April 6, 2012
Viana do Castelo
Esposende and the N 13
The sky is moody. The rain that has been forecast and which looked highly likely yesterday as I rode north from Porto into a gale never arrived, but there's a distinct chill in the sea air and I'm glad to have arm-warmers to put on as well as a windproof jacket.
has shorts on. He and his partner are sat outside having a bite to eat when I go to get my bike from the lockup. Their bikes are lent against the tables on the street and we greet each other as cyclists do. Down from Spain for the Easter weekend, they're heading to a resort a mere handful of kilometers north, to have something nice to eat and some beer. It sounds like my kind of tour.
We part company and I make my way, riding beside a broad river, to a point where a chapel stands at the end of a cobbled drive that's dusted with sand. No doubt many fishermen have been remembered here over the years.
A few minutes later I come to a squat castle that offers a photo opportunity and while I'm setting up the tripod, Miguel and his partner, Mercedes, cruise by, so we ride along together, along a seaside path that has lots of joggers and other cyclists. It's good to chat and glean some info about where I should go next.
There are all kinds of possibilities. Miguel says Viana is a nice place and cements the idea that it's where I should ride to - get there and find a bed. After that it's more tricky and he says the coast road up to Vigo is really nice, but when I ask about the Rio Minho valley, he says that's also a great route. I'll get to Viana and think about it.
Once back riding solo, the kilometers soon go by. I try to keep to the coast, riding along paths and boardwalks, but they eventually fizzle out and I'm left with cobbles lanes, which make the bike rattle.
At a village called Estela, I meet the N 13, but turn off it soon enough, towards Apulia, and then cycle up to Praia de Ofir, a quiet resort with a large, swish-looking hotel right by the beach. It's tempting to stop again and have a drink in one of the coffee shops nearby, but it's a bit too early, so I head into a bigger place, Esposende, not a million miles away.
The man I ask where the Tourismo is turns out to be the tourism officer, walking to open up the office. He lets me use the Internet, plugging the cable into my laptop when the Wi-fi doesn't work. After chatting to Debbie via Skype, he fills me in on the cycling options heading north. It's just the N 13. However, it's only 20-odd kilometers to Viana, so it isn't too bad. And there's no wind today.
I try and get off the busy route but it's a waste of time, as the cobbled lanes lead nowhere and it's a case of pressing on to Viana, which has quite a few tourists. Then I recall it's a four-day weekend in Spain.
The woman in the town's tourism office gives me numerous sleeping options, but the old boat sounds a good one. Run by the YHA International, there are single rooms available and the almost 60-year-old steel Gil Eannes, a former military hospital ship, is moored nearby.
Today's ride: 67 km (42 miles)
Total: 1,632 km (1,013 miles)
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