Farewell to Portugal

Wed 1st June 2016

When the plane took off from Porto Aeroporto this afternoon, I looked down at the beautiful country below and pondered whether the last three weeks had been for real or was just a magical dream. Of all the cycling tours I have done in the last few years this one ranks amongst the best.

The two hour flight to Gatwick gave me a chance to look back at the last three weeks and reflect on what was a truly marvellous experience, far exceeding my expectations. Flying into Seville on 9th May 2016 to three days of wet weather did not dampen my enthusiasm because, sheltered by my Kathmandu mini umbrella, I was still able to see most of the sights that this wonderful city is famous for, particularly the old city with the Cathedral and the Giralda tower at its heart.

When I set out on my riding adventure three days later it rained heavily for most of the 55 Km to La Palma del Condado. However, this was the only day I needed to wear wet weather gear because the weather was perfect for the remaining two days in Spain and eight days in Portugal. Most days there was not a cloud in the sky and the temperature was in the low to mid-twenties.

Apart from the spring weather, May is a great month to ride in the Algarve region of Portugal because the peak tourist season has not begun and therefore the roads are relatively traffic free. Besides, the wild-flowers in late spring are simply magnificent!

Like most European countries Portugal has a cycling culture and motorists respect cyclists, giving them at least three metres clearance when passing. Not once did I encounter any anti-cycling behaviour from either pedestrians or motorists.

For the most part riding was easy and navigation was not an issue. Following the Ecovia do Litoral bicycle trail enabled me to experience some magnificent bushland that you would not otherwise get to see, but with the benefit of hindsight I would be wary of riding on unsealed tracks after so much heavy rain. Outside of the summer tourist season the sealed secondary and tertiary roads are relatively safe.

Throughout Portugal I found very little English spoken, but I managed to get by with a Portuguese vocabulary of about eight words … and a lot of sign language and charades. I met one German touring cyclist in Huelva who hated riding in Portugal, but then when I saw him poring over a paper map I can understand how frustrating it would be if you can’t ask anybody for directions. But having a Garmin GPS meant this was not an issue for me, taking me right to the door of my accommodation every time. With no paper maps as backup I just had to make sure that my spare battery pack was fully charged in case it was needed.

Food is something I will always remember on this particular tour. From the tapas in Spain to the seafood and pastries (especially custard tarts) in Portugal, the food was of excellent quality and very cheap. In Tavira I enjoyed a memorable meal of grilled mackerel (5 whole fish on the plate) at a total cost of €6.

Riding through the Algarve region with its grand houses and immaculate cobbled towns gave me the impression that Portugal was an affluent country. However, it was good to see the other side of the coin when I spent time in the larger towns north of the Algarve (Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto) where the houses are more modest and less pretentious and the streets a little bit more grimy (but nonetheless charming). Beggars and buskers are common in the larger towns, a reminder that poverty is still an issue here. Algarve towns like Tavira, Lagos, and Monchique were picture perfect, but the town that won my heart was Porto. Lisbon is also special, particularly if you like the traditional Portuguese Fado music.

Undoubtedly one of the highlights of my trip was the Douro River cruise from Porto to Pinhão through the spectacular Douro Valley, where the noble wine of port originated. The scenery was amazing, with lush green pastures, terraced vineyards and olive groves covering the slopes leading down to the river. Pretty little villages appeared around nearly every bend and simple, unpretentious houses dotted the hillsides. But my advice would be to take the cruise only as far as Peso da Régua (the capital of Douro) rather than the extra two hours to Pinhão … a nine hour ferry ride followed by a two hour return by train is just a little bit much for one day.

Wherever you go in the world you meet wonderful people and Portugal was no exception. One example this morning was when a nice young EasyJet pilot from Milan helped me carry my bag from the train right to the check-in desk at Porto Aeroporto. Then there were the great hosts I had at Casas de Sabóia in Sabóia and Apartamentos Villa Bolhao in Porto. Both places had fabulous facilities but more importantly the owners went the extra mile to make sure my stay was as memorable as possible.

Now I am back in my “home” in London, already planning my next tour in Italy commencing on 27th June 2016 (see Lombardy and Veneto route maps). I hope you have enjoyed my Portugal tour and will follow my next adventure through the beautiful northern regions of Italy.

 

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3 Responses

  1. Melveta Ellwood says:

    Well Done Mr E and look forward to reading your next riding trip.
    Thank you for sharing your travels.

  2. Trudy Ellwood says:

    Congratulations Dad on completing another ride and documenting your travels so superbly. Look forward to the next chapter. Meanwhile enjoy being back in London with Mel. Love Trudy

  3. Nancy says:

    Pleased to know you are back in London after a successful and happy cycling tour of Spain and Portugal. Congratulations. I enjoyed your daily summaries. Thank you for the interesting photo of the Carmel of Porto with its blue ceramic tiles on the outer wall. My comment was long regarding the Corpus Christi Procession, so I am not sure whether you received it. Let me know if you didn’t.
    Lots of love,
    Nancy

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