Bike Packing in Alentejo, Portugal - Guest Post by André Frederico

A guest post by André Frederico, Portuguese bike packing enthusiast, on his recent adventure in Alentejo, riding over 400km from Évora, in inland Alentejo, to Aljezur, in the Vicentina coast. Packed with great tips for you to plan your ride in Portugal - read below!

"From Évora to Aljezur

The region of Alentejo, in the South of Portugal, specially the Costa Vicentina, has a special charm that never seems to disappoint. Often overlooked, the area that stretches from Porto Covo to Odeceixe is a gem that has remained closer to purity than any other coastal region in the country, a cycling delight.

Bathed entirely by the Atlantic Ocean, it is known for its patches of sandy beaches located either near fishing villages or hidden away at the bottom of cliffs where you can escape from the overpopulated beaches near the bigger cities.

With this destination in mind, I decided to start my bike tour from Évora, regional capital of Alentejo, making the most of the landscape, orography and the chance to witness the transformation from the countryside to the seaside.

Évora - Diane’s Temple

First Stage

Under a quite warm temperature I set off to reach Grândola on the first day, using only national roads. The goal was to go through a couple of picturesque villages such as Alcáçovas, Torrão and São Romão, small places sparsely planted in the rather false plains of Alentejo. Why “false”? Because when you leave the bustling city of Évora behind you, one starts to encounter short but repetitive hills that, together with some long and apparently endless straights, can take a toll on your stamina and mental fitness. The good thing is that Évora is located 300m above sea level and Grandola is slightly above 100m, so you are going downhill most of the time.

Torrão - Vale do Gaio Dam/Bayou

Storks, cork trees and wheat fields, quintessential Alentejo

São Romão - Rice fields

After about 90km of riding, I reached Grandola. A calm, flat and spread out city that is surrounded by plains on the East and sierras on the West. The city is known because of a song composed by author Zeca Afonso, “Grândola Vila Morena”, that was the second password that initiated the Carnation Revolution that brought down the dictatorship in 1974. Zeca Afonso drew inspiration for the song after visiting the city in 1971 and being amazed by the welcoming and brotherly warmth of the locals. Unfortunately Grândola doesn’t have a camping site, so I decided to book a room in a hotel. The scorching heat and the unusual headwind I went through to get there, this ended up being a blessing in disguise. I just couldn’t find any desire to put up a tent of any sort at that time.

Grândola’s monument to the Carnation Revolution, with the verses and chords of the “Grândola Vila Morena” song painted on tile

Second Stage

After a quick tour around the city, I left Grândola with the objective of tackling the Western Alentejo’s mountains and finally reach the coast. Initially taking the national road south, that would take me to the village of Alvalade, I turned west in order to reach Cercal, another picturesque small village where I would do my first offroad excursion. The idea was to make the whole extension of an mountain bike event that connects Alvalade to Porto Covo, on the coast. This 70km long ride passes through sandy and gravel roads and it is quite flat before reaching the Sierra of Cercal, but because I was riding alone and the threat of another hot day on the saddle, I decided to ride the last 20km of the track, from Cercal to Porto Covo. And the decision proved fruitful as the terrain and singletracks I rode where perfect and, although having to endure some short but steep hills and rocky descents (on a loaded and fully rigid bike), the views were amazing, specially once you reach the top of the hill and see the Atlantic Ocean.

Bridge that connects to the village of Alvalade

First kilometre after going offroad in Cercal

Atlantic Ocean ahead!

A “Monte Alentejano” entrance

Stretch of gravel road near Porto Covo

Camping at Porto Covo

Village’s celebrations meant loads of carefree people

First sunset-over-ocean picture

Third Stage

The first night sleeping in a tent also meant the first day of some back pain discomfort. So, to start the day, I took breakfast and some pictures of the beautiful views of Porto Covo’s cliffs to cheer me up. Also, this was going to be probably the best stage of this tour. Leaving behind the hills, I was going to ride along the coast line and, having done it before once, I knew what I was ahead of me.

15 panoramic view of the atlantic from porto covo andre frederico[1]

The ride would initially take me through a national road, bypassing the village of Vila Nova de Mil Fontes (another of the most beautiful villages in the coast of Portugal that I decided not to visit to avoid arriving too late at my destination. Since I was riding a lot on sand and gravel on this third day and having visited Mil Fontes a month ago, I took the option of riding around it and focusing on other roads I hadn’t had the chance to ride before). After 35km on road, I took the coastal gravel roads at Cavaleiro, where the Cape Sardão is located, riding to Zambujeira do Mar, Azenhas do Mar and Odeceixe. On this 50km stretch, you either are surrounded by the Ocean to your right and agricultural sites on your left or you are pedalling in the middle of plantations of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, among others. The sights are amazing and refreshing and you never feel tired of riding. There is always the desire to pedal more and more because on each turn, there is a surprise or something you haven’t seen before. A cliff, a stork’s nest in a rock in the middle of the ocean or a cove with a small patch of beach that can only be accessed by sea. After reaching Odeceixe, I took a known singletrack along the irrigation canals that lead to Rogil, which are super fun to ride along and a good way to avoid the road before reaching Aljezur, my final destination before a couple of resting days and relaxed camping before getting back. This was the longest yet the best stage and I can only put in so many words what I experienced. Better stick to the pictures.

Vila Nova de Mil Fontes

Agricultural field near Cavaleiro

Cabo Sardão

Cliffs near Zambujeira do Mar

Surrounded by nature

Zambujeira do Mar

Odeceixe beach

27 grilled fish is a must andre frederico[1]

Four and final stage

After resting 3 days in Aljezur, it was time to go back home. Since I started the tour from Évora and rode outward to the coast, pedaling up to reach Lisbon is a doable feat. But the realization that I would pedal through the same places I passed before with strong headwind, made me change my mind. So, I set the goal to ride inward to one of the most beautiful and quiet villages in Alentejo: Santa Clara-a-Velha. With a old and cousy train station, located just shy of the village, and near a relaxing bayou of the Santa Clara dam. It meant going back uphill, riding the mountains, but the almost nonexistent traffic, fluctuating landscape and rather well kept roads made this trip the perfect ending for this adventure. With the exception of a couple of steep hills, the easy going nature of the road network and the sights one can enjoy while pedaling at a slow pace make the trip worthwhile. The ride to Santa Clara is 70km long and there is no need to hurry, as I found out that I arrived 3 hours ahead of the first afternoon train. No problem, I had plenty of time to lunch, visit the dam and get back to the station before getting the bike ready for the trip back. Again, the images will speak for themselves.

Landscape in Alentejo near São Teotónio

Santa Clara-a-Velha

Santa Clara-a-Velha Bayou

All the pictures and text where written by André - For more on his bike packing adventures, follow him on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/industronerd/

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