EV 1 - here we go

EV Cycling Day 1 (6 May): Porto - Praia da Mira 113 km

We are happy to finally be able to start our tour on the EuroVelo 1. On the one hand, we want to get going after the long journey, and on the other hand, we are looking forward to quiet areas. It is hard to believe how many tourists there are in Porto (we are of course among them). And because of the great distance, almost all of these people come by plane. For us, today is the perfect day to start our tour on the EuroVelo 1 - finally bright blue skies and pleasant temperatures of around 18 degrees. We can ride in short cycling clothes, which is a pleasure. It is a bit of a struggle to get out of Porto. It takes us just over an hour to cover the 10 km to the "Atlantic Highway". After that, we ride on very well-developed cycle paths to Espinho. We have to hurry because the ferry from Sao Jacinto to Gafanha leaves at 2:15 p.m. And we pedal hard! Fortunately, there are good cycle paths or roads with little traffic, and it is flat. In addition, the wind mostly comes from the side and doesn't bother us much. We are at the ferry port half an hour before departure, still time to visit a pasteleria. From the ferry port in Gafanha it is around 10 km to Aveiro, the hometown of our Portuguese friend from Mürren, Helder. The city is known for its canals with their colorful boats and brightly painted Art Nouveau buildings. This also attracts many tourists. We drive back and over a long bridge to Costa Nova. Luckily, the builders of the bridge had already thought of cyclists when they were planning it and built a separate cycle lane. We continue along the Canal de Mira, almost always on well-developed cycle lanes here too. We are very surprised at how well developed the cycle network is. We arrive in Praia da Mira shortly after 6 p.m., where we have nice accommodation. Given the nighttime temperatures, we postponed the first night in the tent. Wine recommendation: Terrincha Douro Superior. It tastes excellent with Arroz de Marisco (rice with monkfish in a very good sauce).

EV Cycling Day 2 (7 May): Praia da Mira - Nazaré 120 km

The morning starts well. We cycle the first 25 km on an incredibly well-developed cycle path, with lanes for cyclists on the right and left, and space in the middle for the five cars we pass. Then comes the first steep climb followed by the rapid descent to Figueira da Foz. We cycle towards the centre and there we realise that we have to cross the large bridge Ponte Edgar Cardoso. So after a short break we go back onto the access road, where a sign indicates that the bridge is closed to pedestrians. This does not affect us as cyclists! But there is a sign on the bridge that makes it clear that the crossing is also closed to cyclists. But we can see no other way of crossing the Mondego river anywhere (later an oncoming cyclist tells us that there is supposed to be a ferry because of the closure). The construction work is taking place on the high pillars in the middle of the bridge, so we venture onto the closed lane to the first pillar. There we wait for a gap to the middle of the bridge and then continue to the second pillar. It works, we can cross the river over the bridge with astonishing ease. Our route takes us along back roads and then along beautiful cycle paths in the hinterland, and after 60 km we reach the Atlantic again at Pedrogao. Today we meet some long-distance cyclists, and those coming towards us complain about the headwind. There is the nurse from South Tyrol who has taken a break until July and wants to cycle to Santiago and then to the north of Spain. Or the young Dominik, who wants to travel half of Europe by September. It's up and down until Nazaré, and we are happy when we can put up our tent at the campsite in the early evening. We cycle to the beach, where the best surfers in the world meet on the monster waves from October to March. Now the French, German and English tourists meet there for a beer - and the sea is calm.Wine recommendation: Quinta do Ventozelo Douro 2018 - the best wine on our tour so far!

EV 1 - Cycling day 3 (8 May): Nazaré - Peniche 85 km

This day of cycling is tough, but let's take things one at a time. From the campsite we head eastwards, the Cistercian monastery in Alcobaça is only 10 km away and is definitely worth a visit. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1989, the magnificent building is one of the most impressive and beautiful examples of Cistercian architecture. The almost 900-year-old medieval parts of the building are completely preserved and very impressive. It has a special significance for the Portuguese, as the monastery dates back to the time of the founding of the state. The small detour brings us a ramp with a gradient of over 15% in places - so we have to push. As we continue, we also struggle over extremely steep ramps that lead from the sea directly into the villages. From above we have beautiful views of the Atlantic coast, but a little later it goes steeply downhill and just as steeply up again on the other side. Add to that the heat, today it is around 30 degrees. We see our destination, the Peniche peninsula, soon in the afternoon, but it is still 45 km and a few meters of elevation. In Peniche we discover that the Camping Municipal is closed. Thanks to maps and Portuguese help, we find another campsite in the very northwest of the peninsula. After more than 1000 tough meters of elevation, we look forward to a beer and good food.

EV 1-Cycling day 4: Peniche - Praia das Macas 95 km

Hard to believe, but today it will be even harder. In the evening we really feel the steep climbs with more than 1200 meters of elevation in our legs. In the morning we circle the peninsula, have breakfast in town and then have to solve a problem with the sat nav and komoot. Without the combination of the two, nothing works anymore.Today we pass many beach towns like Santa Cruz, Ribamar and Enceira, where many surfers frolic in the water. The further south we go, the more bathers there are. In the early evening we are happy when we arrive at the hotel in Praia das Macas. On the way there we can already see Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in Europe - a destination for tomorrow.A beautiful sunset and a good dinner make up for the day's exertions.