearby ... cork oaks, olive trees, some vineyards, grazing cows, sheep and goats beneath the trees ... also a bar on one side of the tracks and a restaurant on the other ... a popular destination for Sunday lunch ... there is bacalhau, deep fried in batter and looking familiar, except for the caramelised onions on top ... and from the internet a biker hostel, now closed and for sale ... someone's dream business in the sun, abandoned after an illness in the family and no sale so far ... plenty of buildings, ruins to convert, smallish garden ... €395k for a quick sale ...

Before all that, weather forecast clear, maybe a couple of thunderstorms, so off we go ...

Urra has a pleasant feel in the morning sun ... the pasteleria open for coffee and cake ... welcome after a couple of hours exploring the out of town shopping centre, preparing for some pre-Christmas Sunday morning worship ... then along the main road towards Elvas and Spain ... its hard shoulder generous on the plain ... some soft shoulder too ...feet, legs and psyche content to take a break from the walking holiday ... short enough and pack very light, since another night at the Hostal Portalegre is booked.

The return trip is quicker, straight along the Evora road for a couple of hours, Portalegre always in view on the hillside ... a good way to settle the rather large lunch and red wine ... and home to the hostel for a hot shower and a well earned rest ... tomorrow, early bus into the mountains to Castelo de Vide and walk back ... just 16 km, so a steady stroll ... maybe ... meanwhile the map shows today's route and the beautiful gift from Helder, a recently published poet ...