Today’s mission was to get back to Faro and return the bikes. There is a big swimming pool outside where we are staying, which almost tempted us for a morning dip, but we decided that the sea was a better option as it was warmer and probably cleaner!

We had until 13:00 before the train left, and conveniently the station is right next to the beach!

Definitely a contender for best station waiting room!

And there was plenty of time for a swim first as well…

Before riding around to the platform…

Sometimes trains can be a bit stressful, especially with bikes, but on this occasion we were going from one end of the line to another, so there was plenty of time to load up and no question of if we were on the right train! A bargain €5.00 for the two hour ride (including bikes!).

About 100m from Faro station was the hotel that Clare had booked for our final night in Portugal. We dropped off all the panniers, then returned the bikes after a quick shop stop for food. It was then just a 10min walk back to the hotel from the bike store – it felt strange to be walking and bike free! Smooth logistics from the Mason Research Machine once again!

After a good scrub up and a big feed, we spent the evening checking out the sights of Faro, finishing with celebratory cocktails by the waters edge in the Marina.