Perhaps we were reluctant to leave the luxury of our rest day hotel, but we were late leaving and chose to do a short 30K hop to Ferreira do Alentejo.
With time to burn we turned down the N2 direct route and headed instead along the near-deserted M383. It proved to be a delight, except for some deep fissures that demanded some care.
We made good progress through interesting wee villages until I tried to get clever and took us up a back road that soon deteriorated into a muddy track.
This did allow us to get close to nature, however, seeing egrets, storks, buzzards and even a number of otters before we were back on the main road and passing through major olive oil-producing estates.
We rolled into Ferreira in time to join many of the same estate workers and half of the town enjoying some very significant lunches.
All in all a reminder that going slowly and getting off the beaten track often bring rewards.
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