Checking the counter on Bertram after arriving at our destination, I noted we had travelled 2500 km since leaving Gainsford. This was mostly on hilly roads liberally enveloped with thick, chilly fog. Driving was a fairly tense affair, as Bertie’s ‘turbo’ seemed inclined to cut in and out at will, producing surges of unwanted speed followed by alarming slowdowns.

All in all, though Bert took it in his stride, I became intimately acquainted with the phrase ‘driving by the seat of the pants’. I had never properly considered what this meant, but after seven days of urging a recalcitrant vehicle through its paces by means of sitting forward and clenching my buttocks, I realised most of the time only the fabric of my trousers remained in contact with the driving seat.

One unexpected result of this almost constant buttock tightening was the (sadly only temporary) disappearance of my Blencathra hip syndrome.

Meanwhile, Bertie has developed a small hiccup in the engine department, necessitating a longish stay in Olhao, while I change the fuel filter to see if it is the source of the problem.

Olhao has a fantastic fish market and some lovely cobbled streets.