NORTHERN PORTUGAL
Northern Portugal isn't really known for mountains, and there is only one “real” mountain on this route, but what it lacks in mountains, it makes up for in hills - the terrain is basically very, very hilly. You won't lack climbs - they'll just be shorter, and more frequent, and that makes it much more suitable for the average cyclist, or for mixed-ability groups. Having said that, if you don’t like climbing, this isn’t the tour for you. The days are quite challenging, averaging 125km per day with 2,700 metres of climbing, but we support you all the way.
£1,650, 7 NIGHTS
760KM, AROUND 14,500 METRES OF CLIMBING
We travel through ancient cobbled villages, and stay in lovely hotels, including an old convent, and a medieval citadel. We enjoy all the local food specialities, and of course, the famous local wines. We get to see the devastation of kilometre after kilometre of burned forests (in October 2017 40,000 square kilometres of forest were lost to forest fires) but also witness the amazing regeneration of nature. Did you know that Portugal is one of the major suppliers of Eucalyptus for the paper industry? It's a valuable crop, and was encouraged by previous governments, but there's a big campaign now to ban it, since it burns so easily and has contributed to the wildfire problem. You'll see strange, naked cork trees, where the distinctive bark has been harvested for various uses, depending on the quality - fashion, automotive, wine corks ... And of course, endless vineyards and olive groves. Roads in general are very quiet, even the main roads.
The climate lends itself to tours in spring and autumn, when the days aren't too hot. All in all, Northern Portugal is a beautiful place, full of history and culture, and we're sure you'll really enjoy this tour.
ARRIVAL DAY
We'll be at Porto airport to meet you, and then we'll take you to Caniçada-Gerês, where we're staying in an amazing hotel, which looks down over a stunning lake. All the tools, stands and pumps you need will be available for you to assemble your bike, after which you can relax. Finally we'll enjoy a lovely dinner while we brief you on the trip and then it's off to bed for a good night's sleep.
DAY 1 - CANIÇADA-GERÊS TO RIBEIRA DE PENA - 116KM, CLIMBING AROUND 3,000 METRES
After breakfast we descend to the lake, cross the bridge and climb through small villages and a forest with amazing views down into the valley and over the lake. At the top we ride through a very open landscape, quite scrubby, and full of the most enormous, rounded rocks, which appear to have been thrown down by giants. Our route takes us in a great heart-shaped loop, as we descend again to Rio Caldo, passing the 18th century sanctuary of São Bento, which is a great place to stop for a coffee break. Then we continue back to the river, crossing the bridge again, and climb steadily to the Venda Nova dam. Now we head away from the river, riding along a ridge and looking down into a valley for a while. We then descend into the valley and cross the Rio Douro, before climbing again for a while through quiet countryside until we reach the cobbled village of Leiradas. We descend to the Rio Tâmego, and then finally we climb out of the valley, along a wide scenic road to our hotel in Ribeira de Pena.
DAY 2 - RIBEIRA DE PENA TO FOLGOSA - 146KM, CLIMBING AROUND 2,800 METRES
From our hotel we descend, following a good road through beautiful countryside for about 25km to the foot of the climb to the Senhora de Graca, a chapel on the top of a small hill where you have the choice to continue or make the 6km climb. The climbing statistics include the climb. The gradient is about 6% at the bottom, but increases to 9% towards the top, and it's marked all the way, so you can measure your progress. There's a stunning view from the top. We descend again and continue on our journey, arriving in Vila Real, where we can stop for lunch. Out of the town and we're soon back into countryside, interspersed with small, cobbled villages. More forest and heathland, and suddenly you start to get glimpses of the famous Douro valley. This area has been heavily damaged by forest fires, but you can see where nature has started to regenerate. Among the vineyards you'll see olive groves appearing for the first time, and then we find ourselves riding along the top of the Douro Valley, looking down through the endless terraces of vines to the river, where there are boats passing by. This landscape is truly stunning. We descend into Pinhão on the banks of the Douro river, crossing over and continuing along the other side, finishing with an almost flat 16km ride along the riverbank to our hotel in Folgosa.
DAY 3 - FOLGOSA TO MANTEIGAS - 142KM, CLIMBING AROUND 3,000 METRES
We start off with a 2km ride along the banks of the Douro river (not a bad start to the day), and then we turn left and climb steeply out of the valley for about 6km, to the town of Armamar, which is larger than you would expect in such a rural place. We continue to climb more gently for another 8km, to our coffee stop. We then descend, and criss-cross the River Távora for a while, on an undulating road, before we ride through sparse forest where there's more evidence of forest fires, and new shoots of recovering greenery. After some time we can see down into a big open valley. For nearly 30km we stay on the N330, which is amazingly wide and empty main road (we can’t stress enough how wide and empty this actually is), before we drop down to the Mondego River, and on to Gouveia, a good place to stop for a well-earned break before we tackle the longest climb of our trip so far, which is nearly 30km. As we make the winding climb out of the valley we can see down into it again, and finally we're at the top, where there's nothing except a signpost to notify you that you're at an altitude of 1420m. At last we make the long, winding descent into Manteigas, where we're staying the night in a lovely hotel that used to be a wool processing and weaving factory.
DAY 4 - MANTEIGAS TO FUNDAO - 115KM, CLIMBING AROUND 2,400 METRES
Manteigas is a lovely little town, nestled in the Zêzere valley, so there’s no chance of a warm up, because whichever way you go from here is up. We head straight into the climb up to the highest point in mainland Portugal, Torre (1993m) in the Serra da Estrela national park, the only place in Portugal where you can ski in the winter. The first 10km are at a nice, steady gradient, but then it becomes a tad more demanding, although there are hairpins to provide you with a bit of relief. At the top are some shops selling local produce and cheeses, and we’ll stop for a well-earned coffee. As we make the steep, sweeping descent, the view is absolutely stunning, and stretches for many miles across a great, flat plain. If you like descending, this will probably be your favourite 30km of the tour. Further on we cross over the other side of the mountain, and now the view is very different; layers and layers of hills, as far as the eye can see. We turn left and for 25km we gradually descend as we follow the edge of the national park and then we’re down in the valley, riding through many little towns and villages, before we arrive at our hotel.
DAY 5 - FUNDAO TO MARVAO - 130KM, CLIMBING AROUND 1,900 METRES
Unfortunately again, there’s no opportunity for a warm-up this morning, as we go straight into a climb on a quiet road through pine forest, out of Fundão to a “mirador”, which is a high point with a spectacular view. It’s going to be a fairly hilly day. For the next 30km we’re gradually descending, until we reach the floor of a great plain. The road undulates a bit and then we descend again to Vila Velha de Ródão, and cross the River Tagus. There’s a short, sharp climb from the river, and a quick descent again to the River Nisa, and then the rest of the day isn’t quite as “bumpy” as the first half, although it’s certainly nowhere near flat. We stop in the lovely town of Nisa for coffee, before we head off again towards our destination, the medieval citadel of Marvão. We couldn’t resist spending the night in this amazing place, where you can see across Portugal from one side, and Spain the other - it’s amazing how close to the border we are. It was also included in the NY Times book "1000 Places to See Before You Die".
DAY 6 - MARVAO TO VILA VICOSA - 108KM, CLIMBING AROUND 1,100 METRES
You’ll be pleased to know that it’s a much easier day today, and the landscape is flattening visibly as we head South. We start with the 6km descent from Marvão, down into Portagem, famous for pink marble and delicious Alentejo wines. The pace is significantly faster, as we ride undulating, but almost straight roads, through cork and olive plantations. We stop for coffee in Arronches, before we continue to Elvas, which is famous for its frontier fortress, the most easterly in Portugal, which is only 8km from the Spanish fortress of Badajoz, on the other side of the border. We ride right underneath the amazing and impressive 15th century Armoreira Aqueduct, which is 6km long and 40m high, and supplied the city with fresh water for centuries. This is a great place to stop for lunch, before we complete the final 24km to Vila Viçosa, with its avenues of citrus trees, and where we stay in the 16th century royal convent of Chagas de Cristo. As it's a short day, you should have plenty of time to pack up your bikes and relax in the pool, or wander into town for a beer. Later we enjoy a wonderful celebration dinner in the convent cloisters, overlooking the courtyard and fountain.
DEPARTURE DAY
After breakfast we load up and deliver you back to the airport. It's about an hour and a half to Lisbon airport.
2024 DATES
16-23 OCTOBER - SOLD OUT
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Airport Transfers • Ensuite accommodation in mainly 3* or 4* hotels, in shared ensuite rooms (single rooms are available and a supplement of £400 applies) • Buffet-style breakfasts every morning, usually with eggs also available • 3-course evening meals every night with water, wine or beer and coffee • Snacks to keep you going during the day, such as bananas, crisps, nuts, cakes, fruit, chocolate, and quality energy gels and bars • Bottled water, as well as High5 Zero electrolyte tablets • Maps of the route for you to refer to as you ride and GPS files for you to upload to your device • Souvenir full-zip Gobik Northern Portugal jersey • As many photos of you as we can take as we go along
