Olhao

Great start to the last day of the trip

 

I then set off on the last magical mystery Garmin tour. The Strava route went along the busy coast road, but Garmin took me up into the hills through farmland and dangerously close to more storm clouds. Fortunately it just drizzled a bit

I happily pedalled 31 miles not wanting this trip to end. My legs, bum and mind have reached that happy state where they just want to keep cycling but sadly it's back to work on Monday. Fortunately I will be teaching in Cambridge for 3 days so I can commute by bike!

 

Meanwhile, still on holiday, we found the best seafood platter ever (and we have munched a few!)

 

 

Olhao is a gorgeous fishing town and only 10km from Faro airport - definitely recommended for a short break

 

 

 

 

And so this trip ends, it certainly wasn't as arduous as many of my previous trips but it was a great holiday!

 

Praia Verde

The fancy hotel did a very good breakfast with excellent snack snaffling opportunities 

 

Bob and I were seriously cobble and navigationally challenged trying to get out of the town, but eventually made it onto a 23 mile undulating, beautiful road (into a headwind of course)

 

 I stopped at Mertola for a coffee and yet another Pastel de Nata, expecting a long, tough ride ahead

 

 

Unfortunately the storm clouds that I had been watching all morning well and truly delivered and I got thoroughly soaked. As if by magic, the support crew appeared and a mutual decision was made that cycling in a storm along a busy main road was not sensible. A soggy Bob was bundled into the car along with an even soggier cyclist. A 37.7 mile ride instead of the planned 74.6 miles but I'm getting sensible in my old age (honestly Mum!)

As we drove to the coast with intermittent torrential rain and strong wind, I was glad I had decided to accept the lift and was even more pleased to have an afternoon in a gorgeous hotel

 

 

 

 

Beja

That was definitely not an easy morning of cycling - there was a 15mph wind from the south east, fabulous if  I had been cycling north west but instead I pedalled 48.6 miles into a headwind!

It was an empty landscape which felt as if time had stood still for hundreds of years

 

 

There was however a decision made at some point to add speed bumps to the cobbles, very welcome to a battered bike bum, not

 

Bob is modelling a particularly fabulous geranium pot today

 

I went through Cuba on my travels but it was more of a grotty town than a Caribbean country. I couldn't resist texting the support crew and this text sequence gives a flavour of what happens on a bike trip like this

 We found each other eventually!

The cunning plan hotel bookings have certainly been varied - from a modern, trendy hotel full of mirrors and cork sculptures last night, to a Pousada in a 13th century convent tonight

As beers and snacks would be rather expensive in such a fancy smantzy place, we set off to walk round town which the grumpy support crew wasn't impressed with

 

The castle was worth a visit

 

 

We are going to eat in a local restaurant tonight rather than the €75 menu in the hotel - translator app time again!

Evora

Dinner in Mora was at a traditional Portuguese restaurant with some interesting dishes/translation issues

 

Somehow we ended up with lamb and pork, in the usual vast Portuguese quantities.

The weather was forecast to be hot, so even though it was a shorter ride of 36.9 miles today, I set off fairly early. I was glad I did as the 1st half of the ride was uphill into a hot headwind, tree trunks complaining throughout

 

The roads were mostly empty apart from a baajam

This is a Portuguese stone circle called Cromeleque das Fontainhas, not as big as Stonehenge but dates from 4000 BC so worth a quick detour

 

I slogged on getting hotter and hotter and predictably slightly lost in a big town with bone shaking cobbles.

The support crew and I arrived at the same time but couldn't check in until 3, so Bob was locked away in a meeting room and we set off to find post ride fuel aka beer (and an omelette!)

We then hit the tourist trail in this beautiful, historic town. First stop was the Largo de S.Francisco and the Chapel of  Bones. The sign over the entrance translates as 'We bones that are here, we are waiting for yours' - all very macabre. 

 

 

The view from the roof was much prettier 

 

 

They didn't stint on the interior decoration either

 

After  all that touristy exertion, there was a need for ice cream obviously

 

Mora

Our hotel was most definitely not full last night and breakfast was consumed in splendid isolation with no one to notice my snack snaffling 

It was a hot, tough day on the bike today with a rather unexpected 68.1 miles and very undulating 2858 feet - Garmin obviously thought I should be working harder today.

The magical mystery tour may have been hard, but it was stunning

 

This was my view for most of the day, hardly any cars and lots of birdies singing - the perfect antidote to working in London

 

I saw eagles, lizards and this rather magnifent creature (yes the sky really is that blue)

 

I was glad to reach Mora as it was getting increasingly hot and my legs and bum are definitely feeling the effects of 4 days of cycling.

My support crew was ready to escort me to the post ride refuelling

The temperature continued to climb so

I was glad I didn't hang around on the bike 

 

We are staying in a beautiful old house that has been restored and turned into a hotel

 

 

And a rather good view looking at where the wine comes from!

 

 

Martinchel

Our hotel in Pombal was lovely with another yummy breakfast to fill my legs up before killing them again.

Today's ride was rather tough for the tree trunks with 3553 feet of climbing over 46.5 miles and a few very cheeky gradients, making me regret the bucket of vinho branco consumed last night.

The Garmin did a good job again with a beautiful route winding through pine forests and then olive groves.

 

 

There was hardly any traffic and only the sound of birds singing, my idea of heaven on a bike, so relaxing and fabulous.

Bob is modelling almond cake snaffled from the breakfast buffet

 

This evening's hotel is next to a huge reservoir (and on top of yet another hill)

 

 

Afternoon walkies in the sunshine involved another huge hill - sorry legs.

Where is the beer..?

 

Great place to dry the cycling kit