27 January 2022 Slept well. Buffet breakfast. Three returns. Moderation is key. Head out for a shorter ride to Vila Real de Santo António. Big name, small village. We cross to Ayamonte via ferry. Spain. We start out on a busy road. Easy riding but hectic. Noisy. We soon turn off to quiet backroads. Citrus…
Category: Spain
Day 43 – Faro
24 January 2022 Slept OK. Strange dreams. Breakfast. Bikes packed. On the road by 9.15 am. Short ride, 32 km. Downhill to the coastal town of Faro. The southern tip of Portugal. Down and down. No complaints. The entire trip takes two hours with a coffee break. Easy riding coming down out of the mountains….
Day 41 – Wind
22 January 2022 Shit ride. “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” ― Charles Dickens The accommodation has a bath. Day ends well. Two days to Faro. Today’s ride –
Day 34 – Inland
15 January 2022 We decide to head inland. Not a bad night’s sleep. Shell’s cough is getting worse, not better. I think this will be her toughest day. From the outset, she is not herself. Could have been the cold shower this morning. Short ride. 50 km. One big hill. Less headwind off the coast…
Day 32 – Headwind
13 January 2022 If you asked me to describe today I would say 15 – 20 km/h headwinds and show you this picture – I was expecting a good night’s sleep. Comfortable bed. Lazy evening of wine and reading. Not a tent. I am not sure why I didn’t sleep well. Not to worry. Up…
Day 30 – Blue Skies
11 January 2022 We wake up to blue sky. I feel good. Shell sounds terrible. She has the cough I had two days ago. There is no use arguing. She is leaving Porto today. We load up and roll out at 9.15 am. We cross the Douro River and coast down to the harbor. After…
Day 25 – Stunning
6 January 2022 Up early. Last night’s pasta leftovers for breakfast. Open the window. Rain. It is what it is. Load up. Full rain kit. I don’t care that it is raining. I want to leave this place. It smells like stale urine. We use Komoot as our GPS. It has had its moments. But…
Day 24 – Wet
5 January 2022 Up early. Porridge. Packed. Overcast but not raining. I decide to put my raincoat on. The fog looks thick. 9.00 am we head off. 9.01 am it rains. On we go. The entire trip is along the river on a cycleway. It is a beautiful track. We wind our way along. Weather…
Day 23 – Rain
4 January 2022 We have been very lucky with the weather. Woke up to rain. Took a look outside and decided not to ride today. Clearing tomorrow. Hopefully. We ride out regardless. Our phones did not adjust to Portugal time. We are walking around looking for some breakfast and nothing is open. It is 8.00…