Westerly Winds
Spain-Portugal Stage 8 – Thu 19th May 2016 – Lagos to Sagres (42 Km)
Weather: 15⁰C min – 20⁰C max, fine, cloudless
” The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine “ ~ Unknown
Every day of riding in Portugal seems to get even better, with today’s 42 Km saunter from Lagos to Sagres just about perfect. Following the Ecovia do Litoral trail again, I passed through some dramatic scenery and quaint coastal villages including the sparkling towns of Luz (about 8 Km after leaving Lagos) and Salema (about 15 Km further on). In the latter town I couldn’t resist stopping at a nice little seaside patisserie for a latte, two Portuguese tarts, and a delicious choux pastry.
All week I have been blessed with glorious spring sunshine and today was no exception, although the headwind became stronger the further west I went. Sagres is located on the south west tip off Portugal, nearby to Cape São Vicente, Europe’s most south westerly point, known to ancient mariners as the “end of the world,” where it was believed the sun sank into the ocean every night.
The Ecovia do Litoral trail reminds me of the curate’s egg … only bad in parts. For the most part today the egg was good, taking me on smooth, sealed, quiet country roads past breathtaking countryside and spectacular ocean vistas, with the vivid azure blue water at its sparkling best in the sunshine. There were some bad cross-country sections that took me on rough, rocky, dirt tracks with flint-hard stones that tested the toughness of my Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. A couple of times I had to dismount and walk my bike along, but it gave me more opportunity to appreciate the bushland and the magnificent wildflowers.
Rounding a bend on one of the isolated dirt tracks, I was delighted to meet (almost run into) a lovely young couple from Amsterdam who had set up their camping table in the middle of the track! They had hired a campervan in Lagos for four days and were headed for Lisbon. We chatted for quite a while then I continued on my journey to allow them finish their meal.
Total elevation gain today was 600m, with a few short, sharp climbs to get my heart rate up and burn off some of the calories from my pastry indulgences at Salema. As I approached Sagres the wind became stronger so it did not surprise me to see some windsurfers sailing around a circuit at great speed on vehicles that looked like go-carts with sails.
Sagres is located on the westerly tip of the Algarve. Home to Henry the Navigator for 40 years the fortress in which he lived still stands. Among the explorers who studied at Sagres were Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan and apparently Christopher Columbus.
When checking in at the quaint Casa do Cabo de Santa Maria the receptionist agreed with me that Sagres is a nice town, but she said the constant wind is something that is hard to get accustomed to.
Another day of magical riding and of course you cannot resist the tarts as much as I am not a lover of tarts I could eating one myself. The couple in the middle of the lane must have been startled to see someone riding on such a lonely path and you were startled to see them. Beautiful and amazing photos once again. I am sure you are used to winds around!!
So glad the weather has been terrific for you since Seville. Love the updates and photos
Hi Neil. There were more photographic opportunities on this leg than any other so far.I imagine you would have liked the golf course, even if the lake looked treacherous.
Hi Dad – hope your poor rear (and bike!) were alright after all that bouncing around on trails. I like the Pig’s Head graffiti/sign – and the octopus-with-an-icecream (of course!?!) graffito. Did you stop in at the Spice Cottage? Or have a turn on one of those sail-bikes (imagine how much ground you could cover in one of those!)? Love Soph