This post recounts the second day of my Portugal End to End cycle tour with Peak Tours in May 2023. Read day one, Paradela Dam to Mondim de Basto.

After negotiating the hotel’s cobbled drive, It was a pleasure to freewheel back down the hill to Mondim de Basto to rejoin the Tâmega railway path – even if we all got a bit confused finding the turn up to the old station. (This morning showed me that having the route on a Garmin didn’t always guarantee seamless navigation.)

We were soon heading over the impressive old railway viaduct (above) over the Tâmega that we’d passed under last night. Once again, the old line climbed steadily, with wonderful views over the river and hills. The sight of last night’s hotel showed how steeply we climbed to our destination yesterday.

We cycled past a succession of perfectly preserved old stations, with the added pleasure today of seeing people at work keeping Vila Bouca station tidy, seen below. We even had the fun of cycling through a tunnel!

Eventually, we turned off the railway path at the town of Amarante, heading for a windy brew stop in the centre overlooking the Tâmega river, seen below.

It had been an easy first 21 miles, but the climbing was about to begin. After walking our bikes over the old bridge, we started the ascent. I quickly realised I’d have to set my own pace, and spent the rest of the ride to lunch cycling solo. I enjoyed a sylvan spell following the river, with gentle undulations. This section was full of interest, with dramatic road and railway viaducts and even a water park.

But all good things pass, and I endured a frustrating spell worrying whether I’d missed turns amidst the renewed climbing. This is the curse of solo cycling – no one to offer a navigational second opinion! My spirits were restored when I reached the magnificent Douro river for the first time since leaving Porto, although I had one final moment of panic over the route. I sat down on a clearing beside the road, route notes in one hand, Google Maps on my phone in the other. After much indecision, I decided the narrow turning below me was the right route. So it proved, and I was soon crossing the Douro and heading for lunch.

After a stressful solo time, it was a joy to have company at a delightful picnic lunch overlooking the river in the Parque de Merendas da Trincheira. I was in no hurry to leave, drinking in the views of this wonderful river. Intriguingly, the name Douro is Celtic, and has the same origin as the Welsh word for water, dŵr, which also gave the English port of Dover its name.

In time, revived, Julia, Janet and I set off on the last leg of the day: 11 short but hilly miles. We were following the river, with occasional glimpses of trains on the other bank. We had one final Garmin moment in Resende but the Peak Tours route notes reassured us we were on the right road. We checked again before the turn to the exhilarating, fast descent to the river crossing – I couldn’t bear thinking of having to climb back up if we were wrong!

Suddenly, we were at the gates of our hotel. It would be harder to think of a more tranquil place to stay than Quinta Ermida on the banks of the Douro. (Except for the trains that pass by!) We took tour guide Sam’s advice and wheeled our bikes to the building.

My room was in a chalet up the hill from the main building. If I’d been staying longer I could have sat on my verandah reading a book overlooking the river. Instead, I relished a bath before enjoying a sociable 30 minutes with the other riders on the terrace. Dinner was a superb meal with the intriguingly named ‘spiritual cod’. A nod to the villa’s religious connections?

Read day 3: the Douro to Freixinho

The day’s stats

55.19 miles, 4,041feet climbing, 5 hours 3 mins cycling, average speed 10.9mph.

The day’s highlights video