Zambujeira do Mar to Carrapateira

November 7, 2024

A blustery day!

It wasn’t the best start to the day. Our accommodation here has a shared kitchen for guests to use, so I’d suggested getting some granola/muesli and yogurt but Al preferred to go out. So out we went to discover that none of the local cafés were open at 8:30. A tiny grocery was, though, so we bought some eggs, cheese, bread, and oranges. There was coffee in the kitchen but I’m not a fan of black coffee so Al had an espresso and I did without (for now).

We had had a bit of a splurge meal last night, a pasta “stew” for 2 with elbow macaroni, monkfish, prawns, and clams in a tasty sauce. We added a side of sautéed fresh vegetables (very good) and a “jarro” of white wine. We were expecting a half-litre or so carafe but no, it was 750, same as a bottle. We did our best with the main course and managed to drink all the wine. We ate all the seafood and veggies, though, and shared a delicious dessert.

Not the most photogenic dish (it came in a pot and we served ourselves) but tasty!

We pointed at this in the fridge to the left behind Al. No idea what it’s called but it was so good!

Today’s ride started with a steep descent and then a steep climb. I pushed but Al managed to ride up. This was the permeable-paver-surfaced climb I remembered seeing in other CB journals.

At the top, looking back at Zambujeira do Mar. The steep part is out of sight past the blue parking signs.

Then, about 4 km into the ride, there was a similar descent to Praia do Carvalhal and, of course, a climb back up. I now hate permeable pavers, especially when the voids aren’t filled. Yes, Al rode up and I pushed again. There was a distraction at the top.

I was wondering if this could actually be a bison. Maybe not, but some sort of buffalo.

Al was stopped up ahead and taking a photo of something. I had used my full zoom to get the buffalo and he only uses a phone…

And two of these. Plus an alpaca off in the background, in front of the building. I usually try to take my photos with the camera close to the fence (10 cm mesh, so easy to avoid the wires) but the ostrich saw me and came prancing over. Its head could fit through so I moved back. It’s an electrified fence but does the bird know that?

So, animals from different continents all in one large enclosure. Interesting!

We continued southeast on this quiet road until it ended at EN120, the highway that went to Lagos. We crossed a bridge at Odeceixe and climbed for about 3 km at a nice highway grade. At the top, though, we encountered the stiff headwind, around 30 km/h, that would dog us for the rest of the day.

This being the road to Lagos, the traffic was getting uncomfortably heavy, especially with the gusting wind. At about km 26 on our track, we turned off onto EV1. At first it was paved, patches on patches, but then turned to dirt, and then a steep rough descent to Aljezur, followed (of course) by a cobbled climb through town. It was a nice break from the highway traffic, but we decided to rejoin our paved route for the rest of today’s ride.

In Aljezur, opposite the Museu Municipal

We had lunch at a conveniently-located café in Aljezur

Unfortunately, the wind was as bad or worse all the way to Carrapateira. When we arrived at Pensão das Dunas, we learned that we hadn’t had a reply to our request for a room because they’d had a power outage this morning. We snagged the last room with ensuite. And said yes to breakfast.

The guesthouse has indoor and outdoor common areas so the tiny room isn’t so bad. It’s still gusting outside so we decided to ride out to the Pontal da Carrapateira tomorrow instead of this afternoon.

Heart

Comment

Link

Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 258 km (160 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	13
Comment on this entry	Comment	0