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| 27/06/2017 Sagres to Vila do Bispo | ||||
| The GR11 E9 starts in Sagres and ends in St
petersburg. It is 5000 Km long. Actually a long distance waking route.
However some of it is good for cycling as well. Besides it is very well
marked. The reason could be that it is the same track Rota Vicentina is using, and this track is quite new. I used a standard bike, but changed the tires from 700 x 38 to 700 x 44 Some of this cycling was done in July. It can be very hot in July , but depending of the wind you get many cooler days as well, but the wind cools only along the coast. I bring my car along. Then park it at a convenient spot and bike from there. Should the bike break down, I can walk back to the car. However I bring tools to repair a flat and fix a chain break. Lots of water and a bit of food. Mobile phone and spare battery. It was more a coincidence that I started to cycle on this track., but the fact is that it is more fun to see different things. . As heading North normally is head wind, then it is easy to get back. Sooner or later I will be out of reach of a daily driving trip, and then I need to figure something out. Most likely camping. |
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| Starting from Beliche Beach. | ||||
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| Near Punta Riva. heading up along the coast. The trip ended in Vila de Bispo. | ||||
| VILA DO BISPO TO VILARINHA 30/06/2017 | ||||
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| Leaving Vila do Bispo.I left the car there. | ||||
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| The track | ||||
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| At one place there is a big decent and up again at the other side. | ||||
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| The worst part after the decent. I had not seen anybody, and outside telephone coverage, and nobody knew where I was. So I felt a bit stupid. Later i saw some hikers. 7 on the whole trip. | ||||
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| I was surprised to find small lakes. Artificial. | ||||
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| End of day 2 in the small aldea of Pedralva. There is a hotel and a restaurant there. But they were not very helpful towards me,as I was just passing through, so bring your own drink and food. From there I took the main road back. | ||||
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| In Vila do Bispo , at the bar in the market building, you get coffee and cake for 2.20 E | ||||
| PEDRALVA TO VILARINHA 09/07/2017 | ||||
| I left the car in Pedralva. The first short stretch is paved road. Then the gravel starts. There are many river crossings. This section is difficult if there is water running in the river. There is an alternative track in those situations, but it did not look god for cycling. During the summer, make sure there is a strong North West wind to cool you down. 5 km and 5 km back | ||||
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| CARRAPATEIRA TO VILARINHA 01/07/2017 | ||||
| I could not find the marked track, so used a gravel road that is running behind the town. That turned out to be a good idea as the first part of track is in places single file, and not suitable for a normal bike. You need some thick tires to avoid punctures from the thorns. | ||||
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| Through town | Through town | Hotel close to town | ||
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| The road I used | Here I turned around | The track connect to the N road. | ||
| BOARDERIA TO CARRAPATEIRA 5/7/2017 | ||||
| I left the car in Bordeira , a small village. The track out of town is steep. Then it was easy going. Unfortunely I took a wrong turn, even if it was clearly marked. After 2 km I realized the mistake , and returned to Bordeira | ||||
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| Bordeira | Through the village | Out of town | ||
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| Small dam create a lake | The road to follow | Here I took a wrong turn | ||
