We were a little sad to leave Camping Sera de Bica this morning and it is certainly somewhere we will remember for the next time we are in this neck of the woods.

It was only a short drive to our next stop at Mertola and for sections of the drive almost every telegraph pole and electricity pylon contained a pair of storks. We even saw them nesting in trees, which we haven’t seen before. At one point we suddenly saw more than fifty storks all in the same area on the ground, presumably feeding. Unfortunately it was just before a blind hill crest and it was not safe to stop.

I had determined that there were two good spots to overnight in Mertola: a car park or a grassy area next to the river. We opted for the latter and it is a lovely wild camping spot (37.638992, -7.660422).

Mertola is a typical whitewashed town situated on a steep hill overlooking the River Guadiana, the same river we camped alongside at Ayamonte, in Spain and Vila Real, in Portugal. The river used to be navigable up to the town and so Mertola was an inland port but now the river is only used by pleasure craft.

We made our say up steep cobbled streets to the old town to have a look at the Igreja Matriz and the Castle. Igreja Matriz is a national monument because after the reconquest the Islamic mosque was simply converted into a church. It has since gained some Christian iconography but inside, being square in shape and with a mihrab pointing the way to Mecca, it still has the clear feel of a mosque.

The castle at the highest point of the town was likewise Islamic in origin and then built on by the Christian conquerors and much restored over the years. It is another castle which allows free entry, even for Mabel and Melek, so Melek is now becoming something of a castle aficionado!

We retreated to Basil for lunch and then I went out in search of Mertola’s several museums. The PaleoChristian museum is built over the remains of a 6th century Basilica and cemetery and the archeological dig is on display together with a large number of clearly legible Christian gravestones from the 6th Century.

I had a pleasant time meandering the undulating and cobbled backstreets of Mertola looking for a Museum of Islamic Art and a Roman Museum, but both were, unfortunately, shut.

Nobody has joined us next to the river although the car park contains half a dozen motorhomes, so fingers crossed for a peaceful night.