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The Trendy Whippet
GOING TRAVELLING WITH A WHIPPET. WHEN, WHY AND HOW...
WE ARE TRAVELLING TO PORTUGAL!
We have decided to pack up and go travelling around Portugal. We are hoping to find somewhere to buy and move there!
WHEN..
We are leaving the U.K on the 28th July, after spending our last few days with family.
The business will be staying in the U.K and will be ran by my lovely team in Barnstaple.
I will still be the one answering your emails and ANY questions you have, social media and stock etc.
WHY..
So why are we moving? And why Portugal?
Our interest in Portugal started a couple of years ago. Property is cheaper than the U.K, which means we would be able to afford the type of property we want there compared to the U.K.
Another reason (and quite a big one), is the weather! We love the sunshine and heat – and so does Ren our Whippet!
We are focusing our attention on the Central region, where you get the lovely weather but also will still get some rain so the areas are still green. We want to have a lovely farmhouse with lots of land so we can grow veggies and fruit trees! Basically to live ‘the good life’. And a more laid back, outdoor lifestyle!
I am still passionate about Trendy Whippet so will still be running this from there.
We finally made the decision to go in May this year after we lost Lola our Saluki. We wanted to go last year as Lola would’ve loved it! But when we found out she had cancer last October, her health was our main focus. She had her front leg amputated to remove the tumour which gave her an extra 7 months with us.
We have made a new Instagram page where you can follow our adventures!Â
@thetrendywhippettravels
Click this link to head to the instagram page.
Our Journey
We started our journey at 5:30am Tuesday 28th July, and drove to Folkestone where we boarded the Euro Tunnel.
With all of our belongings and Ren packed into our little Skoda Fabia. They checked our passports and we entered the amazing Euro Tunnel – which only took around 35 minutes to cross to Calais. Ren just slept the whole time.
We arrived at Calais and drove south for nearly 6 hours (with a couple of services breaks in-between), to a place just outside of Poitiers called Jaunay-Clan. We rested up here for one night in a lovely air bnb townhouse, in a typically French street. We walked around some of the gardens in the town and prepared the route for the next day.
The next morning, we packed up and stopped in a cute little Patisserie for some pain au chocolate for breakfast.
Bellies full, we carried on with our journey. This leg was a 6 and 1/2 hour drive. We headed south past Bordeaux (which by the way, was not the most enjoyable roads to drive on – very busy!). The scenery was amazing, you could see some of the Pyrenees and everything was so green!
We also enjoyed seeing the beautiful Sunflower fields throughout the whole journey.
We crossed the border into Spain with ease. And we were welcomed by a much warmer climate. 35 degrees! Which is warm when you are just in a car! And the scenery changed a lot from France. Much dryer and more flat.
We arrived at our second air bnb in the smallest, most rural village of Villanasur-Rio de Oca. We stayed for one night in a quirky little hotel, with the friendliest staff. Even though there were slight communication issues with the language barrier, they made us feel so welcome.
They had 2 dogs, which just roamed this small village and then would return when they were ready. Ren had a little play with them in the main square, then jumped in the car ready to head off!
There were also loads of cats just wondering around and each house had a little hole in the door/garage for the cat to enter when they returned home! So sweet.
The next morning, we packed up the car once again for the third and final day of our journey. We were heading south-west to Portugal!
This was around 5 and 1/2 hours in 36 degrees heat! We had a couple of breaks in-between but just wanted to get to our final air bnb. We tried to get Ren out for a stretch and some water, but she just wanted to get back into her comfy bed!
We ascended slightly into the mountains. Our air bnb for the month is a lovely little cottage, very rural and has the most amazing views of the Serra da Estrela mountains.
We are basically at the foot of these mountains near a place called Oliviera do Hospital.
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We have spent our first day resting after a long, hot car journey of almost 20 hours over 3 days.
Ren has been checking out her new home and surroundings. Whilst trying to adjust to the new climate.
We will be spending the next few days exploring the area and enjoying Portugal’s river beaches. You can follow our Instagram page – @thetrendywhippettravels for more photos and videos of our journey and what were up to.
So for now – TCHAU!
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One Response
Lovely photos! Hope you enjoy Portugal ?