October might be wet, cold and blustery in the UK!! It certainly isn’t in Spain and Portugal and the 2012

Algarve Tour may be your last opportunity to get the hood down and feel the warmth of the sun.

We’ve put together a trip which will give great driving, great hotels, stunning scenery and a range of fun things to do. Spanish roads are in the main very quiet and where we’re going, great fun to drive on!

Starting with a crossing from Portsmouth to Bilbao on the high speed Cap Finistere, we get an early arrival at Bilbao so there’s plenty of time for a scenic run through the Picos de Europa mountains before our first stop at the five star Parador at Leon.  The city of Leon has something for everyone, a great cathedral, good shops and a lovely riverside rambla.

On next to Portugal for a night at Belmonte where the views are quite simply amazing at the historic Pousada. This particular Pousada has an unrivalled reputation as the best food in the chain of what are all great hotels

Next it’s back into Spain for a night at Merida, a world heritage city and the site of the best preserved

Roman ruins in Iberia then on to the Algarve on Friday to Tavira. This is always a favourite and we stay at the  beautiful Pousada for 3 nights. We have a waterside restaurant booked for one night with water taxis to get us there and a chance to meet up with some local car club members.  Always voted a favourite night out  by past guests. The hotel has an outside pool so don’t forget your cossie!

We have a hospitality box and passes organised for the Historic Racing Festival at Portimao which is just an hour from Tavira. It’s a great couple of days at a fantastic circuit with great racing. There will be historic

Formula one, sports cars, single seaters and vintage cars racing on both days and an amble around the paddock is a great experience.

Next it’s off to Ronda for a night at the Parador which is right next to the famous gorge. The views and

atmosphere at this historic spot are totally impressive and remind us all of Iberias great heritage.

After that it’s two nights at a country house hotel high in the mountains of Andalucia and (subject to numbers) a full and exclusive track day at the Circuito de Guadix. Here, with an English team safety is the best and the circuit never bores. Lewis Hamilton trained at Guadix in his early days and a large number of well known drivers and teams test there all year round.

Sooner or later we have to head for home, so the stop at Toledo will lift the spirits. The Parador has one of the greatest hotel views in Spain where it’s still warm enough to take a drink on the terrace. The last stop is Lerma, a beautiful little hilltop town where our hotel dominates an entire side of the Plaza Major and sets the scene for a great night before we head to Bilbao for a Saturday evening departure for Portsmouth

The trip will be limited to 20 cars and Jasper Gilder will accompany this group.