Alentejo and Algarve

EV Cycling Day 6 (12 May): Lisboa - Coina (train) - Setubal - Sines 120 km

A long stage is planned, but it will be a little longer at the end. More on that later! Because around 110 km are planned and include a train and a ferry ride, we set off early. At Campolide station we have to get our bearings in order to find the right tickets and the right platform. But the Portuguese are helpful as always and we are able to board the train to Setubal with our bikes in good time. After five stops and the associated crossing of the Tejo, we are in Coina, in the Alentejo region. This is a rural, sparsely populated area. We get a first impression of this on our tour today, because apart from Setubal and Sines there are only a few small settlements along the whole route. Although the Atlantic is only a few hundred meters away, we don't get to see it. The dunes and forests block the view. In the late afternoon we reach Sines, which is located directly on a hill above the sea and has an old town with a castle. The city's most famous son is the sailor and explorer Vasco da Gama. The deep-sea port, which mainly handles crude oil and natural gas, is of particular economic importance. The Portuguese government recently invested several million to create a large LNG terminal. Since Sines is the closest port to producing countries such as the USA and Nigeria, the large tankers are to deliver the liquefied gas here, which is then transported by smaller ships, mainly to Germany and Poland. As we continue our journey, we pass the large tanks and see several tankers lying off the coast. We then drive directly along the coast on the way to the campsite. The access path suggested by the sat nav cannot be found - we can only walk it from the campsite and are surprised that this trail was intended as a path. We wander around a bit and after a detour of 5 km we finally find ourselves in front of the entrance.

EV Cycling Day 7 (13 May) Sines - Aljezur 95 km

Today, at least at the beginning, the cycle path can be described as a coastal cycle path, because we cycle right along the sea and beautiful beaches. A large part of today's route leads through the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa and is therefore often on gravel, which is sometimes a bit sandy, but overall still easy to ride. The coastal path is obviously also popular with hikers, and of course there is also a Camino through the Alentejo, always close to the coast via Porto to Santiago. Behind Vila Nova de Milfontes we cross the Rio de Mare (which, as the name suggests, flows into the sea there), initially cycling along the main road and then on gravel paths to Zambujero do Mar. We also meet a lot of hikers on this section of the route. Two "push ramps" with a gradient of more than 15% await us and a little later a "push ramp" that we can't imagine how we will manage on the climb. The main road runs not far from there, but it is EV 1! On the plains that we pass in between, there are kilometers of greenhouses under which all kinds of berries grow for the Central European market. The workers there are Asians, mainly Bangladeshis, Indians and Nepalese, who have immigrated illegally and work for starvation wages. In the late afternoon we reach the campsite in Aljezur, where Dominique sets up the tent safely and confidently and we then start the descent into the town for dinner. That means another 4 km there and back with some climbs, including on a sandy path. After a good meal and a bottle of wine, we have to climb back up. Oh yes - wine recommendation: Amalia Alentejo 2021

EV Cycling Day 8 (14 May): Aljezur - Cabo Sao Vicente- Sagres - Lagos 95 km

It rained and blew heavily overnight. It is cool today, so we decide to book accommodation in Lagos for tonight. We make good progress on roads that are not very passable and a few kilometers of gravel, and by midday we are at Cabo Sao Vicente, the most south-westerly point of continental Europe. The "last bratwurst before America", which was already available on my first visit here in 1978, is still available, but there are many more customers. From here we say hello to our grandchild Luis in Munich, who turns six today. It is not far to Sagres, but then we struggle uphill for almost 10 km against a headwind. The climb does not seem to end! We drive uphill and downhill on beautiful back roads through the Algarve to Lagos. Dominique has found a very good restaurant outside the party mile that serves the Algarvian specialty 'Cataplana' - prepared in a copper kettle with peppers, onions, potatoes and (in our case) three different fish. More than worth a recommendation! And the wine recommendation: Quinta de Ferrol Riserva Algarve