VN de Milfontes to Zambujeira do Mar

November 6, 2024

What a day!!!

What a lovely day! Back to feeling like myself, the weather was perfect, and the ride the most scenic yet!

Last night we went to the same restaurant as the previous night and had the same soup again, followed by chicken grilled on skewers. Like last night, there was enough food on the plate (“dose” size) for both of us—two big loaded skewers with rice and fries. But it just wasn’t as good as last night’s meal.

This morning the recommended breakfast place was again closed, so we ended up at the little cafe across from our hotel. We learned that a “tosta” is like a grilled sandwich. Al had a tosta Italiana and it was huge! I opted for a pastry—only one because it too was twice the size expected. The café com leite was definitely the best of the trip so far, probably because it was made on a proper espresso machine and not one of those fully automatic jobs at hotel buffets.

Sol da Vila was a great place to stay. Our room was comfortable and modern, though small, and only 45€.

We decided not to chance the ferry and a long hike across loose sand and took the road bridge. We were surprised how many Rota Vicentina walkers we saw on the bridge—had we been on foot, we certainly would have taken the ferry.

Looking back at BN de Milfontes from the bridge

The highway started with a very wide shoulder but the shoulder soon disappeared. When our turn off appeared and was unpaved, there was no question of staying on the highway. After a couple of km of sandy dirt, the road was paved again as we entered Longueira. The asphalt continued through Almograve and all the way to the lighthouse at Cabo Sardão.

It looks like it is operational, but not today. Its sails are fueled.

Then, the best part of the ride—along the part of the Rota Vicentina rideable on a touring bike. It was slow going, not because there was much hike-a-bike through deep sand, though there was a bit of that, but because we kept stopping to look at the views! In places, the path was very close to the cliff edge, so looking without stopping wasn’t advisable.

After I took the photo above, I noticed the rock arch.

Eventually, though, the path turned away from the coast and then came out on the road to Zambujeira do Mar. It was only 1 pm but we decided to stay here instead of pushing on. That was the plan, after all.

There’s a chapel in a little plaza above the cliff.

Lunch spot. We ate here while waiting for check-in time. These tostas are half the size of the one Al had for breakfast.

After checking in to our accommodation, cleaning up and generally loafing around, we walked down to the beach.

I’ve noticed several of these trees in VN de Milfontes and especially here. This is a small one.

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Today's ride: 33 km (20 miles)
Total: 208 km (129 miles)

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Kathleen ClassenThe day we did it I told Keith I would have walked the whole thing for the views. Loved your pictures!
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1 month ago

Jacquie GaudetTo Kathleen ClassenI remembered you writing that in your journal and made a point of including it in our route.
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1 month ago

Rachael AndersonWow! What a beautiful ride.
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1 month ago