I PEEKED out to yet another clear-sky morning with birds chirping which got me energized to get rolling as soon as possible to enjoy the morning light. There was no on-site breakfast but I had picked up a few things at the Aldi supermarket including a tangerine with about a dozen seeds in it. At least it was tasty.
I snapped a few photos of the church in the square in front of my guest house then rolled to the edge of town, skirted the edge of town then turned onto an eastbound road that took me away from town and toward my destination.
Though there was a busy highway just south of me, the EV route took me on small roads and then onto dirt farm roads that, due to the rain, were a mess. So the bike got all messy and I don't like that very much. The route was really beautiful, but once I got back onto a paved section, in the village of Figueiras, I stopped to clean off the bike before the mud solidified into cement. And then I continued. Luckily, on paved roads for the remainder of the day.
My next town was Salema that I remember MA talking about on her hike in January 2024. It was a screaming descent down to the seaside where there were amazing stone cliffs above a vast beach. Just behind the beach were hundreds if not thousands of condo developments that went up and around and in every direction. Ah yes, I am in the Algarve now where many Brits have (or had, since they kind of Brexited themselves out of that) second homes. I could hear English accents, American accents and some Germans and Dutch accents. I'm not used to having so many people milling about.
The climb out of town was tough enough but I was able to keep going on the bike. Then came another fast descent to what seemed to be rice fields than a 16% climb that conquered me so I had to walk up the steepest section as I just couldn't push myself to pedal it. A racing team out for a ride on their road bikes didn't do any walking but neither were they going very fast on that section.
After a section of countryside, I came to spread out suburbia through a number of fairly large cities with enough traffic that I had to have my wits about me. For the most part they were respesctful of me.
After many climbs I was starting to feel a bit tired so I was relieved when I came to Lagos and within a few convoluted turns was right at the door of my guest house. It was only about noon so I knew it was too early to check in but I messaged anyway, asking if I could drop off my bike and bags which would free me up to wander around on foot. Within a couple of mnutes the door popped open and Fatima the owner welcomed me in, inviting me to bring my stuff in to store with a big smile. So pleasant!
First order of the day was to find lunch. A few steps down the road toward the old centre was a middle eastern restaurant serving doner and falafel. I quickly checked online to find that the rating was very good so in I went for a very tasty lunch. Then headed to the centre where the old streets turned and twisted, with fancy lockstone streets, restaurants everywhere, people everywhere and a nice sunny and warm day for wandering like this.
I knew there were beaches nearby so I made my way to them and, oh my, do they ever have some fine beaches and rock cliffs here - not surprisingly, a lot like the orangey-red cliffs in Albufeira. People were wandering the beaches taking photos of the rocks, the water, the tunnels, and the beaches. It was beautiful, though busy.
As it approached check-in time I started to wander back toward my guesthouse where I was ushered up to my cosy first floor room and had a nice chat with the owner. This is their first day back in operation after shutting down a few weeks for the first time in 19 years to do some painting and freshening up of the place. It is a really cute place, though outside is somewhat drab. Don't judge a guesthouse by its cover.
I cleaned up then just relaxed in the room for a while though I admit I caught up on the goings-on in the world which wasn't all that relaxing. Once evening came, I wasn't all that hungry so I simply went around the corner to the Spar supermarket to get fruit, blue cheese and wine for a wee snack rather than a full meal.
Tomorrow I will be in Portimao. I messaged the guest house earlier today asking if I could store my things if I arrived early and they actually said the room would be ready for me to check in at the same time, if I wished. Nice to know since I like to start cycling early, and, tomorrow afternoon there is a lot of rain in the forecast so I would like to get there before the first drops fall.
Starting point in the square out front of my guest house. -- Vila do Bispo, Portugal
The photo loses depth but this was a long and very steep descent to circle around that green patch that I think is rice and then a 16% climb up the other side. -- Salema, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
The beaches just outside of the town walls were amazing. Gread sandy beaches, rugged stone cliffs and interesting coves and tunnels worn through them. -- Lagos, Portugal
Some of the streets with fancy restaurants were really busy with hungry tourists while the back streets were serene and actually more appealing. -- Lagos, Portugal
