The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Portugal: Douro and Minho Wine Country

June 17th to June 30th

Ride Coordinator: Carol Anderson
Report by: Daniel Krechmer

Portugal is finally starting to receive its due as one of Europe’s most desirable destinations. Our intrepid group of 23 riders and 3 guides would heartily agree.   The trip was characterized by long, sometimes difficult climbs that were rewarded with spectacular views of the countryside and seemingly endless downhill runs.  Throughout the trip we rode through beautiful medieval hill towns and villages.  Slowed by cobblestone streets the group had a chance to take in the ambience of these old settlements at lunch or at frequent coffee (great coffee for 1 euro) and drink stops.  Spring-fed fountains were found along many of the roads we traveled, allowing replenishment of our bottles with refreshing, cold water.   One of these fountains was the scene of a splashing contest among several of our group, which entertained a local gentleman sitting nearby.  Wine was a focus of the trip as the title indicates.  We stayed at several excellent family-run wine hotels and experienced tours and tastings.  Several nights were spent in beautiful castle hotels, including the last three in Baiona, Spain.  Inside looks at a bakery, a revived woolen mill and an old-style olive oil factory were among the other cultural opportunities of the trip.  Dinners were excellent, with nice selections of meat and fish.  Traffic was non-existent to light nearly everywhere and while drivers buzzed by occasionally at high speeds they were respectful and gave us wide berth.  Our guides did an amazing job of finding scenic back roads that required cue sheet descriptions like “after passing stadium on right turn 1st left on tiny cobblestone side street bordered by stone walls”.

The trip covered four distinct areas, the Serra de Estrela (mainland Portugal’s highest mountain and home of its only ski area), the Douro Valley region, the Minho Valley region of Portugal, and finally Baiona on the Atlantic coast of Spain’s Galicia region.  We met in the mountain of Covilha and bused to our first mountaintop hotel in Penhas Douradas.  The next morning we awoke to a brown haze and smoky smell.  A forest fire the previous day, roughly 35 miles from us,  had resulted in the tragic deaths of over 60 people.  This sad event dominated the news over the course of our stay.  From Serra de Estrela we made our way north to the spectacular Douro Valley featuring its famous terraces.  The first four days of the trip coincided with unusually high temperatures, increasing the challenge of afternoon climbs as well as the challenge of sleeping in our one night in a hostel (no a/c).  The next day, however, was perfect for the heat wave as we took a four hour boat ride on the Douro and experienced a refreshing dip in the Douro in addition to the magnificent scenery.  Two beautiful wine hotels later and in cooler weather, we headed for the Minha Valley, making our way through the seaside town of Viana do Castelo and the beautiful river town of Ponte de Lima to the Peneda Geres National Park.  Our mountainside hotel there featured a unique ecological design and a group of mustangs outside our windows.  We continued into Spain with our route on last big day of riding incorporating the Celtic ruins on Mt. Santa Tecla and the famed Camino de Santiago along the rocky Atlantic Coast.  Overall a friendly and fun group led by great guides and a wonderful and rewarding destination.