The resort for all reasons

Peter Henshaw wanted a villa-based activity holiday. He found it on Portugal’s sunny Silver Coast

For me, activity holidays bring to mind images of mountain biking in Wales, abseiling in the Lake District and white water rafting in British Columbia – plenty of activity, but not necessarily much sun or relaxation. As for a typical villa holiday in Spain or Portugal, surely that means just lounging around by the pool?

The sandy beach at Praia D’El Rey

The sandy beach at Praia D’El Rey

But if you want sunshine plus the opportunity for some serious exertion, you can at last get the best of both worlds. Julian Cade and his Polish wife Alijca offer self-catering villa-based holidays on the west coast of Portugal combined with activities – ranging from golfing and windsurfing to painting and scuba diving classes.

Both had good jobs in Britain before throwing them in and starting up their holiday business – Motocadia. At first they provided guided motorcycle tours, aiming to show UK bikers unspoilt Portugal – from Obidos, north through the Serra de Estrella mountains, down the Douro valley to Porto and back again. It’s a great way to see the country, with miles of twisting roads, fine places to stay and good places to eat. Now they also offer villa holidays for those who don’t want to see this beautiful part of Portugal from the back of a motorbike.

Unspoilt and traditional

'It's the sheer variety of activities on offer that make this holiday different'

The Silver Coast region, north of Lisbon, is sandwiched between the Serra de Montejunto mountains and the Atlantic. It’s fertile and undulating, dotted here and there with white houses and the occasional Don Quixote-style windmill. The climate is mild all year round, with temperatures ranging from an average of 12ºC in January up to 24ºC in high summer. Despite being only an hour’s drive from Lisbon, it’s well off the tourist track; the brochure blurb about the region being unspoilt isn’t far off the mark.

British expat Marianne Fletcher-Smith says this is one of the many attractions of the region. “One of the things that brought us here was the fact that it was off the tourist trail," she says. "Very few people speak English but they are delighted if you can stumble through some Portuguese words and phrases. Eating out is a delight as well, and the regional dishes are excellent.”

Obidos Castle

Obidos Castle

The jewel in the region’s crown is undoubtedly Obidos, a mediaeval hilltop town with well-preserved fortified walls. It is only a few minutes from the Praia D'El Rey apartment and villa complex where Motocadia visitors stay, and is a maze of cobbled streets with a cocktail of Gothic, Renaissance, baroque and mediaeval buildings, reflecting the history of a town that has been conquered and rebuilt many times.

Lisbon makes for a handy day trip, and if you don’t fancy hiring a car, there’s an excellent bus service to the city. A few miles up the coast is the picturesque resort of Nazare, where there’s a fine beach and where many of the locals dress in traditional costume. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Alcobaca with its 12th century Cistercian monastery is a short drive away.

Typical architecture of the region

Typical architecture of the region

Other towns and historic sites within easy reach include Peniche, a port famous for its lobster and fish stew; the castle of the Knights Templar and the cathedral at Batalha; and the Lourinha museum, which is devoted to the Jurassic period.

The region is also one of the largest wine-growing areas in Portugal, specialising in full-bodied, aromatic reds with a generous alcohol content. With its proximity to the Atlantic, you’d expect seafood delicacies, and there are many: eels and cockles from the Obidos lagoon and shellfish from Port de Barcas, plus lagosta suada – or sweating lobster – a speciality of the area. There are also many pork dishes to look out for, with rabbit and goat popular ingredients as well. As with most of Portugal, this region is not a haven for vegetarians.