The building boom goes on

Everywhere you look near the Marina, there is another €1million house being built. But I bet the petrol station opposite this one isn't mentioned!

Nearby is the old Quinta da Orada. Seemingly empty, someone must be sitting on a fortune. There is a modern remote entry system with camera. Has anyone ever seen movement there?

You can hardly go anywhere in and around Albufeira without seeing cranes and building sites. Some are good works, such as the old people’s home and day care centre out at Fontainhas, but the vast majority are more and more apartments for tourist rentals. Nothing is being built here that those who serve the tourists can afford to buy or rent. I don’t know what this recently cleared site will be used for, there are no signs or notices, but I suspect a resort development. In the middle of nowhere of course. Visitors won’t walk the 200 metres to the nearest bus stop, meaning a constant stream of traffic in and out. Two large schools are in the same road. The site measures about 215 metres by 135, that’s about 29,000 square metres, or just over 7 acres. There are some associated road works, pointing to the upgrade of the track Caminho dos Brejos that leads towards the back of the Camping Albufeira site.

Went back to this site near the Vale das Pedras school earlier this week. I cannot find anything to tell me what is going on there, although there doesn't seem to have been much progress this last six months.

[In March this year I said]

You can hardly go anywhere in and around Albufeira without seeing cranes and building sites. Some are good works, such as the old people’s home and day care centre out at Fontainhas, but the vast majority are more and more apartments for tourist rentals. Nothing is being built here that those who serve the tourists can afford to buy or rent. I don’t know what this recently cleared site will be used for, there are no signs or notices, but I suspect a resort development. In the middle of nowhere of course. Visitors won’t walk the 200 metres to the nearest bus stop, meaning a constant stream of traffic in and out. Two large schools are in the same road. The site measures about 215 metres by 135, that’s about 29,000 square metres, or just over 7 acres. There are some associated road works, pointing to the upgrade of the track Caminho dos Brejos that leads towards the back of the Camping Albufeira site.

Going back to the site in Vale das Pedras, near the schools, the site has been cleared. No-one working. Although it is fairly uneven, it looks very much like a site for the outdoor market. But I cannot find anything about it. Sure to please the residents with hundreds of cars trying to get in and out every fortnight. The nearest bus stop is across the road, but obviously people don't go by bus.

I will go back soon. Meanwhile, Quinta da Bolota a year on. Nature continues to reclaim the land. It looks more like a relic of the ancient past than something that was abandoned only a few years ago.

The view across to Clube Albufeira.

Back to market site. No sign of any activity, recent or current. The Feira Franca has been cancelled this year, so who knows what will happen now.

Some of the fences have come down, so I was able to get onto the site. It is much bigger than i first thought! It has been completely cleared except for the old farmhouse and is a sandy wasteland. The farmhouse (ringed in orange) has been painted but is boarded up. On the site is dump of what look like large litter bins.

I can only imagine what the traffic chaos will be on market day, what with two large schools in the immediate area plus the council's maintenance depot.

Nice views from up on top.