Wednesday 30th April 2025
We spent the night at a motorhome park-up in the larger town of Tomar. Another free aire which included services (not electricity). It rained heavily the following morning which left the site in a bit of a squelchy mess, but no major problems.
The ancient town of Tomar is known for its castle and convent (oh no not another one!), founded in 1160, which have links to the Knights Templar. The town was originally created inside the walls of the convent, (but of course, it now spreads well beyond), on land granted to the Knights in 1159.
The castle/convent complex is huge and labyrinthine . We thought we would pay a quick visit before moving on north, but in the event, spent all morning exploring.
It is interesting to visit a religious building which is so large and complete. Most in the UK are just ruins as a result of King Henry VIII’s reformation of the church in England. It really gives an insight into the lives of those who occupied, lived and worked in this type of environment.
There are numerous cloisters in the convent:
The octagonal room with an ornate centre-piece is just amazing:
There is quite a lot of Templar iconography:
On the roof:
Onward back towards the coast now, for our next overnight stay, at Costa Nova. See u Later, TTFN.
"See-u-Later" 