Portugal Bicycle Tour: Peneda-Geres Crossing: Day 7 of North Coast & Peneda-Geres

Please enjoy this 7th day of my Portugal’s Northern Coastline and Peneda-Geres cycling tour. Finally, I was about to cross the Peneda-Geres National Park; and while it would only be a ride of just 60km, it would include over 1200m of very solid climbing, as well as a brief visit to Spain, as the national park spans over the border between the two countries.

Pretty much immediately after departing Lima Escape Camping at Entre Ambos-os-Rios, the first of the day’s two major climbs would begin. I was to continue to track the Lima River in the valley below me all the way up to its origin at Encoro de Lindoso, just before crossing into Spain at A Madalena; and the views! Well, let me just say that the juice was well worth the squeeze!

After crossing the border, it wasn’t long before I arrived at Lobios, where I enjoyed a late morning coffee and cerveja break before turning south to head back towards Portugal. However, the first half of the afternoon’s ride was not going to be easy with that second, and even more severe, major climb now right in my face. I was definitely going to have to work hard to earn my next offering of liquid gold!

I felt a great sense of relief when I reached the old border post at Portela do Homem, located at the top of that exhausting climb, especially knowing that it would all be downhill from here; and I definitely made sure to collect my prize at the Bar da Fronteira. What a moment it was to soak in the atmosphere, as I spent a half hour or so sipping on a grande Super Bock while quietly observing the hordes of tourists visiting the national park’s central hub, the starting point for many of its nature trails; but soon it would be time to commence my descent!

On the way down, I decided to make one final stop for the day, as I wanted a moment of tranquility for myself to just be alone with my thoughts in solitude and silence. I had now reached the ‘top of my tour’ and felt a kind of melancholy, as I wouldn’t have the opportunity on this trip to properly immerse myself in the beauty of this magical place, as I was still on a fairly tight schedule. It really emphasized to me just how precious time is, and how one should not waste it on meaningless pursuits. I vowed, then and there, that I would return on foot to well and truly explore the wonders of Peneda-Geres.

That final descent ended up being so steep and fast that I nearly overwhelmed Matilda’s disc brakes! However, we made it safely to our night’s accommodation at the Selina Geres, a lovely hotel situated right at the edge of the Geres Albufeira, which is connected to the Cávado River. I stayed in a dormitory room, which I shared with, if you can believe it, another Finn, who was a medical student with the same family name as me, as well as a Dutch scientist working remotely on food sources for planned moon mission astronauts. Yeah, you just couldn’t make this shit up!

What a day it had been, and it was finished off in perfect style with a delicious, Portuguese buffet dinner organised by the hotel, which they offer once a week for guests. So, it seems that I found myself here at exactly the right time.

Be blessed,
Jyri

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I'm an Australian-Finn, now in the second half century of life. I'm an intrepid nomad and professional coach possessed with a keen curiosity to explore the world around me, and to keep discovering and learning new things.

I created this Life on the Run channel to share my experiences from my various active lifestyle activities and adventures. Should you enjoy the content here, then please like and subscribe. However, even more importantly, consider joining our Life on the Run community at https://lifeonthe.run, where our aim is to offer both support and inspiration for fellow free spirits and world explorers through the sharing of our collective experiences from this wondrous and magical journey of life.

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