Rio Guadiana

Ariadne

Ariadne

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The Mrs kids and boat are in Grenada. Me? I'm in S
blog.mailasail.com
Were thinking about having a trip up the river with the kids before we head into the Med' next March, has anybody been up there recently?
What are the must see things?
Any recomendations on when is the best time to head up, winter time (eg now) or spring?
Can you really swim with terrapins?

Your thoughts and comments please.

Dave
 
Well is at least 3 years since I was last there but you definitely shouldn't miss it.
Places to see include the roman ruins just up the River Vascoe. Anchor big boat in the deep pool just upstream of where the rivers meet. Take the dinghy up the Vascoe as far as it will float. I recommend rowing to get the most out of the experience and see all the wildlife. As the river shallows you can leave the dinghy resting on the original roman mill wall. Follow upstream by foot and enjoy swimming in the crystal clear waters of the myriad of pools you'll find. The scent of the wild pomegranates and figs is fabulous in the spring.
Terrapins everywhere.

Visit the 'Sociedade' bar in the village of Pomerau, probably as far upstream as you will get without a pilot. Walk through the village and up to the dam where you will find a well that the kids can amuse themselves turning the handle to fill your water cans.

Catch the weekly bus from Pomerau to Mertola, 45 mins through wonderful Portuguese countryside. Have lunch at the 'Yacht Club' overlooking the river and do your shopping, returning on the afternoon bus.

Have fun, its a great place.

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com
 
It,s a year or 2 ago now, to be safe from floods it was best to leave it til after March, may be different now if the Alquaver Dam is doing what it was supposed to.
Use the tides, the flow can be impressive, and the bridge will be no prob at Vila Real.
All the stops are pleasant, but if using the pontoons you could have probs with the tripper boats. There was, only water and elec at Alcoutim and San Lucar.
Fishing nets, seasonal, for Saboga can be interesting, but they are normally well marked and don,t go more than halfway accross the river. There are also eel nets marked by a single buoy.
Yes the R Vascou is beautiful and there are heaps of terrapins plus Kingfishers, watersnakes, wild pigs, ancient water mills, a lovely area, but sadly threatened by commercial tourism, as is the whole river.
I gets much wilder as you get above Pomerao,(the history of the copper mining,British owned, with big ships using the port here is amazing.
I have been up to Mertola with the boat several times (it was 44, 6ft draft), but I would reccomend a pilot, at least for the first couple of times, available at Pomerao. It,s worth the effort, the black kites, eagles, and I once saw a lynx there.
It really shoudn,t be missed, cos as I said it wont last long, the changes I saw in just a few years were saddening.
 
That sounds great, I think we'll be heading up river in March - the spring sounds good.

Are you sure about the water snakes? I didn't think there were any in Europe, if there are then do I assume they are poisonous!

But great info so far, keep it coming please.

I don't suppose there are any charts out there? We can get a local chart up as far as the bridge by V Real. The pilot book is a bit doom and gloom about going up river as well.

Still we will be going up, it just has to be done.
 
Going up the River, use the tide and stay in the middle you will be ok. Exceptions- keep more to the Spanish side at l.w. below the bridge, and at Alcoutim(there is a bank off the N end of the village), and immediately below the mouth ofthe Vascou. Arrive at Pomerao at h.w., no problems, but enquire locally if leaving at other than around h.w., mind who you ask, many proffess to be experts! But really, as you say the pilot book exagerates, it,s easy, apart from the bit above Pomerao, that is not to be trifled with, really exillerating but could be disasterous with out a pilot, two good ones in Pomerao, normally for the price of a few beers.
 
We live in Sanlucar de Guadiana. There are no navigational problems in the river as long as you keep to the middle. Everywhere there is a dried river bed coming into the main river, there are gravel banks, usually on the downstream side. The worst is at Alcoutim, just north of the pontoon, so keep to the middle, or the Spanish side between the 2 villages.

There is a small Museum of the river at Guerreros, and the remains of a Roman villa at Larangeiros. Both villages have pontoons with water, but no electricity. Both Sanlucar and Alcoutim have castles, the one in Alcoutim has a small, but interesting museum. As mentioned, the Vascao is a charming wild anchorage with plenty of wildlife. The turtles are very shy - I don´t think you could swim with them!

Above Sanlucar and Alcoutim, navigation is no problem until just downstream of Pomarao, but just ask any local boatowner and they will tell you the way. Above Pomarao, there are no problems for several miles, but after Penha dÁguia, you will need a chart.

A new pilot book has just been published in Portuguese, with English translations - but we have found a couple of errors and some of the translation loses the correct meaning - and it is relatively expensive for a short stay. You can get them in Vila Real. However, we run a bookswap from our house in SL , El Correo Viejo, and we keep good chartlets for the river above here which we will give you if you call in to the house. They show all the pilotage necessary to go as far as Mertola.

Spring is the most beautiful time of the year, with wildflowers clothing the hillsides, plenty of birdlife and it isn´t too hot for walking and exploring.

Look forward to seeing you in Spring.
 
We live in Sanlucar de Guadiana. There are no navigational problems in the river as long as you keep to the middle. Everywhere there is a dried river bed coming into the main river, there are gravel banks, usually on the downstream side. The worst is at Alcoutim, just north of the pontoon, so keep to the middle, or the Spanish side between the 2 villages.

There is a small Museum of the river at Guereros, and the remains of a Roman villa at Laringeiros. Both Sanlucar and Alcoutim have castles, the one in Alcoutim has a small, but interesting museum. As mentioned, the Vascao is a charming wild anchorage with plenty of wildlife. The turtles are very shy - I don´t think you could swim with them!

Above Sanlucar and Alcoutim, navigation is no problem until just downstream of Pomarao.

A new pilot book has just been published in Portuguese, with English translations - but we have found a couple of errors and some of the translation loses the correct meaning. You can get them in Vila Real. We run a bookswap from our house in SL , El Correo Viejo, and we keep good chartlets for the river above here which we will give you if you call in to the house. It shows all the pilotage necessary to go as far as Mertola.

Spring is the most beautiful time of the year, with wildflowers clothing the hillsides, plenty of birdlife and it isn´t too hot for walking and exploring.

Look forward to seeing you in Spring.
 
Depends on the draught of the boat and how daring you are! And as you have done it, you will know the problems are all in the very last bit, and you could anchor below Mertola and do the last bit by dinghy. Anyway, the chartlets we have are very detailed, made by yachtsmen and have been added to as and when necessary as any new info becomes availible. Much more detailed than the new pilot book. Most people, including us I have to say, don´t go up that far. But nice to have the info for the rest of the river above SL and Alcoutim as there isn´t much else and some of the Uk pilots are positively misleading about the Guadiana.
 
I think I know the chartlets, done originally by a German and the skipper of "Vendeval", Fernando, I still have a copy, but if they are the same ones, even Fernando says they leave a lot to be desired. As to it being easy as far as the Vau do Pedra, I helped get a 45+ yacht with a large hole in it, off the top of the vau, an English couple with a 30ft Westerly damaged their rudder at Bombero, I still maintain it would be foolhardy to go beyond Penha d Aguia minus a pilot, certainly the first time, it isn,t just the channel, it,s the timing and the rate of the tidal flow I was up and down there probably 20 times in total, with my boat and Vendeval and still very respectful. There is no room for a mistake, if you touch at all, with that tide behind you, you are stuck! Also, with 2mtrs draft, we could only go up on springs, so getting stuck could be terminal.
But having said all that, it,s wonderful anchored in the pool below the town walls. So much so, we used to go up on one spring and stay a fortnight and come down on the next.
 
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