Friday 31.05.19

Sao Pedro de Moel - Praia da Vieira

While the rest of the cyclists who had shared our hotel were still eating breakfast, Al managed to extricate our bikes from among the many that were parked in the bike shed. Our overnight room had provided a balcony view of the sea and an opportunity to hang very niffy clothes outside. So today, we smell a little less. Not, however, for very long. Following a jolly ride along the front for not nearly long enough, we were headed for the hills and I do mean hill. As ever, the effort was rewarded with fabulous 360degree views and a coffee spot in the SHADE providing us with table and bench. Such a treat!

It has been another really hot day with temperatures around the thirties. This may have, in part, accounted for my lapse of concentration while cutting open a bread roll with my penknife. The outcome was a small stabbing incident which resulted in quite a lot of blood. The injury was not serious and quickly dealt with although Al insisted on trying to clean up some of the mess on the ground. [And the mess on her helmet where the raised arm technique caused a red shower - Ed. ] It had been going so well as the chosen lunch spot was high above the front of a town whose name I cannot remember. Suffice to say, it was all very pretty with fishing boats and happy children playing on the sand.

We have received much encouragement today from various sources - fellow cyclists (many of whom were getting a lift), other road users, workmen and just folk in their gardens. It really does help.

We had reduced distance travelled today by going the extra mile yesterday and very glad we were too as temperatures continued to rise and the ups getting no easier. The campsite, when we eventually found it, left much to be desired and despite advertising a bar and restaurant, neither was open. BUT, it was Friday night and Alan's night for cooking! His creation of pasta with sardines and olives was excellent. Glad to rest weary bones tonight.

Saturday. 01.06.2019

Foz do Arelho - Peniche

We breakfasted in style outside the amenities there being no other built up area to cook and as the ground was not only like concrete, as we had found out last night when trying to ram home pegs, it was also tinder dry. In this unlikely situation, we fell into conversation with a gentleman who spoke perfect English and was keen to discover what in the world we were doing. We explained. ('Why are you doing this?' is becoming an oft posed question and one to which we need to find a satisfactory answer. Any ideas much appreciated!) We did ascertain from our chat, that the weather was unseasonal. It was, apparently, supposed to be spring and not full summer. One could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. It was early morning and already very hot so even packing the tent was a very sweaty affair.

As I have the good fortune not to be deaf, my nights are punctuated with noise, in particular dogs barking. Portugal does seem to have more than its fair share of dogs, particularly yappy ones which only dare to bark at night. Add to that the local parrot in a cage, and it was quite a cacophony of sound.

We, or at least I, had hoped for some more in the way of interesting wildlife around the shores of Lagoa de Obidos which, as it's name suggests is a sea water lagoon of some size. Going around its shores was too much for Eurovelo, who thought it much more interesting/fun to conjure up a pile of hills which did had its compensations. We passed through the small and original old Portuguese villages we have seen little of thus far, and it was a change to see small farming groups, small whitewashed houses and not a villa in sight. They, the villas that is, were not far away and the most ostentatious of them was next to a golf complex complete with a Marriott's Hotel! No, we did not attempt admittance. In fact poverty returned and we were on a dirt track again, which culminated in a sand dune. With our waning strength, we pushed and pulled the bikes through and had a momentary collapse and sense of humour failure.

We were now seriously overhot so, it was with some relief that we entered Peniche. This night we were going to find an hotel and our first port of call was the tourist information office which was devoid of any helpful information. It had the good fortune, though, to be situated opposite a small hotel which was happy to store our bikes in the empty shop next door and offer us a room for 35 euros including breakfast. Too good an opportunity to miss and we took the offer for two nights in order to have a bit of a rest and properly wash our stinking gear.

distant forest fires