Tag: Portugal

On this day I would change course due east to follow the Lima River inland to the edge of the Peneda-Geres National Park, a comfortable 70km ride with a nice 400 odd metres of climbing. As I quickly revisited Viana do Castelo in the very early morning hours, I took in the famous ship, the Gil Eannes. Between 1955 and 1973, the Gil Eannes was the flagship of the Portuguese White Fleet that operated in codfish fishing in the seas of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and Greenland. It also served as a maritime authority, mail ship, tug, icebreaker, general support ship for Portuguese fishing vessels, as well as a hospital ship.

After leaving Viana, in a light, yet warm morning drizzle, it was pretty much a head down, bum up spin to Ponte de Lima, where the famous Roman and medieval stone bridge is the centerpiece. Visiting this bridge would also be a reconnection with my first ever camino walking trek, the Camino Portuguese, which I undertook back in the Easter period of 2017. At the same time, it was both a very weird, but also satisfying moment to be back at this location, and to think of all that had happened during the interim years.

Proceeding onwards from Ponte de Lima, I was clearly now into wine growing country. The morning fog had lifted, and with the sun now brightly shining in the sky, the warmth and humidity started to ramp up as I passed numerous vineyards en route to the next major regional town of Ponte da Barca, where I decided to have an extended lunch break by the river with views of its own Roman age bridge. Once rested and refreshed with some pastries and a few bottles of Sagres, I started the final segment of my ride to the day’s destination at Lima Escape Camping and Glamping, which is located on the banks of the Lima River, and right at the border of the Peneda-Geres National Park.

On the way up high,
to where the Lime comes to life.
I made my escape.

‘Escape’ by Jyri Manninen

After getting my camp set up, I headed off to do some late afternoon exploring on foot, discovering the entrancingly peaceful and serene Lagoa de Chão D’Além. At this hidden spot, I felt a wave of profound relaxation and calm wash over me as I spent a moment sitting by the water’s edge, just silently listening to the gurgle and hiss of the water as it flowed between the rocks.

Upon returning to camp, I hopped into my hammock accompanied by a grande, ice-cold bottle of Sagres to see in the sunset. As the light glistened and sparkled over the Lima river below, and then gradually faded away into night, I fell into a deep trance-like state, one in which I felt that I’d finally cut ties with the modern world. I’d finally made my escape.

Be blessed,
Jyri

This third day of riding on my Portugal’s Northern Coastline and Peneda-Geres National Park cycling tour would be another almost century long one, starting from the relatively quiet Torreira, by the Aveiro Lagoon, to the very touristic, beachside tourist city of Póvoa de Varzim. At approximately the half-way point, I’d go through the major northern city of Porto, which is located on the banks of the Douro River. The morning’s ride had me leave Torreira at the crack of dawn, and I was able to ride in very quiet traffic conditions, given it was a Sunday morning. In fact, for the first few hours, I think I saw more cyclists out on their training rides than I did cars!

As lunchtime approached, I reached the long and busy beachside stretch leading up to the mouth of the Douro River. There was now a lot of traffic, pedestrians as well as cars, but the excellent bike paths made it fairly painless to navigate the chaos. I meandered along the south bank of the Douro to the famous Ponte Luis I bridge; and what views! After crossing it, I made my way back to the coast on the northern side to continue my ride up to my day’s destination of Póvoa de Varzim. On this stretch, the riding surfaces were quite varied, including nature trails, stretches of sand, wooden boardwalks, as well as very rough cobblestone roads in and around the small beachside villages, which actually resulted in Matilda breaking a couple of spokes on her back rim, but luckily not resulting in any warping.

While it had been a rather excellent day of riding, I was running very low on fuel once I reached Póvoa, and the only thing I had on my mind on arrival was to get me a shit ton of pizza and beer. So, once Matilda was set up for her rest at the hostel, I walked a few kilometres to my favourite refueling station, ‘Mr. Pizza; and boy did it totally hit the spot!

The horizon far;
all that lays ahead, still hides.
One day, I will see.

‘Beyond My Eyes’ by Jyri Manninen

Now, with a belly full of goodness, I slowly strolled back to my hostel along the beachside boulevard, as I enjoyed a wonderful, prolonged sunset over the Atlantic. It allowed me the perfect moment to reflect on not only the fantastic first 3 days of this current tour, but also on all the amazing places and experiences that still lay ahead of me, not just in northern Portugal, but also, in future years, over the ocean’s horizon.

Be blessed,
Jyri Manninen