We had decided to have a lay day on Faro and take the bikes to other parts of the island, which has some interesting things to see. Ingmar Berman, the film director, used to live here and is buried in the churchyard and the island also boasts a beach described as the second best beach in the world by some authority.

Our bike ride totalled just over 20miles in the end – a tiring day for those not riding regularly -  and took in most of the Eastern end of Faro. The return was again a voyage of discovery along unmapped tracks. We worked on the basis of heading into the sun should take us westwards but it wasn’t always possible.

The island used to be predominantly used for farming but that has declined noticeably and is now more about tourism. It also is notable for flora and fauna that differ from the mainland because of the different climatic and geological conditions.

The roadsides were a mass of wild flowers and not a nettle in sight

and we hadn’t seen anything like this moth before – can any reader identify it for us?

Faro church outside

and inside

Apparently there is a bullet hole visible near the altar where someone tried to assassinate the pastor a while ago but we didn’t spot it

I was particularly impressed by the whiteness of the stone path given how many people visit the grave

We had coffee at the Bergman museum café and there was some sort of convention taking place in the tent

This quirky place is famous for its live entertainment and the rubbish surrounding it

The second best beach in the world! I think I might dispute this – maybe in Sweden though. Not a rock in sight

Just about to leave the beach

Don’t think these are going fishing in a hurry

The path round the North coast

Sheep grazing on the salt marshes – all that is left of the farming heritage.

A preserved fishing village. There was supposed to be some sort of sound installation to bring us all closer to the sea and the environment generally but I couldn’t hear it!