Here at Pedal Portugal we tend to be of the "take everything you need and take your time" school of touring. Our normal target for a day's riding is 80km - particularly if loaded down with camping gear as well as everything else. But some riders prefer to travel much faster and lighter. Guest blogger… Continue reading Travelling Fast & Light
In 2005, my wife Carolyn and I arrived in Portugal for the first time after riding our tandem south through France and Spain. Over the course of about two months we cycled across the Algarve and then made our way north. Part I of the story dealt with our first impressions of Portugal and the start of… Continue reading A Portuguese Love Affair – Part III
Just over six years ago, I began work on the Pedal Portugal website. This post continues the story of how it all came about. Part I explained how my wife Carolyn and I arrived in the county for the first time in 2005 as part of a year-long tandem trip - and how we fell in love with… Continue reading A Portuguese Love Affair – Part II
The Pedal Portugal website has now been going for six years - I wrote the inaugural post on 18th August 2011 for what was then a pretty basic site. Since then, it's fair to say that Pedal Portugal has come to play a major part in my life. As well as maintaining this site and trying to… Continue reading A Portuguese Love Affair – Part I
Canadian riders Tim and Joanell Storm, from Victoria BC, have recently returned from their first cycle trip through Portugal. Former high school teacher Tim (60) and Joanell (56), who worked in a hospital laboratory, are recently retired. Their time in Portugal had many high points, from strangers buying them coffee to watching fishermen sort their catch on… Continue reading Pros & Cons Of Portugal
Top 10 tips for cycling in Portugal - terrain, maps, highlights, food, guided bike tours etc
I don't often buy lottery tickets but if I ever had a few million to spare I know what I'd love to do - convert some more of Portugal's old railway lines into decent cycle trails. The country has so much potential. But so few good quality off-road cycle routes of any length. There is the… Continue reading Oh For A Few Spare Million
Here at Pedal Portugal, the Cornwall-based charity ShelterBox has long been a cause close to our hearts - which is why we've decided to support it through our guided cycle tours. Back in the old days when I had a 'proper job' (the 9-5 sort with regular pay cheques), I was in charge of communications… Continue reading Making A Contribution
Keep going back to the same place and it's easy to get complacent. To think you're an expert and you've pretty much discovered all there is to see and experience. But, despite visiting Portugal on a frequent basis since 2005 (and living there well over two years), I was delighted to discover this year that the… Continue reading The Portuguese Discoveries
Last week we completed our toughest guided tour so far - riding from Portugal's highest city, Guarda, to the Vila Real de Santo António at the mouth of the Guadiana river. The Eastern Explorer covered around 600km over nine days of riding but also involved more than 7,000m of climbing. Along the way we crossed three regions… Continue reading The Toughest Yet
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