hi everybody i m planning a kitetrip in portugal in august, starting from lisboa to faro. is this period crowd? can i find bed and breakfast without reservation? i would not reserve rooms but decide day by day. are there good spots and good places also to visit from lisbona to porto? thanks to all suggestions!!

Locations you can find here: www.splocs.com

You should definitely try your luck up north as well! We are situated north of Porto, in Esposende, and here you find good winds, waves and flat. We are also close to Viana do castelo, 15mins north of us. Probably one of the windiest places in Europe, and great, long waves.

Check us at http://www.kiteandgo.com

Good luck on your trip!

Do you get thermal winds there as you do in alvor?

Lots of it! The temperature inland is warm and nice, but not to hot, and the sea is a bit colder than down south, so the thermals are nice! If we have a windguru forecast of 10-15 kt NW and fair weather, we plan school activities for 20-25 up to 30kts of wind. Also, high pressures going north from Azores bring that steady NW that act as a foundation for our thermals.

August is the peak of the high season, so yes - it will get crowded in particular down in the south (all country goes south!). in this respect Porto and surroundings, up in the north, will be a bit easier

if you head south then target Alvor, a couple of km west from Faro, as by August the conditions will be way more consistent

between Lisbon and Porto you will get different localitions. i´ll not name all but Peniche and Aveiro are 2 well known locations

best is to drop a note on www.kiteboardlusitano.com, locals will be able to help

thanks to everybody for good tips, I'll check.
I am not worried about crowd conditions cause I am expert kiter even if it's not so enjoying... important is that kite it is not forbidden because of swimmer and wave-surfer.

Do you have also some good tips for accomodation ?
local website for bed and breakfast?

http://www.gustykite.com/uk/escolas/escolas.html

If you pass by some of our spots and you need some support, and other information just contact us.
Good winds and have fun!

Pack your kites mate, but you ll be on your 12/13m more. Wind is not terribly consistent in Portugal, but can ramp up when it wants to. Viano de castelho and Alvor two good spots. Faro airport is another. Waves on the west coast at Carrapateira and nearby, but south coast super crowded in August. Have fun.

Esposende is a really good choice if you want to stay away from swimmers and crowds. Here, its more or less the opposite, no swimmers and few kiters mainly due to the long walk to get to the spot.

We can arrange accomodation here, and also boat service and center w showers and storage. This way its comfortable, no need to walk to the beach and a hot shower after the day!

Check us at http://www.kiteandgo.com. If you want any other housing than our kitehouse, drop us a line and we help you out. We can arrange everything from camper van rental to 4 star hotel.

Oh, and i would not forget to pack the 9 and smaller. Winds are usually strong here and in Viana.

Cheers!
/Anders