Well it sounds like a long ride, but in fact a 63km round trip !
Yesterday was spent settling into the apartment and checking out the bike and routes etc. A very leisurely start saw me leaving Tavira at 1000 and heading for Vila Real de Santo António. Not technically Spain, but the last bit of Portugal before the border. The town sits on the banks of the Guadinia river which forms the border with Spain.
A loose plan has formed in my mind, which is to ride as much as I can of the Ecovia. That’s the name given to the bit of long distance EV1 Eurovelo route that runs from the Westernmost tip of Portugal to the Spanish border. Today’s ride was to do all of the route East of Tavira where I’m staying. That’s about 30km, with 170km remaining to the West.
I’d already been warned that the route isn’t as well sign posted or surfaced as bits in other countries. They weren’t wrong !
Before I even got to the route, I had to deal with the favourite road surface in Portuguese towns and possibly the worst one to ride a Brompton on. Cobbles !
Almost as soon as I was out of the town , the route moved into dirt and gravel roads.
The Brompton coped ok, but I had to keep my wits about me as any big hole or loose gravel and I’d be off.
There was about 5k of these surfaces before I saw tarmac again, but that was the least of my worries as the wind was getting up and the sky darkening. Inevitably it started to rain, not heavily but just enough that I was getting damp and considering putting a jacket on. Then of course it got heavier, I decided the prudent thing was to seek out the cyclists friend !
Eventually there was enough blue sky to persuade me it was safe to carry on. I decided I’d head straight for the border and leave any detours for the way back if it was dry. The route was a combination of very quiet roads and more sandy tracks.
Although this is a coastal route I hadn’t seen much of the sea. That changed in the last few kms as the route took me into Monte Gordo, it started out quite pretty and then turned into something resembling a Portuguese Blackpool. I decided I’d forgo the charms of the cafes selling full English breakfasts and have lunch in Vila Real.
I only had to wait a few more kms and there I was by the river. Looking over to Spain
A substantial lunch set me up for the return leg. The road out of Vila Real had me in the first bit of dedicated cycle lane I’d seen.
It didn’t last long before it dumped me on quite a busy road. Portuguese drivers have quite a bad reputation, in truth I don’t find them too bad today, but the road was quite narrow and they weren’t slowing down much, so I tended to hug the edge of the road. This was nearly my downfall as a slight lapse in concentration saw me ride off the edge of the road, literally, as in the case there was something like a 20cm drop. Fortunately I kept everything upright.
I was soon back on quiet roads and much happier. I made a couple of detours to take in some of the villages on the coast. Cacela Velha was touted as a must see destination. Settled since Phoenician times a typical fishing village perched on a cliff top with whitewashed houses and stunning views. It was lovely, but would have been infinitely better if it wasn’t completely full of traders selling traditional wares and spoiling the potential for any decent photos.
I rounded off the day by taking a spin around a bit more of Tavira. There’s lots more to explore here. It’s a pretty if not slightly run down town, which boasts a Roman Bridge. I’ll leave you with a few photos of the town.
Tomorrow I head East, the plan is to ride as far as I want, then take the train back. If that goes well the next day I’ll take a train back to the finishing point and carry on riding West. Assuming I don’t get abducted by Aliens !
Steady Pedals 