We leave our apartment around 7:45am and walk to Lisbon Oriente station picking up breakfast before we board the train to Faro.

Three and a half hours later we arrive in time for a final beer together in the sunshine ahead of taking the bus to the airport.

Both the Gatwick flight and our flight to Liverpool are on time. Eventually land around at 7:40pm so we are home with fish and chips in hand by 8:30pm courtesy of our lovely chauffeur Rachel. Looking forward to our own bed.

It’s been a great two weeks of travelling and sightseeing with fab friends. Some early starts and very long days, our train schedule was definitely not helped by rail strikes in France and Portugal. Having to reserve a seat on the majority of trains has been an ongoing headache as we couldn’t do it online and we had to pay a fee for the privilege!

We travelled through four countries, doing 3,642 rail miles on 27 trains and 1 bus and, according to my Fitbit, we walked 204,866 steps.

Staying in a couple of modern apartments, 3 star and one 4 star hotel in what was once a monastery, a triple bed room in a pension and two hostels, with three bunk beds in one room it’s been a laugh even when all six of us were squashed in a very tiny room in Nimes. Ear plugs required lol.

Sessie took charge of us as always and had the unenviable task of booking all the trains and buses after having booked our accommodation in advance too. Great job Mark.

Time to take stock now and decide what the next trip looks like.