My sister and I have just returned to the UK after a lovely holiday touring the Algarve for 10 nights. We spent a couple of nights in different resorts and did a 2hr cliff top walk each morning. Unfortunately our peace and love of wild flowers were interupted on 3 occasions by men masturbating on the footpaths (actually blocking the way and obviously waiting to be seen). Another occasion we were followed by a man who kept hiding behind rocks and peeping out! Finally the last straw came, after parking our hirecar at Marinha beach we found our boot lock had been tampered with and we could no longer open it with the key. Is the Algarve full of people up to no good or were we just unlucky?

OK guys who is going to be the first to own up

We just returned from a month which included many cliff walks at Marinha, S da Rocha, Luz and in between. Never had any experiences like the ones you describe. This is our sixth year doing pretty much the same thing although we hit some new sites every year.

My only concerns have been the additional erosion of the cliffs each year and litter, although this year I didn't think the litter quite as bad.

Oh yeah, also the ever encroaching developers. Where do they all come from?! Guess it's tourists like me behind it, eh? My apologies to the Portuguese . . . but it's the same everywhere really.

I hoped you laughed when you saw IT!!

Men are such sad creatures sometimes that they feel the need to show of their ding a lings.

Perhaps CVo ought to have a ding a ling club that would cause rather a stir if you pardon the pun

Probably just fishermen desperate for a pee. You should have looked away and not embarrassed them

Just read 'Six Nations Rugby'

Probably Welsh rugby players in training and desperate for a 'leek'

Congratulations to all the Taffies - fantastic performance (the rugby I mean)

Could have been a bus outing for a lot of the wa***rs who regularly post on here

Naaa you would have needed a magnifying glass

To guest who posted at 8.47.

The walkers who regularly post on here do not go by bus !! -- and when necessity arises we always look for a bush to water.

Hmmmm... put him down as a possibility. Remember about how it makes you go blind, and he's an optician

I was in Carvoerio with my sister last September and had a similar experience. We were coming up the steps from Carvalho Beach and a man masturbating blocked our path and wouldn't get out of the way. It was in the middle of the afternoon and there were families nearby. It has put me off walking to beaches on my own!

Trust me it really works , I was a met police officer and taught womens self defense. The difficult thing is to actually get over the fear , these guys arent rapist ( most of the time ) , they are sad , lonely men who cant get the sexual kicks normally. Normally I dont believe in putting someone down if they have a problem , but this is a scary one for the woman on the receiveng end. Its happened to me a couple of times , and I was scared out of my wits , and then one day I just snapped , a little voice inside me send no , I got angry , furious instead of scared , then I just started to laugh , in actual fact a little bit hysterical. Why was i letting this sad , little thing upset me , I seen bigger and better ones on the front of magazines ( yes you can buy them here , usually the portugueese shops sell them just at you childs eye level !!! ). If you can reach down and find that giggle , it is amazing , not only does it reduce the situation , ( quite rapidly actually ) , but it gives you so much confidence , you feel like youve taken on goliath and won. Dont let this put you off walking , if you are still scared seek out some self defense lessons where you live. Most local police stations have a list , or local councils. Get the confidence , go out there and go for it. Good luck keep smiling.

Hi Guest 1

Yep when someone tried to indtimate me, I stepped forward into "their" face...and all 5ft nothing said , very menacingly "oh yeah", in the language they understood. (But had at B*** height just ready to make my point)

Ha, on the cliff? That's nothing we had one do it in the carwash whilst he was waiting for his jeep to be cleaned . One of the girls surprised him round the back by the sink, needless to say they didn't accept his tip

This is disgusting and I assure you this is a one off......Please if ever anybody suffers this awful experience again......grab him by the Goolys...and wack him with a good knee job....the timid creature will run and hide......and wimper......dont be scared....they are cowards ......that is why they do it.....they think this will scare you to bits....and that is their High...a good scream and they will run a mile.............I really wish I was there....they would have no goolys left.................Aggressive...yeh you bet.....