It was with some anxiety that we descended down the winding road through the Douro gorge in a remote area of northern Spain to cross the river into Portugal at the dam. So much had happened since our last visit to the country only two years previously and we wondered if we would still feel welcome. Would there be a checkpoint at the border now?
We had already established that, in July 2021, the Portuguese Government had revised a January 2021 law banning motorhomes from staying overnight anywhere except approved sites. Once again, we would be free to park for up to 48 hours, with discretion, in the small villages and towns we had always so enjoyed.
In the event, the border was still just a signpost. We climbed up the other side of the gorge, with ever more spectacular views of the river far below at every turn, to arrive in the border town of Miranda do Douro. On a Sunday afternoon, the small centre of the old town was busy with Spanish day-trippers. We were relieved to see that there were quite a few motorhomes parked on the quiet road outside the old town walls,
