The river continued to join and divide them
Posted in General on 07. Aug, 2010
The river continued to join and divide them.FACT FILEmake it to the borderGETTING THEREThere are many cheap charter flights to Faro in Portugal for access to Alcoutim on the Portuguese side. Public transport to Alcoutim is slow and difficult, using country buses from Faro or Lisbon. Public transport to Sanlcar is close to non-existent and a hire-car is essential.WHERE TO STAYIn Alcoutim there is pension accommodation in the village at Christina and Louis’s (Portugal-0936-441905), 4,500 escudos (pounds 15-16) per two person room English spoken. A new hotel is due to open soon, with considerably higher rates.
In Sanlcar there is pension accommodation with Hilary and Axel (Spain-0959-388081), 5,000pta (pounds 21) bed and breakfast for two people. English spoken.Safari camp accommodation – hammocks and camp-style outdoor beds – are provided by Rob Huber and Sue Gale (fax: 00-34-959-388257; Lista de Correos, Sanlcar de Guadiana, Huelva, Spain). They also do breakfast, evening meals, day sails and river picnics Boats are available for guests. A couple of farmers stood watching our slow progress across the Guadiana.
Her friend, Bianca, rowed the boat as the two of us swam slowly across the current to Portugal.At the centre point I trod water and looked back at the dazzlingly white houses of Sanlcar. In an Alcoutim bar I’d met a Dutch girl, Krista, who was determined on “an international swim, from country to country”, and we had pledged a dual assault in tumblers of wine Now we were keeping our word. We’re safe from being overrun for a while longer.”One slack midday tide I waded into the Spanish shallows to swim to the opposite shore. “We’re all still counting the cost, and there’s been no more talk of marinas this year, and there won’t be many people wintering up the Guadiana either. There were tens of boats moored for the winter.” Rob was recounting how he’d woken to find the river lapping at the veranda of his hilltop home “My boat and everybody else’s boat was gone. We picked up ‘Tesse’ out at sea, and for two days we were pulling yachts out of olive groves, and out of the trees.” He liked the moral of the story.