I’m working on a series of guidebooks that develop the touring routes on this site, as well as additional day rides and side trips.
The 2019 second edition of The Alentejo Circuit is out now.
Based on the popular touring route of the same name this guide has been extensively updated (see below for more information).
The second book, Cycling The Algarve, is based in part on The Algarve Adventure, a circuit covering the western half of the region, including the Costa Vicentina natural park that extends north along the Alentejo coast.
The Algarve guidebook also features a couple of shorter routes, plus options to link up with The Alentejo Circuit, as well as some day rides of varying lengths and different levels of difficulty.
The Pedal Portugal website provides free maps and a basic description of the routes, while the books contain detailed directions, distances and much more information, plus ideas for side trips, alternative routes etc.
The Alentejo Circuit – 2nd edition
The Alentejo has some of the prettiest old towns in Portugal – and some of the gentlest cycling. It’s not flat but nothing like as rugged as other parts of the country.
The main six-day route starts and finishes in the historic city of Évora and takes a loop through some of the region’s most scenic countryside, visiting the idyllic hilltop village of Monsaraz, a string of castle towns and the southern city of Beja.
There’s also the option of a three-day extension taking you out to the best bit of the Alentejo coast.
Originally published in 2014, a new and fully updated 2019 edition is now available in print and e-book formats – click here.
- options for up to 11 days of riding
- detailed directions for each day in numbered sections
- distances for each section and 22 maps
- notes on places to visit and things to see along the way
- ideas for side trips and alternative routes
- information on accommodation options
- where to find supermarkets and bike shops
- a three-day extension out to the Alentejo coast
Cycling The Algarve
Portugal’s Algarve region draws millions of sun worshippers and beach lovers but it’s also a fantastic destination for cycling, particularly in the winter months.
This unique cyclist’s guide covers the western half of the region, giving a general overview of riding in the Algarve, plus highly-detailed descriptions of a six-day touring route.
There are also a couple of two-day rides, and 10 individual day rides of varying length and difficulty.
The guide contains:
- six-day touring route, plus two two-day rides and 10 day rides riding
- detailed information of 943km of riding
- directions broken down into numbered sections with individual distances
- maps of overnight stops and towns/villages en route
- NEW – links for online maps that can be downloaded as GPX files etc
- notes on places to visit and things to see along the way
- ideas for side trips and alternative routes
- information on accommodation options
- where to find supermarkets and bike shops
The 204-page print edition of Cycling The Algarve costs £6.99 or US $9.99 from Amazon.
Future guidebooks
After the Algarve book, the next book will probably be one looking at a couple of options for north-south routes through Portugal. (Unless another idea takes over.) Expected publication date will be mid-2016.
Pedal Portugal 
I wanted to order the printed Edition of The Alentejo Circuit in Austria via a bookshop or Amazon. The Price here ist about 38 €. Can I buy it directly with you, and wat´s the Price- p.s. We have been cycling in Portugal twice and want to do it once more. Thank you for your excellent informations. Angelika Scheiber
Hi Angelika
Sorry it has taken me so long to reply!
I don’t know why the book is so expensive. You should be able to buy the printed version through Amazon for about 6 euros. This doesn’t include delivery but I would be amazed if postage is 32 euros!
I don’t keep any copies myself as it’s not worth it.
Regards, Huw
Hello Huw, I have just completed the Alentejo circuit with 2 friends. Loved it! I’ll be ordering my own copy of the guide book. Many thanks for an excellent guide, Sue
Hi Sue
Delighted you enjoyed it and thanks for taking the time to get in touch. I hope you avoided the worst of the recent bad weather.
Cheers Huw
hi i am thinking of riding EV1 through portugal along the coast is this going to be covered by your possible new guide book ? if so when do you think it may be published?
Hi Matthew. I’m afraid the guidebooks are on hold for the time being because I’ve been too busy running guided tours.
To be honest, I also wouldn’t bother doing a guidebook on someone else’s route. Plus – to my mind – the best cycling in Portugal is inland not on the coast. The coast is too busy and nothing like as scenic as other parts of Portugal.
The EV website also shows the Atlantic coast route as ‘realised’ but I would take this with a huge pinch of salt. I don’t remember seeing any signage for it when I was in SW Portugal earlier this year.
Cheers, Huw
Hi again Matthew. I posted a question about this on the Pedal Portugal Facebook page. You can see the responses here: https://www.facebook.com/Pedal-Portugal-204773553050836/
Hello Huw. Hope your project is going well.
On the off-chance and given your Iberian connections:
I am planning a charity bike ride from Urroz to Uruena in Northern Spain in aid of the Urology unit at Guys Hospital in London…you can see why I’ve chosen those two places!
Can you suggest a practical way to try and pre-plan a route without my doing a reccy there first? Is there a website or some other source where I can get a feel for whether a route/road /track is suitable for a robust but not mountain bike…it’s a tourer with quite chunky tyres and I would rather meander through wine growing etc areas that are attractive in May than charging down a car busy Roman road kind of thing. Any help?
Many thanks Nick Trevor
+447799475499
Hi Nick
Simplest suggestion is Google Streetview! I use it as the first stage of checking out routes in areas I don’t know. It probably covers 95%+ of roads. Work out a rough route using a mapping app like RideWithGPS (that will also give you distance and amount of climb involved) then use Streetview to ‘look’ at roads and see how major they are, whether there appears to be lots of traffic, good surface etc. Not infallible but it will be good start.
Best of luck, Huw
Thanks. Perfect.
Nick Trevor 07799475499
Sent from my mobile
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no problem
I’d love to get your guidebooks but my e-reader is not compatible with the Kindle format (.mobi).
Do you have an .epub e-book available somewhere else on the web?
Hi Allysse. I don’t at the moment – I know that you can download Kindle readers (for free) for tablets/PCs etc. Not sure if you can get them for other e-readers. What are you using?
Ok.
Sorry, I hit enter too quick on my previous message. I meant to say a bit more than just okay 😛
I have a Sony e-reader. It’s a little old now (about 5 years old) but still works great. I don’t think I can get a Kindle reader for it though as it’s not connected to the Internet at all and only works with its own software.
I do have an iPad but I wasn’t thinking of taking it with me (simply because I would have to charge it more often and it’s nicer to read on paperwhite screen).
I’ll look into it a bit more and will see if I can work something out 🙂
Thanks for your reply.
I use a front hub Dynamo for lights but also to charge iPad. It is not quite powerful enough to run the iPad as a navigation aid but can keep it topped up for reading.