clairedavieswriter

After the commotion in Coimbra, Team Bernard slept soundly in our pretty Auberge. The morning air was chilly, and mist still hung in the valleys. But Bernard was raring to go – he loves a trip to the seaside. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really bucket and spade weather. Nonetheless, we were pretty excited… To have pedalled…

Team Bernard were feeling a little weary this morning. The lads had spent the night out in the rain. And it’s possible we are feeling the cumulative effect of many miles pedalled. Or our fatigue may have had something to do with the fact that our room overlooked a very popular student bar. Over breakfast,…

As I’ve said (do pay attention, 007), the most common end-to-end route through Portugal just follows the N2 all the way, between Faro and Chaves. But Chaves is not the most northerly point of the country, as you can clearly see (below right), and I’m nothing if not a stickler for such details. Which is…

According to our hotel manager in Sertã, most people who ride Portugal from end-to-end travel north to south, ending in Faro, ‘because it’s easier that way’. Aside from a boost to our egos, this news also gave us a perfect excuse to feed ourselves up at supper time. It’s fair to say that in Sertã’s…

Like Tom’s Best Man speech in Four Weddings and a Funeral, today had ‘something for everyone’. We knew about the stonking climbs and hair-raising descents before we set off. But when I planned the ride, I’d been expecting intense heat, not a stiff northerly and squally rain showers, like the one about to hit us…

Of the various explanations we’ve seen for the derivation of Abrantes’ name, the most attractive is ‘made of gold’ (aurantes). It might even be true. What does appear to be true is that it formed part of a string of 12th century fortifications known as the Linha do Tejo. Its hilltop castle (closed on Mondays,…

Team Bernard reached an exciting milestone today. When we last crossed this river two weeks ago, just north of Cáceres, it was the Tajo. But a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. When we left our cosy cabin in the early morning chill, the only water we had to worry about…

We discovered last night that the adjacent petrol station not only doubled as our hotel reception, but also served breakfast, so this morning we joined boiler-suited farm workers for our café com leite and torrada. Importantly, we also discovered that, unlike in Spain, toast in Portugal is served pre-buttered and without jam or tomato. It…

I’m happy to confirm that, although there was a bit more climbing today than yesterday, there were no montes grandes (per last night’s wine label). Having left early to beat the heat, we broke our own record, arriving at our destination before sanduiche o’clock. Today’s filling was queijo with a delicious scraping of quince jelly,…

Fortunately for our legs, today’s ride was about as different to yesterday’s as it could have been. Yes, we still started on the N2, with its avenues of eucalyptus… And miles of scrub either side, dotted with stunted oak trees. But the hills had vanished – this was the view this afternoon, looking back the…