Toward the South
Aljezur - Sagres
1er juin 2022
Great ride today where the diversions between Carrapateira and Pontal da Carrapateira is really worth it : magnificent cliffs, a jagged coastline of great beauty.
Since yesterday and Aljezur I am in the Algarve and the landscape changes again. Smaller plots, more mountains.
Maintenance (continued) : I had the front and rear brakes changed, for the price of one in France...
Gag of the day : I think I lost my keys (bike and apartment) at the hotel in Aljezur. It’s hard to understand each (…)
Vila Nova de Milfontes - Aljezur
31 mai 2022
Once again, the wind is with us. It is present from the start but it forces very quickly !
There are two descents on beaches, quite nice, which require to go up a steep slope on a kind of pavement particularly unpleasant by bike...
I meet two French people on bikes, who are heading north. They had some fantastic trips and are still cycling well, even if, at 72 years old, they have reduced the number of stages. We exchange a few tips.
When my track suggested a very nice path under the (…)
Carvalhal - Vila Nova de Milfontes
30 mai 2022
In principle the prevailing wind is from the north and should push me along. It’s been southerly for five days now, and this afternoon it was even quite strong.
A little gag this morning : I can’t find my reader. I’m sure I forgot it in Lisbon. But after 4 km, I get a phone call from the hotel : they found it ! Last night I probably took it and then I fell asleep without opening it and it slipped under a pillow ^^
Apart from the wind, the road is very pleasant.
Surprised to see that pine (…)
Lisboa - Carvalhal
29 mai 2022
Early departure from the one-eyed hotel where I was staying. I had heard about space restrictions for bikes and I was probably misinterpreting the conditions for bikes that I had trouble finding. At a quarter to eight at the boarding gate there must be 20 of us max this Sunday morning and only one bike, mine, so no worries ! On the other hand this crossing is sometimes presented as a cheap cruise... We are in a kind of big bus or metro, the windows are dirty... we can’t see anything 🙁 At (…)
Casal dos Feros - Lisboa
28 mai 2022
I change my program and go directly to Lisbon to avoid the overcrowding of this weekend of good weather... and the prohibitive prices towards Cascais !
I’ll get to the Alentejo a bit quicker.
On the cut the gradients look reasonable. In fact it depends on the type of road : all the first part are very small secondary roads and the slopes are steep, my meter often shows 12%. The highest hill is a national road, the slopes are smoothed out and we are on 7% max.
Otherwise, nothing too (…)
Cela - Casal dos Feros
27 mai 2022
Early departure from Yves’ house. It is already hot. The planned route is a bit long with the tour of the Lagoa de Obidos. On one side we ride along the lagoon - which allows me to see some shellfish fishermen - but on the other side we see nothing and it goes up and down a lot.
Then direction Peniche with a passage of more than a kilometre on a bumpy and sandy path. A bit unpleasant and even more so when a car passes and raises a cloud of dust 😕
I walk around the peninsula, then towards (…)
Figueira da Foz - Cela
26 mai 2022
A bit long step today, and I don’t manage to leave early...
To leave Figueira da Foz, I have to ride 4 km to find a road at the bridge ! Then a rather unpleasant road where of course nothing is made for bikes. Finally at the end of the bridge you can leave the national road and get to quieter roads.
It’s the first time I see "Eurovelo1" signs.
But after this long straight road in the middle of burnt out trees it is quite unpleasant. Approaching Nazare it’s a bit better, the flames have (…)
Aveiro - Figueira da Foz
25 mai 2022
A very pleasant day, started quite early.
There are safe, if not pretty, cycle paths, but the roundabouts to access them are not at all obvious. Besides, I would never have taken the cycle path along the motorway if it hadn’t been indicated on my route. No indication at the entrance : I entered the lane ready to turn around...
Then I leave the cycle tracks and the roads to go closer to the Ria de Aveiro, and well done, it’s a path in quite good condition, not much used and with a nice view (…)
Porto - Aveiro
24 mai 2022
Early start from Porto, this will be the steepest part of the ride. There is a lot of cobblestone everywhere, quite unpleasant to ride on. But there are also some nice cycle tracks along the coast or a bit further inland.
To get to Aveiro I hesitated to ride along the coast all the time and take a ferry to cross and get to Aveiro. In the end I went around following the main road... but it’s quite unpleasant and I regret the different light that this crossing could have brought. Maybe next (…)
Viana do Castelo - Porto
23 mai 2022
Departure at 8:30 am from my hosts. Dry start and I look for the centre of Viana do Castelo that I didn’t see the day before. I want to see the hospital boat for the sailors going to fish for cod in the distance that José told me about yesterday, and also to get some cash so that I don’t get stuck if some shopkeepers refuse the bank card. I do all this, it takes me 3 tries before I find an ATM that accepts the operation... At 9am when I really leave it starts to rain. It lasts a good two (…)