This post recounts the eleventh, final day of my Portugal End to End cycle tour with Peak Tours in May 2023. Read Day 10: Moura to Mértola

We were about to set off on the final leg of our marathon ride across a great European country. Today would be a hilly day, but first we had time to relax on the terrace outside the hotel before collecting our bikes.

These colourful buildings have been such a feature of our Portuguese odyssey. They bring a vibrancy to almost every village and town. Tavira was no exception.

We were climbing most of the morning, but after ten days on the road we were ready for it. Even better, the pesky headwind that soured much of yesterday’s ride had gone. The headwind gods had taken pity on us after the massive sacrifice we gave on the road to Mértola.

The riding was interesting too, with rivers, hills and at times open fields. I had one final Garmin moment entering the village of São Bartolomeu de Via Glória, following what I thought was the Garmin’s instruction to turn left in the village. A moment of doubt was confirmed when the others, following me, went the other way!

After 15 miles, we had our final brew stop of the tour. Gilda had done us proud as usual, with snacks and drinks at a church in the village of São Miguel do Pinheiro.

This post recounts the ninth day of my Portugal End to End cycle tour with Peak Tours in May 2023. Read Day 8: Marvão to Vila Viçosa

This was probably my favourite day of the tour. I felt on top form throughout, and I’m sure the lasagne last night helped fuel me through the day. It was a day full of interest, too.

It was a pleasure cycling through Vila Viçosa, with its splendid architecture and historical sights.

We maintained a brisk pace out of town, and were intrigued by the marble quarries that line the road to Bencatel. Like the factory at Elvas yesterday, this was a rare example of industry on the Peak Tours Portugal tour. (One reason we dipped into Spain over the past couple of days was to avoid an industrial centre in Portugal.)

At one point the road was diverted and became an uneven mix of gravel and larger stones. Penny and Steve powered ahead on their gravel bikes, but I joined the others in wheeling my own gravel bike to avoid any risk of punctures or mechanical issues. We were soon back on tarmac.

After just seven miles, we stopped for photos at Alandroal castle. Unfortunately I forgot to restart my Garmin after the photo opportunity, so today’s stats are a little under the true total.

This post recounts the eighth day of my Portugal End to End cycle tour with Peak Tours in May 2023. Read Day 7: Alcántara to Marvão

This was the view that greeted me as I drew back the curtains in Marvão this morning. A glorious, misty vista over the borderlands between Portugal and Spain.

Leaving Marvão was effortless, once we were clear of the cobbles. It was a pleasure passing through the town walls, before the easy descent. What a contrast to the climb yesterday afternoon!

Today was the longest day of the tour, and one of the hottest. On paper, it looked one of our easier days, despite the distance, yet I was strangely listless this morning. Initially, I rode with a number of other riders including Dave, Keith and Jane, but in time felt the pace too high and settled back into my own rhythm. After the brew stop at 16 miles, Dave was the only rider anywhere near me.

One of my favourite moments was seeing a man and woman tending their bucolic land beside the road. I almost took a photo, but decided to respect their privacy. By this stage I realised I’d be cycling on my own a lot, so put on my Shokz headphones to listen to the playlist I created at Alcántara.

This post recounts the seventh day of my Portugal End to End cycle tour with Peak Tours in May 2023. Read Day 6: Monsanto to Alcántara

The breakfast gods were not smiling on us today, even though we were in a former convent. The most important meal of the day was a meagre affair, and the hotel staff did not replenish supplies when they ran out. This may explain why I ran out of steam in the long session to lunch.

We had a long stretch of open road for much of the morning, with a headwind until we turned right after some 14 miles. I loved this next section. I was cruising along the flat, and built speed to get myself over the regular small rises.

Once again, Peak Tours chose a wonderful spot for the morning brew stop, by the side of an old bridge that had been bypassed by a new one. We watched the ever-present bird life as we took a breather.

It was great to see Alec back on the bike after his freak accident (see day 4’s episode) – he was obviously in fine form as he effortlessly passed us on the climb after the brew stop!

I kept with our small group for a few miles, but realised that I’d used up a lot of energy over the first 20 miles. So I settled back into my own pace, stopping every now and again to take a breather. In truth, this was one of my least enjoyable stages of the tour so far, and I was glad to reach lunch at a cafe attached to a petrol station. This may not sound like a recipe for a wonderful lunch, but we all loved it. Good, tasty food, including quirky combinations, such as risotto and fried egg!

This post recounts the sixth day of my Portugal End to End cycle tour with Peak Tours in May 2023. Read day 5: Belmonte to Monsanto

It’s a lot easier to leave Monsanto that to arrive, at least by bike. After negotiating the cobbles we were soon freewheeling down the hill past last night’s restaurant, following a rubbish cart.

After five tough first days, today was a delight from start to finish. Once we had finished the descent from Monsanto we had a fast section of road, with views of the mountains that we had skirted yesterday. There were plenty of wild flowers by the roadside, which make cycling in Portugal a visual delight.

This post recounts the fourth day of my Portugal End to End cycle tour with Peak Tours in May 2023. Read day 3: the Douro to Freixinho

Our overnight old convent provided a suitably grand venue for a pre-ride breakfast. I wasn’t very organised today, and as everyone else was riding off realised that I hadn’t loaded the route on my Garmin. So I was cycling on my own for most of the first 19 miles to Trancoso.

This was a curiously unsatisfying session.The route followed a dull, main road and I was slowed by a headwind. It got better after I turned off the main road onto a lane through woods and with boulders strewn across the landscape – a feature of northern Portugal. I caught up a few of the others at this stage.

We had a steep climb into Trancoso, which proved an enchanting place, with castle and square inside the town walls. What a lovely place for brew stop! We were surprised to see a male cyclist with a bare chest – but quickly established it wasn’t one of ours!

This post recounts the third day of my Portugal End to End cycle tour with Peak Tours in May 2023. Read day two, Mondim de Basto to the Douro

What was I saying about the Quinta being a tranquil spot? I was rudely awoken at 6am by a train noisily announcing its progress past my chalet!

It wasn’t the only rude awakening. After we set off we were faced with a succession of sharp climbs that set the pattern for a day of climbing. The compensation was the ever-present Douro, as seen above. This was the easiest part of the day’s ride, between the early climbs and the big one from 25 miles onwards.

The river wasn’t the only point of interest. The railway that woke me this morning was our constant companion – this would be a lovely way to travel along the Douro, with small diesel engines hauling rakes of coaches. They probably take bikes too!

It was a shock to come to a larger town, Peso da Régua, where we crossed the Douro on a busy road bridge, before looping back to the river bank. We fancied a coffee, and found a nice restaurant with a terrace overlooking the river, but unfortunately it was closed. Instead, we whiled away a pleasant interlude chatting and watching people walking over the old bridge.

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!

This post recounts the first day of my Portugal End to End cycle tour with Peak Tours in May 2023.

For once, a major cycling adventure began with a coach ride. After a lovely day in Porto (recorded in this blogpost), I was on my latest Peak Tours cycling holiday, the Portugal End to End.

The ride began from a dam high in the hills near the Spanish border. We had a drink and snacks, and prepared the bikes for a hilly first day’s ride.

I was concerned that my lack of training would make today a tough one, but was relieved that I was able to pace myself on the initial 10 miles or so. I became familiar with my Garmin pinging to let me know I was in my bottom gear – don’t go looking for a lower one! I’ll never be a great climber, but as always I took pleasure and surprise in seeing how far we’d climbed. (The photo below shows our starting point far below.)