nbjtours

Nevers

93 miles

746 ft climbed

Today we spent almost the whole of day running alongside the river Loire. Either on the cycle path or on an adjacent road. The good thing about this was that there was very little in the way of climbing.

The highlights of the day were two magnificent canal aqueducts, the first at Briare built in the 19th century we were able to cycle across minding we did not fall in, especially with a brisk cross wind.

At almost 500 m long the path was not that wide and with cyclists coming the other way and a cross wind we had to take care not to fall in the canal.

The second pont- canal just south of Nevers had a huge stair lock to access it too.

We also took a detour at La Charite sur Loire where we had a quick circuit on the built up mid river islet where we came across two Dutch lady artists painting in preparation for an exhibition in Sancerre. We had a good chat initially in French, then English and even a bit of Spanish for Nick.

These all seemed far from waking up in Sully to a slightly overcast and drizzly morning. Extraordinarily Dom was not in a great frame of mind having been kept awake by frogs and Owls all night, Nick had found a friend!

After our porridge and toast. We set off earlier just after 8.00 and managed a whole mile before stopping at the magnificent chateau at Sully

Our route took us along the cycle path along the side of the Loire, until we reached Gien a town that we have been on a couple of trips before .

After Gien which always makes a good photo shot from the opposite bank of the river. We carried on in increasing sunshine and rising temperatures along the raised river levees or the quieter roads by the river.

We had agreed a meeting with Nigel shortly after the Pont Canal at Briare, but repair works to the next river crossing meant a height restriction so we had to go back to meet him where he had found a great stop next to the Loire Canal.

By this time the thermometer was back to over 30 degrees centigrade and we had a nagging headwind slowing our progress. Further levee riding was not the most exciting entertainment so we abandoned a trip up the hill to Sancerre and cut our losses to our lunch stop after only just over 50 miles.

We also passed two nuclear power stations with their huge cooling towers visible easily from 10 miles away

Once again we feasted with the additional benefit of a cold roast chicken to have with our baguette and salad.

With the heat and still over 40 miles to go a tea stop was planned in to help the tired limbs.

This was a tough segment but helped by the visit to the islet at La Charite where Nick was able to take advantage of the facilities of the island campsite before we had the nice chat with the Dutch artists.

From here we bounced along the cycle route and managed to miss Nigel as he had stayed on the road where we had agreed to meet and we didn’t.

We did rearrange our tea stop where in addition to a cuppa we were treated to a treat of chocolate eclairs. The other benefit being that we only had 18 miles to go to the campsite.

This last leg was the best of the day as not only did Dom and Nick have a quick paddle at the confluence of the Loire and Allier. This is Dom cooling down in the Allier. In addition to the temperature dropping a bit the route after the second pont canal took us beside a canal to the south of Nevers and with a bit of a following wind we were able to scoot along at 20 mph for the final 15 k just avoiding a nasty pile up when hitting a patch of gravel under a bridge.

Reaching the campsite after another full day was created with relief and a Leffe. Chris needed a full rub down with Dom’s massage ball. Looking at his photo here I’m not sure if he is enjoying it or in Pain or both!

Nigel then prepared a Jamie Oliver 5 ingredients special where 1 ingredient was replaced and the other was omitted. It still tasted great with Monica’s coleslaw though.

Whilst I would not normally bring up things outside the trip I cannot finish the blog today without expressing my shock and sadness at the death of Martin “Chin” Chinnery who I heard passed away suddenly yesterday Having known Chin for almost 30 years he was to me Sevenoaks and District Motor Club. We all raised a glass to you this evening my good man.

Sully sur Loire

84 miles

2411 ft climbed.

Today we have had to cycle a whole afternoon without support. After the coffee stop Nigel was depositing Peter at the station to catch the TGV to Paris for his flight to Oslo. We therefore took some cash and decided to stop off at a patisserie for coffee and a cake on the 53 mile leg to our destination for the day

Well we had failed to take account of the fact that everything is closed. The first town we looked was closed, so was the second, so at the third when we saw a cafe door open at the third we thought our luck was in.

Well the owner said he was closed so I thought I would ask. This kind old chap , who claimed to be 210, then explained in some detail that the only place open today was 5 km off route.

He was not keen to let us go, explaining that he couldn’t drive but could drink and didn’t like the English but that was OK because he hated the Germans!

We therefore left empty handed to cycle the last 25 miles hungry, luckily the campsite cafe was open and we all enjoyed a Magnum on arrival

This was a long way from this morning when we woke up to a much cooler day and cloudy skies. Although it threatened to rain properly most of the morning it was never enough to put on our rain jackets although a couple of descents had to be taken carefully.

Leaving the campsite and Peter, who sensibly decided not to cycle at all today we followed the river along before a good climb up onto the plateau.

One of the highlights of the day were the variety of flowers along the verges.

Poppies

Poppies with cornflowers

salvia?

This first section was mostly across the agricultural plateau with it vast fields but we did drop down into a valley where we managed a brief couple of cycle path miles before cycling through the Cress capital of France, Mereville.

This old lavoir required Chris’s closer inspection.

Shortly after these watercress beds safely parked up in the centre of a small village was Nigel’s camper with table and chairs ready for our arrival

Even the crocs were ready to be deployed. In what became a very sensible move Nigel treated us to substantial bacon and scrambled egg baguette followed by coffee and croissants. We said bye to Peter and then set off for what would become the second and last leg

Once again small roads across the plateau as above towards the town of Pithiviers. Whilst this town is famous for its savoury pies the welcoming smell as we approached the town was that of freshly cooked biscuits From a huge factory.

We also saw this very bizarre tourist train running beside the road, the station was in the middle of a field and we guessed that it may have been a toy of the local farmer.

We went through the town and then took a detour along the very pretty Essonne valley. This was a good call as it made a change from the flat lands and huge fields.

This Game of Thrones like row of Plane trees led down to the river.

This fantastic chateau-fortresse at Yevre- Chatel meant a detour and stop but still no shops were open

On from here we had some good peloton riding with Nick allowing the rest of us a go at the front, although he banned me as my shorts had become see-through so I was smiling at him all the time. The shorts are now in the bin.

After the chat with the old man we therefore pressed on through the Orleans Forest and had our first bit of unpleasant cycling along a straight and truck frequented road where Dom took the lead for a good 5 mile stint as the trucks sped past.

All was well and we arrived safely at the campsite which is next to the Loire just as the sun began to shine again.

As ever Nigel and Monica had everything waiting for us once more Our Spaghetti Bol was devoured with enthusiasm.

One of the things that we leant today is that Nick is now El Presidente of Hadlow Park after staging a typical South American type coup. We understand speed bumps, a cycle path , and a miniature railway are the first things proposed. Any dissenters are to be housed in the requisitioned property for which he already has the razor wire being delivered. Be warned.

A 100 mile day alongside the Loire awaits tomorrow and the cooler weather we enjoyed today is threatening to be replaced by heat and thunderstorms. Let’s see. Keep reading and posting your support our backsides need it!!

Dourdan

80 miles

1788 ft climbed

I am writing this blog outside Fighting Off the pesky mosquitoes at 9.00 with the temperature still at 27 degrees having reached a peak of 37 according to Nick and even the sign outside the pharmacy read 34 degrees. It was a very hot day probably the hottest that we have ever cycled in.

For most of this time we decided that Nick was the strongest and he was happy to take the head of the peloton, especially during the first two legs when there was a distinct head wind. Looks as though he was grimacing a bit though here.

Frankly we were a bit slow again this morning and left the campsite just before 9 going down through Vernon town before following the river then up a small valley onto the plateau between the Seine and the Eure.

This photo up the valley suggests that Dom either has an electric bike or emits electric charge as he accelerates away

Across the plateau we hit the headwind and typical central French countryside

Big straight empty roads and huge fields of wheat, barley and rape etc with the edges filled with the colour of poppies, dandelions or other vergeside flowers.

What was fun was that parts of our route today were the same as our cycle to Le Puy 11 years ago and a couple of sections including a sweeping downhill into the Eure Valley brought back memories as they were most recognisable.

A water and shade stop in the interestingly named Villiers des Desoeuvres ( Town of Disorder) was also reminiscent of our previous trip.

We found a short spell of cycle path along the Eure but the barriers across the path to slow us down were really tight and improved our bike handling skills but became a bit frustrating as it meant a very stop start section from Ivry la Bataille.

So in fact we were pleased to come off the sun drenched cycle route, cross the river and 5 miles later Nigel found a field next to a Church and set up breakfast.

The route was then mostly adjacent to the river through some lovely small towns.

This was Nogent le Roi with some very precarious buildings.

We then went through Maintenon and had a stop to look at the chateau which was the home of Madame de Maintenon 300 years ago.

It was here we saw a fellow cyclist visiting the chateau with her partner.

This Aqueduct over the road at Maintenon was ancient but we were to pressed to see when it was actually built.

We carried on by the river and for the lunch stop Nigel had found a track next to a stream where once again we sat down and enjoyed baguette cheese ham and tomatoes before importantly filling out bottles with more water.

We even managed to stop at the traffic lights like good boys.

The Satnavs don’t seem to recognise one way streets though so we did manage to ignore the no entry signs in at least 3 towns but with the lack of traffic there was not an issue.

Today we had planned each leg as being shorter so left only 24 miles for our final stint.

This was all on road and we had a bonus as the wind that had been blowing from the south in our faces switched to a westerly behind our backs and so pushed us towards our destination.

Nick as ever took the lead although we did see him at a bus stop where he declared he was waiting for the number 7 to take him home.

It remained super hot so that once again Nigel was able to light up the BBQ. So we enjoyed chicken and some of Monica’s special Beetroot and Apple salad.

We even had time to help the lady campers next door who had got their trailer tent caught on the electrical feed.

Despite the heat we all managed to come in together with Peter doing a magnificent job in keeping in peloton before he leaves us tomorrow to take a flight to a meeting in Oslo.

The hot weather is due to break tomorrow and we will be lucky to avoid rain for the rest of the week. Wish us luck.

95 miles

2231 ft climbed

Today started at about 5 am with the noisiest Cuckoo face off you could imagine. Whilst Chris and I were almost comforted by the familiar cycle tour sound Nick reckoned he was still asleep and heard nothing.

As usual however Nick did entertain us with the tale of the day. He explained that for some reason he woke up cold as he had slept in his sleeping bag when it was inside out which had then made the interior of his tent look as though he had plucked a small chicken in the middle of the night.

Back to the cycling we managed to return to our usual routine of Nigel’s porridge before starting at a latish 9.15.

With a 90+ mile day ahead of us once again a 3 leg day lay ahead.

The first leg took us back to the London-Paris Avenue Verte which we were able to access via the back gate which the previous night we had not got through although the guy who told us we could not get through last night said this morning it wasn’t locked. That cost us 3 extra night miles. Next time we will check rather than take someone’s word for it.

This leg was almost exclusively on the cycle route and was an enjoyable start to the tour not having to worry about traffic, only avoiding the occasional cyclist and walker and one errant cow

The only detour was a brief 100 yards off the route to see the fabulous chateau at Mesnieres en Bray.

This great ride ended at Forge les Eaux which was the busiest place we had seen so far. Nigel agreed to meet us a couple of miles out of town along a straight road Nick pulled us out of the town at speed and arriving at the camper with Chris and myself, Peter and Dom had gone missing and there was no sign of them along the road.

I got on my bike and a mile from the end of the first leg Peter had got the first puncture of the Tour already.

Improvising as usual Nigel parked up on a small road turning it into our coffee & croissant stop.

Leg two was all on small roads and included a short sharp climb up to the appropriately named Beauvoir-en-Lyons.

A fabulous ride alongside a beautifully clear stream came to an end at a fabulous spot that Nigel had found for lunch.

As you can see Dom decided to cool his feet in the very cold water.

The final leg of the day saw a further 15 mile stretch along a cycle path where we were entertained by a couple of likely lads pulling wheelies on their motocross bikes wearing only their shorts.

We then had a climb and descent to La Roche Guyon, a chateau fashioned on top, in and in front of the cliffs of the River Seine.

Following the Seine for a few miles the heat seemed to build as it hit 30 degrees with it threatening to be hotter tomorrow. It was quite a struggle keeping going. I think all of us drunk more water in a day than ever.

A minor detour therefore beside Claude Monets garden meant some very slow cycling weaving between the hordes of tourists.

By this time 3 out of the 5 sat navs had given up the ghost ( including both mine) so we were worried about risking Nick leading us through the town I had a map in reserve but having sent copies of the route to everyone in case, we fortunately had Chris’s machine still working so he was able to take us through Vernon and then up to the campsite which is at the top of the hill

Just 650 metres from the end Chris needed a break as the sun had started to take its toll. A drink and then the final all uphill 650m were completed to the campsite where cold beers, showers and Nigel’s BBQ and Monica’s coleslaw awaited

I write this sitting behind Chris as he watches Spurs in the Champions League as Peter has managed to link his laptop up to watch the match so we did not need to venture out to a sports bar. Let’s hope the result changes.

A good start, almost 150 miles down already and a slightly shorter day tomorrow.

English Channel

44 + 9 = 53 miles

2523 ft climbing

Well after being in planning for almost two years we are underway Nigel and Monica arrived in Hadlow in the faithful Rimor camper almost on time and we loaded her up ready for the off.

Just before we left there was a minor panic as I mislaid my wallet with all cards and cash within. Of course it was already safely in the camper.

The Tour this year sees 5 riders for the first 4 days, 4 for the next 4 and three for the final 4. In addition to the Iberian crew of Nick, Chris and myself we have my brother Peter for the first section and Dom Boulle who is not only cycling with us to Le Puy but is then taking part in a 38 km trail run as part of the Grand Trail de St Jacques.

Well after the wallet was retrieved we struck down the A26 to get to the Castle where we were met by a grand reception committee of the Mayor, friends , family and work colleagues. So after hellos, hugs and goodbyes the Mayor waved the Union Jack to send us on our way.

The super hot weather forecasted turned into a cool misty drizzle as we cycled part of the Penshurst access trail and then up to Kings Standing at the top of Ashdown Forest.

We had a quick stop here for an ice cream and coffee

Cycling on through the darkest depths of East Sussex through Barcombe and then through Lewes we then had a good run down the back road to Newhaven. This road is obviously used as a cut through by locals and was quite busy. We therefore cycled in peloton with Nick as usual leading. After a bit we noticed no cars had been passed for quite a while so thought that it had quietened down.

However at this moment Peter at the back said ” Need to find a lay-by if you can” Amazingly round the next corner was a lay-by into which we all peeled off and stopped. Then a massive queue of around 40 cars sped by, that was why it was so quiet!

As we arrived in Newhaven the sun came out so we must now be truly starting the adventure. I am writing this mid channel ( thankfully very calm) with a six mile dark ride to get to the campsite at the other end to complete day one.

I will Update and add photos later as the WiFi is none too strong on board.

After a super smooth crossing we got through customs put out lights on then set off for s short 6 mile ride to the campsite or so we thought.

The trip through town was fine and then leaving Dieppe we picked up the London- Paris avenue verte cycle route.

It was all good fun until we came up to the campsite Taking the prescribed route we ended up by a lake discussing the way to the campsite with a bunch of drunken fishermen Bottom Line was it was not the right way.

Another couple of cyclists who knew the way appeared and said campsite down here We followed them , it was but the backdoor was locked and we were the wrong side of the river So near yet so far

We then had to retrace our route to cross the river and finally find the campsite another mile down the road. As ever Monica was there waiting by the entrance to direct us to the camper where Nigel had all but completed putting up the tents what a way to get out of that job!

Cycling finished just after 11.30 blog 00.48 Day one completed and it’s already day two.

The 2019 Tour is to be a double celebration with an added twist.

The route is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tonbridge-Le Puy en Velay twinning and is also eleven years since the team from Hadlow cycled for the first time from Tonbridge to Le Puy. Some of the route is similar, but this time we have chosen to enter Le Puy over the mountains rather than follow the Loire all the way in .

Arrival at Le Puy after 8 days on the bike will be followed by two rest days whilst we watch a team of Tonbridge runners take part in the Grand Trail de St Jacques running race in the town before celebrations in the town hall on the Sunday.

Having got to Le Puy we are then going to cycle on for another 4 days via hopefully a summit of Mount Ventoux all the way to the Mediterranean Sea at Saintes Maries de la Mer.

With less than two months to go before the 31 May start to the next tour our bespoke tour jerseys arrived today.

They celebrate the 50 years of twinning and match the running vests that our brave dozen will be wearing when they take on the daunting Grand Trail de St Jacques the day after we should arrive in Le Puy.

Note the new for 2019 NBJ Tours logo incorporating the Hadlow Tower and and flying Cuckoo to remind us of previous adventures. My thanks go to Julian Scott for his work on putting the logo together.

As ever once we get our tour underway after being flagged off from Tonbridge Castle by the mayor I hope to keep daily updates running on the journey as we cycle down through France to Le Puy and then after the celebrations on to the Mediterranean.

Getting closer, got to keep up that training.

Cabo de San Vicente

88 miles  6013 ft climbed

603 miles total cycled

The objective achieved this afternoon just before 4 o’clock was not without its trial and tribulations but thankfully not as tough as the last tour.

Having decided to take the scenic routes through the final stages of the Serra de Monchique we were due a right turn but were confronted by the sight of the camper coming back down the road toward us.

Nigel was succinct, you can’t go down there lads, it’s just gravel, there is no real road, he offered us a ride in the camper but we had had already too much of that on this trip. Looking at the maps there was not an alternative but Garmin suggested there was.  So two really tough hills later and an extra couple of miles and we were back on track.

During the trip we have heard Cuckoos every day and Nick has grown to despise their evil intent so much so that he has denied their existence. Our lunch stop today was graced by the unexciting chorus of the Cuckoo.  Even Monica suggested that it said something impolite!

To crack on today we left our forest track campsite at 7.06 only six minutes late from scheduled, to a misty but clear day 

The benefits of leaving early were cooler temperatures and terrific views over the hills as the mist settled into the valleys. The temperature difference was quite marked between top and bottom. 

Having had an early stop by 9, before our big 1000ft climb of the day helped, and of any climb we have done it was the most pleasant with the gradient only getting to 7% at worst  

The top of the climb did give us our first glimpse of the sea but with only 55 miles covered there was still plenty of cycling to go. 

The day got very warm and with the mercury reaching over 30 C water and sun cream were essential friends. On Some of the steep climbs it felt like you would burst.

Following passing through Monchique Nigel had stopped for our full breakfast stop of frankfurters and scrambled eggs when we were joined by a Cornishman for coffee whose  mates then joined us briefly before setting off. Incredibly one of them owns property in the same small town in Brazil as Nigel

Whilst on occasion we found our legs tired,  the final 5 mile blast was along the main road to Sagres which we were able to peloton in style at 20 mph. 

The tour is over successfully, legs are aching and plans for the next adventure in 2019 are already underway. The cyclists fly back tomorrow and Nigel and Monica have some free time to wander back to the UK more slowly exploring the wilds of Portugal.

Until then thank you for being interested.    Nick , Chris and I will keep cycling. We remain eternally indebted to Nigel and Monica for  their unwavering assistance and care throughout and we look forward to the next adventure in two years time

Boas Viagens. 

Wild Camping in the Serra de Monchique

87 miles 3514 ft climbed

The majority of today seemed to be on straight Roman roads blasting across the undulating plains of the Alentejo. We were joined at Porridge by a solo cyclist John who was travelling from Faro to Porto over 2 weeks it seemed to get away from family issues. Leaving the campsite just after 8 we covered over 17 miles in the first hour and managed 32 in two hours so our breakfast stop was made just afterwards in very good time. 

There was not much going on in the countryside which was dotted with cork oaks and olive trees, but we did see this station which in theory still served the nearest town and the railway was still operational but it really didn’t look as though it was still in use.

The highlights of the morning session were passing through two small towns of Viania do Alentejo and Vila Nova de Baxio which unlike the small Spanish towns we passed through last time, are full of people and busy. The first also featured the only significant climb up this cobbled street but gave us the best view of the morning over much of the route we had cycled.

The second leg was a further 30 + miles and gave us some more great views although the roads stayed straight. We were lucky in that whilst dry the cloud cover only started to break later in the afternoon so although warm we were not scorched by the sun.

Whilst as ever seeing loads of flowers and birds – lots of kites and storks today. One thing that you do come across that is more unpleasant is roadkill. Flat snakes and frogs often. Thankfully mostly you can smell and not see, although today there was a fully bloated cow next to the road and this mongoose like animal. 

Nick was very taken with this petrol station that sold Bridaljus  fuel. 

Having crossed the arid plains full of barley and a 1246 hectare Olive tree plantation that seemed to go on for miles and must have cost a fortune, as it was fully irrigated we then started a little climb into the Serra de Monchique from where I write this blog sitting On a stone at the top of the track that leads down to our wild campsite for the night, listening to the sound of the bees and a very  loud Cuckoo

Only one more day and 85 miles to go before Cape St Vincent with Chris and I hanging on to that mountain goat Nick we will get there. The forecast is for the hottest day of the tour so far so wish us luck as we intend to start at 7 to avoid the heat of the sun for our big climb of the day.

Posting now as battery down to 3% here we go ….

Evora

88 miles  4312 ft climbing

The title of today’s blog has much to do with the key ingredients of what we had to deal with in the day. 

As above we have got used to Portuguese cobbles in the towns and villages but in addition to this had a full section of road between towns to deal with.  Not only that, but around the town of Vila Vicosa the whole countryside had been dug up to provide marble for the kitchens and facades of Europe 

The many coloured marble had been extracted by cranes and lifts leaving  spoil heaps that looked like massive rubbish tips surrounding the rather beautiful town of Vila Vicosa

We left our very well run Dutch campsite near Castelo de Vide a little late as Chris had a puncture, falling off his bike in the process  without injury.

The early morning birdsong here was magnificent even if mixed in with a bit of Cuckoo.

The first section of the day through the Alentejo region was very sparsely populated and we enjoyed traffic free roads and plenty of wildlife. 

These storks attracted our attention as they clapped their beaks together and we thought that something was wrong with our bikes making us look around to see what’s happening.

Other things that we saw were butterflies, this fantastic Swallowtail stayed still long enough for its photo. Note that it has settled in the wild oats which are a the most often attractive roadside accompaniment. The fields and meadows were full of yellow, pink or mauve making everything so vibrant. Another amazing site was a huge flock of sparrows whose chattering was so intense it was hard to hear ourselves speak.

The roads were of varying quality but in general were often very straight and at times a bit gutty to cycle along. The countryside changed further to grass,  cork oaks and the occasional vineyard

The small villages we passed through showed signs of occupation unlike many of the Spanish ones two years ago. These above show the entrance into San Aleixo.

Having split the day into four in order to be able to fit breakfast, lunch and tea into the days cycling we were able to fit in a quick visit to Vila Vicosa which was the palace of the dukes of Braganza,  the ruling royal family of Portugal until the early 20 century  Even with this fantastic facade it was possible to park free in the square,  looking at this impressive marble frontage. We all know if something like this was in the U.K. or France it would be teeming with tourists and expensive. 

After Vila  Vicosa we had 36 Miles of rolling road to go which in reality was not the most exciting cycling we have ever done. We did however see this amazing double halo around the sun 

The final highlight of the ride was going through the UNESCO World heritage city of Evora which has been the first place we have visited that had more than three tourists.

Chris,  Nick and I were treated like true celebrities with all the Chinese,  Japanese and North Americans taking photos of us as we stopped at the Roman Temple of Diana and then our route took us through the pedestrianised streets 

Seeing a big town square full of cafes we decided to stop and take a quick beer before the final mile to the campsite. Here we were approached by a number of North American cyclists who were keen to know what we had done and where we were going and were more than happy to share our experiences.

The final mile achieved, Nigel and Monica had as usual got all the camping arrangements sorted and with a healthy salmon, salad and potatoes, a happy but tired cycling trio settled for bed without the sound of a Cuckoo for the first time in a week.

Castelo de Vide

43 miles 3252 ft climbing

For the first time in three days I am writing this blog outside as the barbecue is warming up. This is what we wanted  All very different from the start this morning as the driving rain very quickly quashed any thought that we had the previous night of a quick sprint up the mountain.

Striking camp in the pouring rain, with the temperature a cool 7 degrees, please note the moat like features around Chris’s tent which kept an annoying cat away, we jumped in the camper and motored away from the very wet high mountains of Portugal to Castelo Branco.

Here we then got back on our bikes for the first time in Two days and although we had to stop to don our shower proofs after only 5 minutes it was just that. We then rode the 15 miles to the impressive Portas da Rodao where the river Tejo ( Tagus in Spanish) pierces through the barrier of rock.

We then had a good climb up and over this barrier and were cheered on half way up by a couple who had stopped by the road. 

The roads were often really wet as the showers had just beaten us , but we did manage to keep dry apart from a short shower 2 miles before we hit camp

Taking a little detour before our lunch stop we had this great little descent by a stream where you may Just spot Chris and Nick speeding down the hill.

The lunch stop was in Nisa which we found with the tents drying over the local benches. Nisa is a very typical fortified town and since crossing the big hill and moving to the Alentejo region we noticed the change in the countryside with different flowers, which still adorned the roadside with beauty, fewer people and as ever the variety of bird life. Today we have seen Vultures, Eagles, Storks, Herons, and an Azure winged Magpie.  Whilst I write this the compulsory Cuckoo is sounding off in the background. We have heard one at every campsite so there are no concerns here about their decline, Nick has decided he does not like Cuckoos so cannot hear them!  

After the stop at Nisa we went for a further detour and also came across this 6200 year old Menhir of Patalou, which is the largest of its type in Portugal. 

The terrain having eased we were able to run along at the highest average speed we had done this tour.

It is true that when the weather changes so does the mood ( although Nick’s cup is always overflowing) and we certainly felt so much happier than for the last two days. This is what cycling should be all about.

The weather is expected to stay better from now on with only a chance of rain tomorrow. We were able to enjoy a super meal of steak,  potatoes and  cole slaw cooked on the barbecue. It is not warm but everyone is smiling and looking forward to another great day tomorrow.

Thank you for Keeping reading and supporting us