Cycling in portugal

If you want to see a country, really see it, you need to appreciate the experience at a slow pace.

That is the philosophy that has inspired one man on a 12-year project to create a virtual encyclopedia for cycle touring in Portugal.

Paulo Guerra dos Santos is the force behind Ecovias Portugal, National Cycle Tourism Network, an online guidebook updated annually which has downloadable maps of cycling routes covering more than 5,800

kilometres in every region of Portugal. There are 19 long-distance routes complete with maps, advice on towns and accommodation, and

cycling-specific technical information. Cyclists can follow trails that take them to historic towns, past rivers, beaches, through hilly areas or the gently rolling countryside of the Alentejo south of Lisbon or among the orange groves of the Algarve.

Routes for all tastes

For example, Ecovia 1 is a relatively flat 1,188-kilometre route beginning near the border with the Galician province of Spain in the north, all the way south to the Algarve. Following this route, cyclists will travel from the Minho River, south to the Aveiro Estuary, through the Mondego River lowlands and Tagus River mouth. Then onward past the Atlantic beaches of the Alentejo, passing by or through numerous villages and some large cities.

If you’re interested in castles and fortresses and don’t mind some climbing, Ecovias 4 is a route close to the Spanish border in the east that passes the Serra da Estrela mountain range.

Ecovia 5 takes cyclists from near the northern coastal towns of Viana do Castelo and Esposende through parts of the Peneda-Gerês National Park, eventually ending at

Mirando do Douro, in the far northeast corner of Portugal.

If you want to have the Lisbon experience, you can try Ecovia 15 which starts in the city and then passes through the

Moscatel wine-growing area near Setubal, via ferry across

the Sado River and through the Alentejo on stretches of former railroad pathway (rails-to-trails) to the historic city

of Évora and on to Badajoz in Spain.

Santos has divided the routes into segments of 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) to 50 kilometres (31 miles), so cyclists can have ample time for sightseeing and enjoying a coffee or meal along the way.

Taken from The Portugal Living Magazine 

Read the full article here

Paulo Guerra dos Santos website: Click Here

Guidebook available: Click Here 

Article by Rosalie Rayburn