May 2, 2022 - Óbidos to Peniche - Return to Cycle-OPOLIS (Tour 22) - 2022 🇵🇹

May 2, 2022

May 2, 2022 - Óbidos to Peniche

To the sea, to the sea!

Sea Garden Residencia

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When I checked the forecast last night, out of the blue had come a forecast for rain. Depending on which website I checked, it was going to rain from 8 am til 11 am or from 11 am til 4 or 5 pm. When it got light out I looked outside to see drizzle - if that continued, I was going to get soaking wet.

I had chosen my breakfast time as 8 am and was the only one in the room when I went down. Though a decent breakfast, it was not one of the best, though the orange was another juicy and sweet Portuguese orange.

I took my time packing, hoping it would allow the rain to scoot away. It actually did slow somewhat then alternated between mist and nothing. So, I went down to load up the bike in the lounge where it had slept last night and headed outside... just as the mist started to fall again. Oh well. I wasn't too worried and it did smell really fresh and sweet with orange and cherry blossom aroma in the air.

With narrow streets and heavy clouds it took a bit for the GPS to gets its bearing so I took a few more artsy photos as I headed out of the old town centre. Bus loads of people were just starting to arrive so it was a good time to go before it would be a struggle to walk the bike through the waves of people.

Just down from my hotel I was waiting for my GPS to get its bearing so I snapped some photos of the gate into the city. -- Óbidos, Portugal

The GPS finally started giving me directions but it was fairly confusing because of the randomness of the streets. They went every which way and did sudden turns so I had to make sure of the street before descending or climbing or fear having to re-trace my steps.

Most of these town streets were granite cobbles which are extremely slippery when wet, and a few times my front tire did a little slip which could have ended in disaster if I was careless.

Just out of the old town I headed along the old walls on VERY slippery granite cobbles. -- Óbidos, Portugal

My route brought me down to the same railway crossing near the old train station and then headed me along a single track through the ... grass? Bamboo? Either way, it was along a small track that had greenery on both sides in the middle of cultivated fields. Looking back, I could see the castle poised on the hilltop and framed by my route. Yup. Artsy Photo.

I followed this trail for a km or two and just had to snap one more photo of the castle on the hill!. -- Óbidos, Portugal

As I cycled along the path I brushed up agains a lot of the wet grass so that soaked me. Even once onto a paved road, it misted a bit so I was getting fairly wet, though also warm so I actually had my coat off. I was heading toward Óbidos Lagoon, along which I had come a bit yesterday. The actual EV1 route was along more unpaved roads, though, so with it being wet, I did not like the idea of possibly riding along a wet muddy path, so I stayed on the paved road what was as close to the EV route as possible. Away from the water meant something, though - a few 10% climbs. Let's just say that 10% is very steep. I just paced myself, though, and made my way up one side, glided down the other, and then repeated a few more times until I was within view of the shimmering Atlantic.

With the sun now out and having done all of this climbing I was really warm so it was nice when the route seemed to follow along a ridge for a while. Until it descended and climbed in and out of the next town with a beach!

The area seems to be yet another up-and-coming area with a number of Resort and Golf Spas with very fancy homes or condos. They were nice but looked a little out of place. Suddenly that came to an end and I was back on a dirt road that ran alongside farms with chickens, cabbage, corn, and potaotes. And the Atlantic shimmered away.

Up ahead I coud see a number of white buildings but was not sure which, if any, was Peniche, my destination for the day. The dirt path switched to asphalt, and went past a number of surfer hotels, and surf shops, and surf patios and... yes, surfing is growing a lot faster than cycling in Portugal.

I set my GPS to my hotel and it said about 5 km away (as the crow flies) and when the route turned and brought me straight west, I knew I was coming to the city I had visited nineteen years ago - but this one, too, had way more built-up areas. I did recognize the little harbour (with no more fishing boats) and the stone city walls. Once I was into the old part where I had been before, it was a matter of minutes before I had arrived outside of my hotel.

Earlier this morning I had received a message from the owner asking what time I would be arriving, so I asked him if I could store my bike and bags here once I arrived at noon or so. Not because I planned it, but I rode up to the door at 12 noon exactly, and one of the employees was standing at the door and just locking it. He called the owner and within a few minutes he had me bring my bike up to the storage room, had me drop my bags in my room, and handed me the key, saying I could check in at 3 pm which was their normal time. I was quite fine with that.

I decided to head out and explore on foot - always nice to use a different set of muscles. I poked around the narrow back streets to find what looked like many former businesses now closed. I don't know if this was happening pre-covid as people wanted more car-accessible shops, or is covid-caused or a mix of both.

I keep seeing these political signs and offices in most cities. I guess they are somewhat of a force here. -- Peniche, Portugal

I kind of looked for my dinner restaurant from nineteen years ago, but wasn't sure. So, I found a local-looking place and ordered the beef with potatoes, salad and rice. It was ok, but nothing to be excited about. On the tv they were showing snooker from the UK which was oddly interesting to watch.

I was too full to finish my lunch, so paid and headed out along the city walls for a few APs.

AP of the city walls. -- Peniche, Portugal

Knowing that Peniche sits on a rocky promontory that juts out into the Atlantic, and having admired the waves last time, I went in search of them, hoping the coastline wasn't all 'stolen' by multi-million dollar homes. Lo and behold, there is still the coastal road with a walkway and you can sit and watch the crashing waves to your heart's desire. I went to a few spots and was able to sit and 'feel' the powerful shock waves as the water crashed below against the rocks. The breeze was cool, but it was a nice change after the heat from walking over. There were maybe another ten people in the whole area but really, had the whole coast to myself. I think I sat there for an hour and enjoyed the views all the way up the coast and back to Nazaré, I do believe. If not there, I could certainly see a number of towns all along the coast as far as the horizon.

I enjoyed it in 2003 and here now in 2022, I just can't get enough of this craggy shoreline with crashing waves. -- Peniche, Portugal

It was getting closer to check-in time, so I started to make my way back to my hotel. It was a lot closer than I thought so was there very quickly. I did run into the supermarket for a few snacks and juice for tomorrow's ride, then waited in the park across the street until the door was unlocked and I could come in.

My hotel is the yellow-orange building in the centre beside that really historical-looking red one which seems abandoned. -- Peniche, Portugal

The room is quite nice. Breakfast is set for 830 am since I have another shortish day tomorrow. Not sure other than a nap what I will do this evening.

Today's ride: 30 km (19 miles)
Total: 387 km (240 miles)

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