Over the past few years I've spent many, many hours carefully putting together route maps for cyclists coming to Portugal and putting them on the Pedal Portugal website - but now Google seems to have messed up the lot! What is it with these companies that feel they have to keep changing things? I used the old version… Continue reading Oh Google Maps… Why, Why, Why?
I had a tough but wonderful ride into the hills of the Algarve today as I continue to check bits of the route for the next Pedal Portugal guidebook - which is going to cover the western half of the region. Although I've ridden quite a few of the roads involved (and am getting lots of guidance… Continue reading A Testing Test Ride
With most of Europe in the grip of winter, January seems a good time to put together a new touring route for Portugal's Algarve region - which provides some of the best opportunities for cycling anywhere on the continent at this time of year. Look carefully at a map and you can see how far down the Algarve… Continue reading Winter Riding
It's taken nearly two months but I'm finally updating the Pedal Portugal site with details of some great bikes in the north of the country. I've completed details of three rides so far. Well, possibly four as one ride is made up of two loops that could be done as two separate circuits. So far,… Continue reading Rides In The North
It's taken a few months of work but the first Pedal Portugal guidebook has just been published. As far as I'm aware there are no other guides like it so hopefully it'll be a hit! The Alentejo Circuit is now out in both both print and Kindle versions - and hopefully will be number one in… Continue reading First Guidebook
Completed a 41m/66km ride today through one of the quietest and most unspoilt corners of Portugal I've ever seen. After a couple of weeks in the far north, Carolyn and I are back in the Beira Alta, exploring the area just south of the Douro valley and just west of the Spanish border. I knew… Continue reading Wild & Wonderful
I used to think Michelin maps were good but I'm beginning to have my doubts. It's not so much faults with what they do show, more all the stuff they leave out. I've spent the past nine days exploring the north-east corner of Portugal, trying to work out new day rides and touring routes to… Continue reading Mapping Frustration
Excitement is mounting here at Pedal Portugal HQ. And not just because Bournemouth Air Show is on at the moment and I've got fighter jets screaming through the skies above my house, flying upside down, doing loop the loops, and generally making a racket.No, the reason for the excitement is that in less than three… Continue reading Twenty Days And Counting
The first Pedal Portugal guidebook should be available this autumn - a print and ebook version of the Alentejo Circuit.The whole project is a bit of an experiment as I have no idea what kind of a market exists for guidebooks to cycling in Portugal. On the other hand, I'm having enormous fun writing them!My… Continue reading Guidebooks Coming
Cheap booze, sunshine, ancient civilisations, wildlife... or getting in touch with your roots... everyone's got different motivations for why they travel and what attracts them to different places. I've got my own reasons for loving Portugal but I was curious what the main draw was for other cyclists, particularly as some are - presumably -… Continue reading Why Portugal?
Pedal Portugal 